Following the recent tragic shooting incident at Bondi Beach, the APC Chair wrote to our Member Editors to highlight the Press Council’s Standards of Practice that promote high standards of journalism and to highlight the importance of responsible and trusted journalism, particularly at a time of heightened emotions, and when social cohesion is paramount.

Reporting on events such as mass casualty incidents accurately and sensitively can be extremely challenging for journalists. They must balance the public interest in reporting in an accurate, timely and informative way against the significant distress and grief that reporting (including graphic/inaccurate reporting) may have on victims, families and friends of victims and the wider community.

Journalists adhering to the Australian Press Council’s high standards can contribute to rather than diminish social cohesion.

Our thoughts are with those impacted by the terrible tragedy.