They’re
pretty hot on unopened mail at the Seven Network these days. All
letters that arrive for the newsroom and the network’s sole current
affairs program, Today Tonight, have to be opened,
even if the recipient is out of the office or away on
holidays.

Seven has promised the new media regulator, the Australian Media and Communications Authority, that mail would not be left
unopened, following a finding
from ACMA that censured Seven
for not presenting all factual material on the claimed side effects of the blood
cholesterol lowering drug, Lipitor.

Here’s
a copy of the investigation report and here is the press release placed on the ACMA website
yesterday:

ACMA determined that the
licensee of ATN breached clause 4.3.1 of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice
2004 in relation to the accuracy of the reporter’s statement that
most doctors know nothing about the link between memory loss and statins and also breached clause 7.9 of the code by failing
to provide a substantive written response to the complainant.

In relation to the complaint
handling breach, ACMA noted that the licensee has issued all news and current
affairs personnel an instruction that appropriate and
diligent procedures for written correspondence must be put in place prior to
taking any leave. ACMA considers this action addresses the compliance issue
raised by the investigation and will continue to monitor the licensee’s
performance in this regard.

That’s why at all Seven
Network news and current affairs programs, they’re hot on the mail each day. Not
just for the scoops it may bring, but also the complaints. Even if someone, like the Executive Producer of Today Tonight, is on holidays. That was part of Seven’s
explanation as to why the Pfizer complaint
wasn’t acted upon – the Network is quoted in the ACMA investigation report as
saying:

Pfizer’s
letter was addressed personally to the Executive Producer of the program who was
on leave for a number of weeks and on his return the letter from Pfizer was not
amongst his unopened mail.

  • Given that no procedures were in place
    to keep a record of the mail during his absence, the licensee is unable to
    confirm whether or not the letter was received by Seven
  • As a result of this matter, all news and
    current affairs have now been issued with an instruction that appropriate and
    diligent procedures for written correspondence must be put in place prior to
    taking any leave. In particular, mail is to be opened.