There’s a lot to admire about our industry. We inform the public, connect communities, and shine light on issues impacting some of our most vulnerable. But sometimes, we get it wrong - and the consequences aren’t theoretical. They’re human, and they’re life changing.
The inquest into the Bondi Junction tragedy exposed more than just systemic failings in mental health care. It also revealed how our own media practices are compounding trauma for people already enduring the worst days of their lives, as our industry turned private grieving into a public spectacle.
The families’ testimonies are clear: media intrusion made their grief harder. Sadly, we’ve seen this before. It reflects a troubling pattern where we, the media, in pursuit of audience, overlook the human cost of sensationalist reporting.
Let’s be clear: this is not about censorship. Facts matter. Accountability matters. But if the same information can be delivered with integrity - without the gore, and the grief exploitation - then why aren’t we?
For me, this spans beyond moral failure. It’s a business risk.
Sensationalist reporting doesn’t just hurt victims’ families; it undermines public faith. It corrodes public confidence in journalism, including the very brands and advertisers that invest in it. We convince ourselves this kind of content “performs,” but the evidence tells a different story. Trust in the media industry is in freefall. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in media publishers and platforms fell by 8 points to 43%, making us the only industry in Australia that’s distrusted by most of the population.
That’s a structural issue. And it won’t be fixed with one campaign or a single round of apologies. We need systematic change, with reporting standards that prioritise both truth and humanity. We also need stronger guidelines around imagery, language, and editorial decisions - especially when dealing with trauma, victims and their families.
As an industry, we have a moral obligation to look at how our commercial models are driving content decisions and learn from our past mistakes. When viewership is rewarded, regardless of the human cost, long-term damage is inevitable. What we ignore and tolerate today, becomes part of our culture and the norm ultimately damaging the very media brands that we find so essential for growing our own.
Our industry is smart and capable of real change. And I’m confident we can.
Will Chapman – Managing Partner – Avenue C