Today’s edition of the Courier Mail in Brisbane has not apologised the controversial transphobic slurs included on it’s front page and within it’s lead story yesterday.
The newspaper has acknowledged that the memory of murder victim Mayang Prasetyo should be valued.
While the Australian Press Council acknowledged it had received complaints about the newspapers coverage, and an online petition demanding an apology gained over 20,000 signatures in just 24 hours, the newspaper printed a ‘non-apology’ apology.
Today’s edition of the paper said; “Mayang Prasetyo was the innocent victim of a horrendous crime, killed by the the man she should have been able to trust the most.
“She should be remembered – as we reported yesterday – for her friendly and cheerful disposition, and for the care she showed her family and loved ones in Indonesia.”
The newspaper acknowledged that many people felt there coverage had been disrespectful but said they had not intended to diminish the value of Mayang’s life or add additional grief to her family.
The shocking story of Indonesian woman Mayang Prasetyo’s death included that she is believed to have been murdered by her partner Marcus Volke, who appears to have dismembered her body and cooked her remains in chemicals. Mr Volke appears to have committed suicide while evading police
The Courier Mail has been criticised by transgender advocates for focusing on Ms Prasetyo’s gender history and her occupation as a sex worker, as well as using derogatory terms including ‘she male’ and ‘ladyboy’ in their headlines.
The Australian edition of The Daily Mail have also been criticised for their coverage of the case. The website included pictures of victim’s passport and images of her prior to her gender transition.
Concern about the quality of journalism relating to the case has been raised by Queensland based LGBTI Legal Services Inc and NSW’s Inner City Legal Service.
In a joint statement the two organisations argued that some media organisations had overlooked the domestic violence incident and instead had clamoured to publish the most shocking articles that blamed the victim in in the most offensive, personally attacking and socially irresponsible way possible.s
Emile McPhee, Director of LGBTI Legal Services Inc highlighted the coverage of the Courier Mail.
“Firstly, I can’t believe that the Courier Mail couldn’t recognise that ‘she male’ is not the appropriate term for a trans person. Secondly, including the victim in the headline, particularly in the way it was done here, suggests that
they were somehow themselves at fault.” McPhee said.
The organisations called on the Courier Mail to publish a proper apology. The centre’s also noted that other media outlets had chosen to describe Ms Prasetyo as a ‘hooker’ and ‘prostitute’.
OUTinPerth contact the Courier Mail for comment but has not received a response.
OIP Staff
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