Who writes the articles?

IT IS concerning that the Sentinel-Times does not include bylines (author names) on its articles. The Australian Press Council’s ‘Statements of Principles’ emphasise the need to avoid or disclose conflicts of interest to ensure they don’t influence published content. Without knowing the authors, how can we discern whether we’re reading biased opinion pieces or well-researched journalism?

Many community members, including myself, have submitted articles that were published verbatim without any attribution or little change, if any. One article I did ask for my name to be attributed as it was clearly an opinion. In an age of widespread ‘disinformation’ (deliberate manipulation or misleading information), trust in the information we receive is crucial.

We need transparent and accurate journalism to keep us informed socially and politically. To achieve this, it’s essential to know who is behind the content. Please provide transparency and instil trust by naming your authors and including bylines on all your articles.

Cait McMahon, Inverloch

Editor: Cait McMahon makes a good point in her letter about bylines, and we have reviewed our practices as a result. But we won’t be attaching bylines to contributed articles or articles that are simply a report of an event, unless attribution is necessary.