Welcome to Media Watch, I'm Jonathan Holmes. And next tonight, an item that the Sunshine Coast Daily in Queensland has politely asked us not to run. As its editor-in-chief Darren Burnett puts it :

Given that this matter has been dealt with, we have conceded the inaccuracies and apologized, I trust Media Watch will not see the value in further embarrassing the academic involved to a national television audience. — Darren Burnett, Editor-in-Chief, Sunshine Coast Daily, 26th October, 2012

Well, that's a bit rich, Darren. It's the Sunshine Coast Daily that embarrassed her - big time, on the front page, the Saturday before last :

Tutor's Strip Tactics Shock Class A student at the University of the Sunshine Coast lodged a formal complaint after his tutor spent more than an hour teaching in her bra and panties. The student... said he considered the behaviour "inappropriate", "disgraceful" and "unprofessional". — Sunshine Coast Daily, 20th October, 2012

The Daily was happy to name the lecturer, though we won't. It wouldn't tell its readers the identity of its source, a

...male student, who wished to remain anonymous — Sunshine Coast Daily, 20th October, 2012

Which isn't surprising, because almost all the information he supplied to the Daily was wrong.

Here's a list of statements in the original front page story, countered by the facts supplied in a statement by the teacher, and published in the Daily - on page 5 - five days later :

More than 30 students witnessed the display. — Sunshine Coast Daily, 20th October, 2012

there are 15 students enrolled in this subject. — Sunshine Coast Daily, 25th October, 2012

his tutor spent more than an hour teaching in her bra and panties. — Sunshine Coast Daily, 20th October, 2012

I removed my shirt for not more than 20 minutes in the week 3 class only. — Sunshine Coast Daily, 25th October, 2012

A student ... lodged a formal complaint ... The student, who was attending a tutorial in exercise management in chronic disease... — Sunshine Coast Daily, 20th October, 2012

No formal or informal complaint was lodged with me or with university management by any SPX303 student during or following this class — Sunshine Coast Daily, 25th October, 2012

At the bottom of the professor's statement, the Daily wrote:

The Sunshine Coast Daily accepts the corrections by Assoc Prof -- and apologises to her and the university for any embarrassment caused. — Sunshine Coast Daily, 25th October, 2012

Well, terrific. The fact remains that the Daily filled its front page with a sleazy, defamatory and ridiculous story, complete with grubby comments like this...

"We shouldn't have to see our middle-aged teacher's female anatomy..." — Sunshine Coast Daily, 20th October, 2012

It was a physiology lecture, for goodness sake, not an exotic dancing lesson. The professor was showing her class how they should treat a shoulder injury. As she wrote...

Students were notified in week 1 that physical examination and necessary disrobing would be part of the subject content. — Sunshine Coast Daily, 25th October, 2012

Sad to say, the Sunshine Coast Daily wasn't the only news outlet that thought the story would pull in readers. Though the Daily is owned by APN, it has an informal copy-sharing agreement with Fairfax Media, which was all over the story...

Sunshine Coast Uni tutor strips to bra and panties brisbanetimes.com.au — Brisbane Times online, 20th October, 2012

smh.com.au — SMH online, 20th October, 2012

theage.com.au — The Age online, 20th October, 2012

So, how did it happen?

Well, most to blame was the Sunshine Coast Daily, for printing a story based on a vexatious anonymous source. But the university didn't cover itself with glory either.

On the Friday morning, Media Relations Manager Terry Walsh received a vague call from a reporter about a lecturer stripping in some class or other. He discovered that the University had already received, and dismissed, a complaint, though it came from a student who wasn't in the relevant class.

Later that day, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor issued a statement which gave the Sunshine Coast Daily all the confirmation it needed...

Professor Lohmann said the university had considered the matter and found the academic had acted appropriately. "This is standard practice in clinical training, which requires the disrobing of patients for examinations...." — Sunshine Coast Daily, 20th October, 2012

As the Daily's editor-in-chief put it in his email to Media Watch...

the response did not deny the specific... allegations that were put. The university, in fact, confirmed that a complaint had been made and investigated. At the time of publication we had no reason to doubt the accuracy of the story. — Darren Burnett, Editor-in-Chief, Sunshine Coast Daily, 26th October, 2012

In fact, the allegations put to the university were anything but specific.

It's media management 101: if a reporter calls with vague allegations, insist on an email detailing precisely what they are, so you can give precise responses. Journos hate it, but if you don't, you're giving them a license to print what they like. Apologies on page 5 are all fine and dandy.

But the professor has had her name blackened from Maroochydore to Melbourne.

And the Daily's Darren Burnett is still claiming that the paper's source was

a student in the class mentioned — Darren Burnett, Editor-in-Chief, Sunshine Coast Daily, 26th October, 2012

He may have claimed to be, Darren, but are you sure he was? We doubt it.