The Media Council has found an article reporting on a meeting of parents at Ōhau School was inaccurate in parts, unbalanced, and that the errors were not corrected promptly and with fair prominence.
The full Media Council ruling setting out the individual inadequacies of the article is at www.mediacouncil.org.nz/rulings/greg-mitchell-kouttab-against-horowhenua-chronicle/.
The article, headlined Ōhau School Parents Question Teacher Exodus and Replacement of Board was critical of the school's governance, the appointment of a commissioner, and the newly appointed principal.
The article was published online on August 18. Following complaints from several parents it was taken down on August 19.
Nine days later the article was republished, substantially changed, but under the same headline. The only indication that this was a changed version was a note at the foot of the story stating "This story has been edited for clarity since initial publication."