Conference Papers

Media coverage of complex commercial fraud

Anne Lampe

Published in:
Complex commercial fraud : proceedings of a conference held 20-23 August 1991
Peter N Grabosky (ed)
ISBN 0 642 16992 6 ; ISSN 1034-5086
(AIC Conference Proceedings; no. 10)

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Abstract

Reporting complex fraud cases in the media presents two major difficulties: fraud tends to be complicated and longwinded, and the reporting of it is riddled with defamation problems. Defamation laws require the media to prove that the story is true and also that publication is in the public interest. Yet by not publishing, members of the public may unwittingly continue to invest in scams run by fraudulent operators. Serious economic pressure can be brought to bear on journalists when articles are written about big companies who are also big advertisers. Despite these problems, the media plays an important role in reporting serious corporate fraud. Lampe describes a number of cases and the problems faced by reporters investigating them.