Three News Corp publications have apologised after using a photo of an Indigenous dance group in an unrelated story about child sexual abuse in remote communities.
In October last year, Sky News Australia, The Daily Telegraph and The Australian - all owned by News Corp - published a photo of Miriki Performing Arts dancers when reporting on a story of Country Liberal Senator and leading 'No' advocate Jacinta Nampijinpa Price arguing the voting down of a royal commission into alleged sexual abuse of Indigenous children was "real racism".
A large coalition of Indigenous groups rejected Senator Price's calls at the time, arguing the solutions were already known.
The picture, taken in 2019 during a performance at the annual Cairns Children's Festival, was used by the three news publications without permission.
It depicted the children covered in body paint designs; the cultural property of which belongs to Mandingalbay elder David Mundraby.
Miriki director, Pauline Lampton said in a statement the use of the picture left the dancers and their families "disgusted, ashamed and angry," as reported by the ABC.
"These children's images were used nationally in a story about the sexual abuse of children," Ms Lampton said her statement, "a story they had no connection to whatsoever".
"I cannot remember there ever being a time that this occurred with white children, so it makes us feel like the country places less value on our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children."
The apologies were issued at 7pm on Friday on the organisation's websites, as well on the Sky News Facebook and X (formally Twitter) pages.
"On 17 October 2023 Sky News published an image of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children," the Sky News apology states.
"The children in the image wore body paint designs the cultural and intellectual property of Mr David Mundraby. The image was published in association with a report of comments made by Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in the Senate where she said that the voting down of the Royal Commission into the sexual abuse of Indigenous children is 'real racism'.
"The report was not related to the children in the image in any way, and we understand the image had originally been taken to promote a performance of Miriki Performing Arts in the Cairn's Children's Festival.
"We did not have the consent of the children or their parents, Miriki or Mr Mundraby to use the image and we unreservedly apologise to them for the hurt and harm that using the image in this way has caused."
It is understood there is disappointment the statements were delivered at a time commonly referred to "taking the trash out", when bad news is put out late on Friday evening before a long weekend by large organisations and politicians to avoid facing major publicity.
The ABC reported Solicitor Stewart O'Connell, who represented the Miriki Performing Arts, argued the use of images had "no place in responsible journalism".
"This incident illustrates how media outlets often approach the depiction of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: with no respect for context or the real people behind the pictures," O'Connell said.
Reports suggest a confidential agreement has been reached between the media organisations and the families involved.
