By Natalie O'Brien
THE controversial television exposé´ revealing former NSW transport minister David Campbell's secret sex life has been vindicated by the broadcasting watchdog, which has ruled his ''outing'' was in the public interest.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has cleared Channel Seven Sydney of complaints about the report last year which revealed Mr Campbell, a married man with a family, was secretly visiting a gay men's club.
A Seven camera catches David Campbell leaving a gay sex club.
The television station had argued that his behaviour raised questions about his fitness to carry on his public duties. It suggested keeping such a secret, particularly when he had been police minister and on the NSW Crime Commission, made him vulnerable to compromise or blackmail.
The Seven Nightly News story, which aired in May last year, sparked a flurry of comment and condemnation, and two complaints were made to the ACMA that the report was an invasion of Mr Campbell's privacy and that he had been ''ridiculed on the grounds of sexual preference''.
However, the ACMA has found there was an ''identifiable public interest'' in broadcasting the material.
''ACMA also accepts that engaging in covert activity while in a position of public responsibility or administration could make a person vulnerable to being compromised. This would be so even when that secret or activity pertains to something that is not unlawful or criminal,'' reads the decision, due to be made public next week.
The watchdog said that because of the existing public criticism of Mr Campbell's performance and previous questioning about his discharge of office and the sensitive roles he had held, a relevant and legitimate public interest arose.
The report has been sent to Mr Campbell for his input. He declined yesterday to comment.
Seven's director of news and public affairs, Peter Meakin, said he was relieved.
'There were a number of public issues that were tested,'' he said. ''Although some of the heat has gone out of the issue, it was very contentious and a considerable number of people went out on a limb to condemn us.''
Mr Meakin said reporting on issues of privacy was a very ''fine line''. The test was whether personal actions affected a public role.
The ACMA found Channel Seven had not breached the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice.