{
  "id": 3882010,
  "title": "Mayor wants apology from media after copping disorderly behaviour fine",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/mayor-wants-apology-from-media-after-copping-disorderly-behaviour-fine",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T03:47:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-28/mayor-nick-dametto-wants-media-apology-after-fine/107089866"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto received a $1,036 fine for disorderly behavior from police after an alleged altercation at a bar on Magnetic Island in June. Dametto, however, claims he has not received the fine and is unsure what he should do with it, stating he will decide after speaking with his lawyer. The alleged incident occurred during a pub crawl and resulted in no charges being laid after the police investigation. Dametto criticized media reporting on the incident, accusing News Corp's The Townsville Bulletin and Seven News of inaccuracies. He stated that the media should be the ones apologizing, rather than himself.",
  "summary": "A mayor who was fined for disorderly behaviour at a tropical island bar has refused to apologise for his conduct and instead has slammed the media.",
  "key_points": [
    "Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto fined $1,036 for alleged disorderly behavior.",
    "Dametto claims he has not received the fine, seeks legal advice.",
    "Mayor criticizes media, demands apology for inaccuracies."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The mayor's demand for an apology from media outlets shifts the focus from his own behaviour to the coverage of it, deflecting accountability for his actions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}