Controversies
The paper was labelled in February 2005 by former prime minister Bob Hawke as "a disgrace to reasonable objective journalism". Academic Peter van Onselen substantiated this attack, identifying 10 pro-Opposition front page headlines in the leadup to the 2005 state election, but no pro-Government headlines.
In May 2007, then attorney-general and health minister Jim McGinty described the newspaper as "the nation's most inaccurate and dishonest newspaper". He went on to attack the editor, Paul Armstrong, saying that "the board of West Australian Newspapers needs to sack the editor. It is personally driven by a particular individual". Armstrong responded by saying he "could not give a fat rat's arse" about Mr McGinty's comments and was then virulently attacked by premier Alan Carpenter
On 15 February 2008, The West reported that McGinty's staff had banned its reporters from attending his press conferences. The West continued to denigrate Carpenter's government until its defeat at the 2008 election in September.
Read more about this topic: The West Australian