The ABC board needs to take action on news director Gaven Morris and its own failures to properly handle communications with the government.
It’s clear that Morris is acting as a conduit for complaints and attempts to influence the ABC from the prime minister’s office. The PMO’s Nick Creevey complained to Morris about Dylan Welch’s reporting of the COVIDSafe app last year. In 2018, Morris fielded complaints from Malcolm Turnbull’s office about articles on tax avoidance by Emma Alberici.
Now Nine has reported that Morris received complaints from Morrison’s office about a Four Corners story on Scott Morrison’s links with a QAnon supporter, which have been extensively detailed in Crikey. That story has been spiked — delayed, insists the ABC — by managing director David Anderson.
It bears repeating that the director of ABC news being happy to act as a postbox for complaints from politicians seeking to influence and alter ABC news and current affairs coverage is unacceptable. Morrison’s office or Turnbull’s office in 2018 has no more right to special access to the head of ABC news than anyone. They should have exactly the same access as everyone — they can complain via the ABC’s complaints process.
The one special access the federal government has is that it appoints the ABC board, funds the broadcaster and exercises certain powers via the portfolio minister in relation to the ABC’s corporate and board functions. In exercising those powers, the portfolio minister communicates with the chair.
Not the MD. Not the director of news, or any other executive. The chair.
That’s why, if you go back through the history of the Howard government’s stoush with the ABC over coverage of the Iraq war (Iraq, COVIDSafe — the Coalition sure knows what fights to pick) you’ll find it played out through correspondence between Richard Alston and Donald McDonald, and via the ABC’s complaints handling unit. Both men understood the importance of observing proper process.
That was part of a broader framework within which Howard refused to have informal contact with McDonald and complaints were handled formally. Not via emails between a PMO functionary and a division head.
The ABC board needs to reestablish proper process. The only thing Morris or any other ABC executive should do on receipt of emails or phone calls from the PMO is refer them to the ABC complaints process — like they’d do with anyone else’s complaint. Politicians and their flunkies will always try to influence the media via any means they can.
Morris acting as a postbox for complaints merely encourages them to go further in attempts to influence coverage of the government. And chair Ita Buttrose, who in a process familiar to long-time ABC watchers has gone from prime ministerial pick to hated enemy of the Liberal Party, should make clear that if the government has anything to say to the ABC it should be to her, in writing.
Australians are entitled to know about Morrison’s links with a QAnon supporter and evidence it has influenced some of Morrison’s decisions. Just because his office has an ABC executive on speed-dial shouldn’t mean an important story gets spiked.
We the taxpayers of Australia fund the ABC. It is our money, our ABC. The federal government distribute the funds on our behalf. Maybe we should directly elect the ABC board if the government cannot refrain from direct interference.
Not sure that would work out as you hope in practice. There are already media sources in Australia that are funded by the money of (some) taxpayers who, as a right conferred by their ownership, directly elect the boards of those organisations. In other words, your dream could be realised by privatising the ABC.
Yes sure and you believe that by creation of a cartel is the same thing as true Capitalism or a free market…. The issue is they DONT PAY And in fact during the last year they have been paid to stay afloat on our dime. Wake up
They being the “other media Sources” you claim are paid for by the money of some taxpayers” Well I would like to see the field opened up in that case because imo they fail to provide quality programming and as they have been handed out limited licenses to operate in this country they actually provide balance; the ABC is not any more biased; in fact I would say Q& A has been knackered by a right leaning agenda as have the press conferences to promote Scotty from Marketing
Anyone resident is Australia is a taxpayer at least in theory. The shareholders of media companbies aree taxpayers. They elect the boards of those companies. I’m not saying anything for or against it, just pointing out that if the public wants to demand taxpayers elect the board of the ABC the easiest way to grant their wish would be to privatise it. And I’m sure the Coalition would be very happy to oblige.
So be careful what you wish for.
Private MSM that you are alluding to here is controlled by one or two people who are reluctant taxpayers at best
Well said. We should also be sacking those maaaates of scovid when they decide they areemployed by him and not by us.
You have to admire Ita for the good job she appears to be attempting to do, unlike other lnp plants.
One need only look at the commenters here to see how that would end.
Subscribers who might be expected to be somewhat better educated, more politically aware of reality or at least world wise but for the most part are petty, self satisfied, sanctimonious and self referential.
Thankfully, subscribers to Crikey are not representative of the wider community….
That would be be truly terrifying – imagine Episstimillogical Jack as PM, Dizzy as Education Minister and irrascible Razz as Foreign Minister.
…in the case of Episstimillogical Jack, do not underestimate the electoral appeal of verbosity – worked very well for Krudd… well, that was until Gillard went for some plain speakin’….
I doubt that Krudd’s prolix programmatic specificities won many votes – the Rodent had simply run out of steam, disgusted too many people and betrayed so many erstwhile supporters.
It’s rare for Oppositions to win, and never when the government is decentand competent.
That is the sole hope for this country, there being no chance of the current shower metamorphosing into one of those rara avis.
It should be OUR ABC. But, under the current government, the Liberal National Party want to make it THEIR ABC.
Very unhappy about the libs using back door access to protect themselves and their very dodgy leader. Also very unhappy that an ABC staffer is willingly a part of it.
The essence of the ABC is its ability to say what needs to be said and call out poor behaviour. If it can’t do that we might as well switch to Fox News or buy the Australian.
Don’t interfere in the ABC’s work.
If a politician is worried about what the ABC might say about them they should clean up their act not attack the ABC of use backdoor methods to force them to back down.
God we need a federal ICAC.
Don’t vote LNP.
How bout the so called commercial stations explain why they manage to keep the licences they abuse with 24 informercials; old US Reruns; C grade news lacking in scrutiny or substance; lacking in local content; without a platform for our artists, writers and performers to showcase our great talent…. The ABC has been knackered due to funding cuts and the undemocratic braying tyrants for the “neolib” party. Or the NO Liberty party as they seem to act
This LNP is now beginning to use criticism of the ABC as a reason to privatise it. The LNP does not want me to know the truth.
Here I was thinking the LNP was all for freedom of speech. I suppose they must think that doesn’t include media organisations, unless they are paid up members of the LNP cheerleader squad.
Its all so very, very petty. Possibly the politics is so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small. Petty, petty men.