What if the right-wing plan to destroy the ABC was a little more intelligent than credited?
Destroying a national broadcaster with levels of trust far higher than virtually any other major institution in the country is a huge challenge for the large swathes of the Liberal and National parties, News Corp and far-right lobby groups like the Institute of Public Affairs that want to abolish or privatise it. But what if the ABC could be persuaded to destroy that trust itself? Then you might have more luck.
One should always prefer a cock-up to a conspiracy when seeking explanations, but the ABC spent much of recent months undermining trust in its newsgathering and presentation. And it has continued to do so since election night during which, as legend Barrie Cassidy noted, its coverage was characterised by a remarkable tone-deafness and craven pandering to anti-Labor sentiment.
That’s the result of relentless public Coalition, right-wing and News Corp attacks on the ABC, constant private pressure from government ministers directed at the chair, managing director and senior executives, funding cuts and the very clear threat that the ABC budget would be hacked further.
The ABC, and especially ABC News, responded by internalising the Coalition’s accusations, privileging complaints from Coalition staffers, driving out more experienced and independent-minded journalists likely to embarrass the Coalition and business, echoing Coalition talking points in its news coverage, taking its editorial leads from News Corp, and routinely giving a platform to unrepresentative right-wing groups such as the IPA, with no transparency as to their funding or links.
Indeed, at times the ABC has looked a lot like a less entertaining wing of News Corp, with News Corp staffers invited to run Coalition talking points on-air, News Corp stories followed up by ABC journalists and Coalition/News Corp coordinated attacks on Labor given prominent coverage.
The trend continues after the election, with Alexander Downer invited on to chat show Q+A this week. Downer has been out of politics for 15 years, and his solitary noteworthy contribution during the campaign was a piece of misogynist drivel about independent female candidates depriving great Liberal men of seats.
His presence on the national broadcaster is particularly offensive given that Bernard Collaery, at least for the moment, remains on trial for revealing Downer’s and John Howard’s evil act of bugging the Timor-Leste cabinet to help Downer’s future employer, Woodside (one wonders if the ABC will dare ask Downer to account for this disgusting crime — the only possible reason to give him air time).
The result is a growing view among centrist and progressive audiences that the ABC is no longer trustworthy, that its eagerness to please the Coalition has debauched basic journalistic standards and distorted editorial choices, that a number of ABC journalists and presenters are either biased or so cowed that they are no longer capable of providing independent newsgathering and presentation.
What happens when the ABC starts to alienate the bedrock of its audience? Support will ebb, and there’ll be no pickup in support from the right: the entire concept of the ABC is despised on the right. The only public media the IPA and many Liberals and Nationals want is News Corp, generously subsidised by taxpayers and given tax-free status.
How long before the cry of “defund the ABC” goes up on the left, in anger that it’s little more than a more moderate News Corp? Then the right-wing campaign to destroy the ABC will really be in business.
Excellent article Bernard: I don’t watch the ABC as much as I used to for this very reason.
Ditto Chris. I used to watch a lot of ABC news and current affairs but now I just can’t. I try every now and then and end up turning it off in disgust. Four Corners and Foreign Correspondent are about it for me nowadays and I can’t always get through them, either.
I miss my ABC. I hate News Corp’s.
Ditto.
I have given up watching any ABC news/current affairs programmes. I get my news from the local rag, which is ACM and a little less biased than the rest, the Guardian, Crikey, the New York Times and Independent Australia. There’s not much else worth reading.
Insiders was always good as there was always only one nutter form News. Then the nutter had to keep their extreme opinions in check (always difficult for Gerard).
Stopped watching it when Speers joined. He clearly isn’t across topics and is usually accompanied by two nutters. It is an insult to listen to them. Surely if the viewer wanted to cop an earful of Sheridan’s bile they would subscribe to News.
Same with The Drum. A good show gone AWOL.
Well said. The Insiders has changed into something barely recognisable. Everyone should be aware that the LNP’s modus operandi is to white ant their enemies from the inside.
Bunch of smug a-holes if you ask me.
Fabian entryism?
My feelings entirely.
“ABC Andrew Probyn is in Japan undermining Albanese by exclaiming how it can be that Albo is meeting world leaders after being elected on only a third of the vote.” –
https://twitter.com/UrbanWronski/status/1528848795056087041
It sounds like Andrew Probyn is using the new PM’s visit to Tokyo as the stage for his own job application to News Corp.
This “primary vote” argument is a nonsense. I didn’t give Labor my first preference in my electorate but I know my vote would end up with them.
I doubt I’m the only one of 20 million voters to figure this out.
Was not the main objective to eliminate the LNP?? I worked with the Greens, and Labor last election in Dutton’s electorate. The Brisbane LNP incumbent, Trevor Evans, previously Dutton’s chief of staff, and expectedly useless with that background, was effectively ousted on preferences…..and the system worked. It was always the strategy by the Greens.
I gave first preference to the Greens, then Labor. Third was the teal person (who was duly elected) and the Libs fourth. The rest didn’t matter as it was a Teal Steal from the Liberal Party.
Yep, Probyn and Speers are both pretentious plodders. Appears the ABC is intent on appealing to nobody with those two.
Notice they keep name-dropping each other for blatent personal branding – how is this remotely in the public interest?
Our ABC should start dropping a few names too, preferably starting with these clowns.
Precisely.
I actually switched to watching Sunrise for significantly more objective covid coverage – and better blood pressure 🙂
Yes, very troubling, I subscribe to Crikey and other Australian media outlets as I share your.concerns. But the smaller outfits just don’t have the reach of the ABC, I hope the new parliament can improve the situation. We need to lobby our representatives to address these issues.
Thanks for your article.
I was disgusted when I saw who is being on Q&A this week. Thank you Bernard for highlighting this.
Downer of Timor Leste fame. Now promoting Rwanda as an offshore detention place for the UK. He is a despicable human being.
Quite apart from the man’s evil and his ridiculous born-to-rule attitudes and affectations, he is a moron. He had a weekly column in Murdoch’s Adelaide Advertiser for a few years. His comments, in both style and substance, were as shallow as what you’d expect from a C-grade Year 8 student. Now we get a weekly column from Christopher Pyne, which are akin to what you’d get from a B-grade Year 8.
Stymied by the pathetic Crikey bot. I’ll try again:
Quite apart from the man’s evil and his ridiculous born-to-rule attitudes and affectations, he is an imbecile. He had a weekly column in Murdoch’s Adelaide Advertiser for a few years. His comments, in both style and substance, were as shallow as what you’d expect from a C-grade Year 8 student. Now we get a weekly column from Christopher Pyne, which are akin to what you’d get from a B-grade Year 8.
Should be choked with his net stockings.
No, he should be held accountable for his actions in public office.
His fishnet fetish is a private matter between him and his fellow parishioners.
The self-entitled Downer, an appropriate name, will no doubt sprout his usual nonsense. He should be in jail. The East Timor event, Collery and Witness K prosecutions, deserve some form of retribution and compensation for the the victims exposing Downer’s criminality. East Timor had to setup an audit team, working in Woodside’s offices, to attempt verification of the Bayu Undan (Timor Sea) production figures, which ET are supposed to share, suspected of being fraudulent. These antics deserve criminal charges if proven.
No mention of Ashton Calvert and Dad id Irvine here
Same with The Drum, the indulgence sans reflection afforded ‘Lord Woodside – The Bugger of Timor Leste’ there – the lack of irony when he’s on there, to hold forth on forth on “ethics and integrity”?
Downer has appeared on The Drum a few times in recent times with nothing new to say- stuck in the neo-liberal groove and rarely challenged. Will watch Q&A to see if hard questions are asked, otherwise he is very much yesterdays man!!
After Morrison’s self-inflicted defeat, I wonder if they’ll touch on “ethics in government”, I’ll bet Lord Woodside’s own “history in government” isn’t raised….
And the former LNP advisor and far right agitator Parnell Guinness woman, who has zero to offer but opinion…and Amanda Vanstone who always says the same thing…get.them.off!
McGuinness is the daughter of Paddy McGuiness ( deceased ) a former left-winger journalist who, in his dotage, became a rabid RWNJ. No doubt his daughter learned her politics from him in his senile, lying stage and didn’t have the discernment to realise that by that time. Paddy was barking mad. He ended up being unpublishable because Merde-och didn’t have such a stranglehold on the media then, unlike the present bitter, vitriolic, mendacious weirdos on Sky-after-dark.
As an aside, has anyone else noticed that the older those oxygen thieves get, the more deranged they are ?
What an excellent opportunity ABC has offered all supporters? Particularly those who locked-in their support and trust of the ABC over decades.
DO NOT . . . WATCH, comment upon, Q & A and Downer’s attendance. A complete ‘black-out’ would be a direct rejection. Reminding Board, Host, that TRUST requires both parties commitment.
If all above meets approval, save your comment for Crikey’s readership of Bernard ‘and’ Guy’s comment next day?
Hopefully, now that the bullies have lost power, Aunty will quickly shake off its PTSD and get back to business.
Unfortunately ex News Corp people with their special take on things are now fronting ABC radio and television programs as well as reporting on news and current affairs. Across the spectrum, almost the entire experienced old guard have gone. The damage will be long and hard to repair.
Including David Speers
Especially Speers. A gaslighting, hectoring, ignorant windbag. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a religious nutbag too.
I have been perplexed of recent times to see ABC reporters and commentators become more aggressive towards Labor figures and too interested in what the LNP is doing. David Speers became aggressive and Leigh Sales suddenly became compliant. At least it did not seem to affect Laura Tingle.
I am not privy to what internal machinations are going on within the ABC. My conclusion was that orders had come from somewhere above to veer to the right. At this stage I am hoping for a correction after the election dust settles rather than the destruction of the ABC. Nevertheless Bernard Keane sounds a valid warning. Thank you.
Not orders they just employed NewsCorp operatives with/for their preset bias.