Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and union veteran Sharan Burrow have welcomed compulsory training for Sky News commentators after an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found the network inaccurately reported on climate change.
The investigation, prompted by more than 80 complaints submitted to ACMA by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, found four episodes of Sky’s program Outsiders that aired in late 2021 fell afoul of the media regulator’s code of practice “around accuracy and clearly distinguishing” facts from commentary in the show’s coverage of climate change.
“The Murdoch media, from Fox in the US to Sky in Australia, have been systematically spreading lies and disinformation with terrible consequences for our democracies and in this case the climate,” Turnbull told Crikey in a statement on Thursday. Turnbull was recently tapped to co-chair the campaign for a royal commission into News Corp, taking over the role from Rudd.
“At long last they are being held to account.”
In a 44-page report released this week, ACMA determined that the Foxtel program, anchored by hosts Rowan Dean, Rita Panahi and James Morrow, had a “tendency” to broadcast “evidently credible” research overlaid with contrarian commentary that would make it difficult for a viewer to draw their own conclusions from the “material included”.
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the program has “an obligation to its audience” to separate facts and commentary “clearly”, but failed to do so throughout “a number of its episodes”. The show, as a result, “did not present news content either accurately or fairly”, she said.
One example of a misleading presentation given by the regulator was a segment titled “Outsiders Weather and the Sceptics Ice-Age Watch”, which went to air on October 3 and cited ice core analysis sent to the show by an “Ice Age Watch fan” and purported to find that global temperature “drives carbon dioxide, not the other way around”.
Foxtel, in its submission to the regulator, argued that Outsiders is “not a news program”, and instead provides viewers with a “no holds barred” offering of commentary on politics and other “topical issues”.
In response to the regulator’s findings, Sky News outed former prime minister and US ambassador Kevin Rudd as the complainant responsible for setting the investigation in motion, when he served as chair of Australians for a Murdoch Royal Commission. In it, Sky said: “We are delighted Mr Rudd is apparently such a devoted viewer of Outsiders”.
Burrow, who was recently appointed co-chair of the campaign, said she and Turnbull look forward to picking up where Rudd left off, to keep Sky and its presenters “accountable”.
“This is a significant finding from ACMA about Sky’s false and inaccurate climate change coverage,” Burrows told Crikey in a statement.
“Sky will be required to report on the actions it has taken in response to the findings, including training for its staff.”
Foxtel will now have to undertake a review of the systems it has in place to “ensure that content sources from third-party providers”, such as Sky, are compliant with ACMA’s code. Foxtel will have four months to report back to the regulator on the outcome of its review, which could include “staff training” and other arrangements put in place to ensure future compliance.
Are you happy ACMA has taken this step against Sky? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
Okay, that’s one program…………….
………now take a look at the rest of them.
Or save everybody the time and effort and just declare that He Who Must Not Be Named nor any member of his toxic brood is self-evidently NOT a “Fit and proper person” to be a media proprietor.
Just sent a test comment asking if those who must not be named can be named again now, by naming them. “Awaiting for approval” so I guess not. Whether editorial decision or tardiness amending the censorship algorithm is unknown.
After the most recent stoush, I’d say it would be hard-coded………………..
I’m waiting for the day when He Who Must Not Be Named arrives in his private jet only to be told that the Immigration Minister has used their discretion to deny him entry on the grounds he is an undesirable alien as he unduly intereres in Australian politics, and he can either leave now or spend the night in Villawood.
Unfortunately, none of that loathsome lot may be denied entry.
The London born kids did not renounce the Australian citizenship conferred upon them through paternal citizenship.
Moloch himself was able to regain it, despite having renounced it for business reasons, because on the first acts of the Rodent on coming to office was to change the long established law that Australian born persons who take foreign citizenship automatically lose their birthright.
Nice to have friends in low places, such as the regime of a willing satrapy.
Not too sure about that……………..
………….the reason He Who Must Not Be Named became an American Citizen (and voluntarily renounced his Australian citizenship) is because of the AMERICAN law that prohibits ownership of more than 25% of a TV station by a foreign citizen.
If he had regained his Australian citizenship he would be required to sell off Fox.
I prefer the scenario where the black-clad goons of Border Farce arrest him for acting as an agent of a foreign power……
Twenty-five years in the slammer should just about do it.
No, septics are allowed to hold acquire ‘other’ citizenships so long as they hold the magik green passport.
No doubt.
But the American legislation on ownership of TV companies is restricted to 25% for non-sole US citizens.
Different argument.
Not sure about Villawood. I think he’d be invited to bunk down with his fearful servant in the Lodge.
Training? The issue isn’t that they don’t know what they are doing. They know exactly what they’re doing and it is not news.
I am quite impressed that ACMA has this power and used it. But if it was me I would just tell them to stop it rather than pretending they need 4 months of training. A couple of minutes is all that is needed.
The ACMA is probably the most toothless “regulator” in existence.
They have ZERO coercive or punitive power…………
…….the most they can do is use slightly negative language and go “tsk! tsk!”.
Having dealt with them directly, I can assure you that they are the epitome of hidebound, time-serving, nit-picking bureaucrats whose sole objective is to offend the least possible people on the way to retirement.
I’ve seen goldfish with more attitude.
Training is no punishment how about Sky being compelled to run ads for how they are a no holes barred BS channel
Toothless ACMA may be, and it is an apt descriptor for the lettuce leaf slap on Sky being administered here. In all likelihood it’s just a ‘squarer’ for the preposterous criticism it made of the ABC 4-Corners program about Fox News which was aired again last night. ACMA got a towelling for that effort, especially from Sarah Ferguson in print, so my guess is that it’s trying to make amends. But that said, it can’t do anything without being essentially toothless, as you say.
Their governing legislation was designed to give the appearance of doing something without the ability to even slightly discompose the media barons (AKA You Know Who…).
Effectively, it’s an old folks home for young(ish) folks.
They must go through serious quantities of crossword books and thousand-piece jigsaw puzzles., because bugger-all else gets done.
That ACMA raised a voice to commercial media to something above a whimper is at least something. Given that the various bits of legislation it administers were written on direction from industry-sympathetic ministers after ‘stakeholder consultation’ (a minor step from self-regulation), operating in a climate where the government was unlikely to be interested in upsetting corporate media, perhaps this is a sign the Board is emboldened to act in a way they hadn’t under previous governments (including Turnbull’s timid reign). The times favour them in the specific case of NewsCorp outlets as they’ve ‘got a bit on’ elsewhere….
Four months for training? Pfft, ACME.
Great for a grade three science teacher looking for a short term contract.. crap for fair dinkum media accountability in Australia.
Australia’s youth overwhelmingly believes in global warming. Once Sky’s older demographic completes natural attrition there will be nobody left to preach to.
Don’t despair Z, all those over-funded private schools will keep churning out enough neoliberal-sucking twats to keep the MSM numpties employed.