PUBLIC BROADCASTING – AUSTRALIA

Musk joins Dick Smith in stoush over ABC fact-check

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 3 : 26-Mar-24

Dick Smith has threatened to sue the ABC for defamation if a report issued by the RMIT ABC Fact Check unit is not corrected. The report was issued in response to an interview between Smith and 2GB host Ben Fordham, in which he stated that "no country has ever been able to run entirely on renewables – that’s impossible". Smith claims that the report basically made him out to be a liar, and that "fact checkers are traitors to Australia". Billionaire Elon Musk has weighed in on the issue, claiming in a tweet on his X social media platform that "having government ‘fact-checkers’ is a giant leap in the direction of tyranny"

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RMIT UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC accused of bias over Israel-Hamas war

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Original article by James Madden, Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 3 : 14-Feb-24

The ABC has received more than 3,000 complaints about its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war since the conflict began in October. The public broadcaster’s editorial director Gavin Fang notes that the majority of complaints were about the ABC’s alleged bias, with a similar proportion of viewers accusing it of being pro-Israel or pro-Palestine. Meanwhile, MD David Anderson has emphasised the importance of the ABC’s impartiality and objectivity in an appearance before a Senate estimates hearing.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

‘Abhorrent’: Buttrose lashes ABC staff revolt

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 24-Jan-24

The ABC’s board unanimously passed a vote of confidence in MD David Anderson at an emergency meeting on Tuesday. This followed a union-led motion of no-confidence that was passed by the vast majority of 128 staff members on Monday. Amongst other things, they were critical of the public broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and its decision to sack journalist Antoinette Lattouf in December. The ABC’s outgoing chair Ita Buttrose has defended Anderson, saying any suggestion that he has ever shown a lack of support for independent journalism is "abhorrent and incorrect".

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

ABC staff pass no-confidence vote in boss as senior journalist lashes leadership

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Original article by Calum Jaspan, Michael Bachelard
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Jan-24

The ABC board will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday after the public broadcaster’s union members passed a motion of no-confidence in MD David Anderson by 125 to 3 at a meeting on Monday. The meeting was prompted by the public broadcaster’s sacking of journalist Antoinette Lattouf in December, while ABC global affairs editor John Lyons is said to have told the meeting he was embarrassed by it, accusing it of pro-Israel bias and of failing to protect its staff. The meeting outlined five demands it wants Anderson and senior ABC management to address in order to win back the confidence of its staff and the public, including upholding a transparent complaints process and developing clearer and fairer social media policies.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Coverage by ABC favoured Yes vote

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 2 : 5-Dec-23

The ABC has released its 2023 Voice to Parliament Referendum report, with editorial policies manager Mark Maley concluding that the public broadcaster’s coverage of the referendum favoured the Yes vote. The report revealed that ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron had received 382 complaints relating to the referendum coverage, with 82 per cent relating to claims of bias or lack of balance. 121 of the complaints were investigated, but only four were found to have breached editorial standards.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

SBS bets on customer choice to lure viewers as it offers block on gaming, booze and fast food ads

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 17 : 1-Nov-23

Public broadcaster SBS will allow allow users of its streaming video service to opt out of seeing advertisements for betting companies, alcoholic beverages and quick service restaurants. SBS On Demand viewers who chose to block such content will instead see ads for other products and services. SBS MD James Taylor says viewers have always had complete control over what they watch on SBS On Demand, and they will now have greater control over the ads they see. He expects other TV networks to consider a similar move. The federal government plans to impose greater restrictions on gambling advertisements.

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SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE (SBS)

ABC boss grilled over Gaza conflict coverage

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Original article by Calum Jaspan
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 25-Oct-23

The ABC’s MD David Anderson appeared before a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday, where he faced questions about the public broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Amongst other things, he was asked about leaked text messages written by the ABC’s Middle East correspondent Tom Joyner, who described reports that Hamas had beheaded Israeli babies as "bullshit". Anderson says the comment was ‘unfortunate’ and should not have happened; he added that it is currently under investigation, and that Joyner will no longer file reports from Israel. Anderson also rejected suggestions that the ABC is anti-Semite.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Heat on ABC voice, Garma spending

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 23 : 23-Oct-23

The ABC’s MD David Anderson is slated to appear before a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday. Liberal senator Hollie Hughes recently wrote to Anderson informing him of the issues he can expect to be asked about. They include how much the public broadcaster spent on its coverage of the Voice referendum over the last year, as well as its coverage of the Garma Festival in the Northern Territory. Anderson will also be asked to provide more details of ABC employees whose annual salaries exceed $220,000. The ABC’s legal costs are also likely to come under scrutiny.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Buttrose to quit ABC as contenders circle

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth, Nick Tabakoff
The Australian – Page: 3 : 23-Aug-23

Peter Tonagh is widely regarded as the leading internal contender to succeed Ita Buttrose as the ABC’s chair. Buttrose has advised that she will not seek a second five-year term as the public broadcaster’s chair when her current term expires in March 2024. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says Buttrose was "the right chair for the right time". Tonagh is currently the ABC’s deputy chair, while other potential candidates are said to include former Foxtel CEO Kim Williams and lawyer Danny Gilbert. Meanwhile, former Q+A host Stan Grant has confirmed that he has left the ABC and intends to make a permanent departure from "daily journalism" after four decades in the media industry.

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AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD

What ABC viewers complained about

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Original article by Calum Jaspan
The Age – Page: Online : 16-Aug-23

The ABC’s ombudsman Fiona Cameron has revealed that the public broadcaster received a total of 11,440 complaints during the first half of 2023. Some 13 per cent related to the ABC’s editorial standards; this compares with 15 per cent across the previous three calendar years, when the ABC received an average of 23,767 complaints in total each year. Meanwhile, the proportion of complaints that were upheld rose to eight per cent in the first half of 2023, compared with an average of five per cent across the previous three years.

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abc (aus tv) see AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION