ABC becomes the story

[davidc4430]

ABC becomes the story after unprecedented week of accusations and high-profile departures

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-27/abc-becomes-the-story-after-high-profile-departures/10310944

Mr Miln is prolly thinking "well that didnt go the way i thought it would"

now, reinstate  Michelle Guthrie and hire a trustworthy chairman.

[kopenhagen5]

Listened to Jon Faine and some of the people involved with the ABC and I think the consensus was that M. Guthrie had some good moments but was probably not up to the task.

And I agree from seeing her resume.

It will be difficult to find someone conservative, holding the traditional views of the ABC combined with expertise in modern media that combines social media and the internet.

Although I believe the ABC can stand alone and survive remaining conservative. It is afterall it's success.

[davidc4430]

if a persons resume shows they are 'not up to the job' you dont give them a 5 year contract.

if thats what happened then the entire board must go.

they gave her the contract let them pay her out out of their wallets

[kopenhagen5]

I see your point, however I think there simply wasn't anyone else on offer at the time and it seemed like a progressive move.

M. Guthrie would bring the ABC into modern media was the thought but Aunty has been Aunty for so long and I think Aunty needs to remain as Aunty.

To be fair on M.Guthrie, higher expectations with further budget cuts made the role more challenging.

This shuffle has brought up discussions and hopefully it gives birth to a more analytical process equating to better results in terms of where the future of the ABC lies with whom should be at the helm.

[chameleon54]

Most of the ABC's problems stem from the fact that it has not respected its own charter. There is a lot of whaling and gnashing of teeth about the ABC.s editorial independence, but everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten, that with that privilege comes the responsibility to remain apolitical. The ABC has swung so far to the left of politics that any resemblance of editorial fairness and unbiased reporting disappeared many years ago.

Commentators and supporters of the ABC have publicly stated this week, that the broadcaster needs to have a strong left wing bias to counteract the perceived right wing bias of the mainstream privately owned commercial stations.

UUUMMMM NNNNOOOO !!!!!.........................the political persuasions of the owners of mainstream commercial stations have no bearing on the ABC.s responsibility and charter to remain politically neutral.

Now that the sackings have started, why not have a complete clean out. Sack the whole board, along with the blatant left wing leading reporters who have shown a complete disregard for the ABC.s charter. If they refuse to, or simply cant present reports without obvious political bias, get rid of them and replace them with some-one who shows a bit more professionalism. 

The ABC has been completely trashed by the lefties and needs to have a major clean out, a new board and a refocus on delivering factual, unbiased news and current affairs. If it refuses to accept there are major problems within the organisation and clean up its act, there will be little choice but to privatise it and save taxpayers money for something more worthwhile.

[johcaschro]

The ABC reports the failings of Labor (govts.) as well. What can an honest news reporter do but report the news as it happens? (the dishonest Murdoch papers are awash with opinion masquerading as news and most of that opinion is, of course right-wing.

If the LNP takes issue with news media reporting their failings, their greed and  their corruption, the solution is not to didpose of the media reporting such, the solution is to 'go forth and sin no more'.

[johcaschro]

You are aware that the federal govt selects the board members of the ABC?

What we need is a re-structuring so that the govt of the day is distanced from the direct board-selection activity.

Maybe what is needed is the appointment of a truly independent comittee who is responsible for selecting the ABC board members.

and to re-state, if govts don't like factual reporting of their activities, then it's probably time for govt to clean up their act and start governing in a fair  manner, representative of the interests of all of the Australian people and not just in the interests of a select group of contributors to their coffers.

We have become like the USA where govt is the best which money can buy, and if you don't have much money to buy representation then truly, in our present system, you're stuffed.

[davidc4430]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

Most of the ABC's problems stem from the fact that it has not respected its own charter. There is a lot of whaling and gnashing of teeth about the ABC.s editorial independence, but everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten, that with that privilege comes the responsibility to remain apolitical. The ABC has swung so far to the left of politics that any resemblance of editorial fairness and unbiased reporting disappeared many years ago.

Commentators and supporters of the ABC have publicly stated this week, that the broadcaster needs to have a strong left wing bias to counteract the perceived right wing bias of the mainstream privately owned commercial stations.

UUUMMMM NNNNOOOO !!!!!.........................the political persuasions of the owners of mainstream commercial stations have no bearing on the ABC.s responsibility and charter to remain politically neutral.

Now that the sackings have started, why not have a complete clean out. Sack the whole board, along with the blatant left wing leading reporters who have shown a complete disregard for the ABC.s charter. If they refuse to, or simply cant present reports without obvious political bias, get rid of them and replace them with some-one who shows a bit more professionalism. 

The ABC has been completely trashed by the lefties and needs to have a major clean out, a new board and a refocus on delivering factual, unbiased news and current affairs. If it refuses to accept there are major problems within the organisation and clean up its act, there will be little choice but to privatise it and save taxpayers money for something more worthwhile.

---

no reporters story gets aired without being checked by senior staff, if as you say, a story is not factual then its the person or persons doing the pre airing check and who gives the story the ok to go out that must be brought to heel for not doing their job.

why should a reporter lose their job if no one has said what they are doing is wrong?

not that i think any abc reporter has been biased, geeze, this govt has given just so much amunition to be made look inept.

its just one screwup after another.

so labor isnt getting the same treatment, they are not in government and are not kicking own goals daily!

if the lib/nats want good press then stop the rot!

but that aint gunna happen as changing leader hasnt fixed the problem, they have a group of white ants in their club!

they need a good pest control company.

[johcaschro]

Here's another piece of the story, David.

The ABC’s most high profile presenter, 7.30 host Leigh Sales, says the public broadcaster's board "has some serious questions to answer" over the dumping of managing director Michelle Guthrie and its handling by former chairman Justin Milne.

Sales, who grilled Mr Milne on her program immediately after his resignation on Thursday, said his board colleagues needed to explain why they didn't act on damaging emails they had been shown between him and Ms Guthrie until after they were revealed by Fairfax Media.

https://www.smh.com.au/

So it's not that the ABC and its journalists are at fault; it's that the board members of the ABC are appointed  directly by the government, and therefore can lay no claim to being independant and free of bias as they are 'creatures of the government'.

This needs to change and we should be careful to lay the blame where it is due. It's quite apparent that the LNP govt wants to discredit the ABC to the degree that they can present what they will say are clear and compelling reasons for its privatisation.

Mean, dishonest and tricky; ever the character of people who seek personal profit at the expense of the common weal.

[joztamps]

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@chameleon54 wrote:

Commentators and supporters of the ABC have publicly stated this week, that the broadcaster needs to have a strong left wing bias to counteract the perceived right wing bias of the mainstream privately owned commercial stations.

UUUMMMM NNNNOOOO !!!!!.........................the political persuasions of the owners of mainstream commercial stations have no bearing on the ABC.s responsibility and charter to remain politically neutral.

---

The ABC Charter does actually require it to take account of the broadcasting services provided by the commercial sectors of the Australian broadcasting system.

But it doesn't say anything about remaining "politically neutral".

Something which, in any event, is almost impossible to define and very much in the mind and prejudices of the beholder.