Will it make any difference?

[idlewhile]

Cutting the head off a monolithic left biased ABC by getting rid of Scott, one wonders if it will make any difference to the leftist groupthink we see every day from the ABC.

We have waited for Turnbull to do something about it but he seems too reluctent to "offend" anybody from the ABC, why? because he needs them more than any other  Conservative MP to further his march to the lodge.

He has done nothing to pull them into gear, he has done nothing but let them run their own biased and aggressive war against the Libs since the very first minute they won office. The only time in Australia's history where a new govt. didn't get a honeymoon period.

They gave Rudd more than 2 years, covered for him the whole time whislt knowing he was out of control and cosseted Gillard the whole of her term even though she and her govt were  incompetent and dysfunctional:

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the search is on for a new ABC managing director to replace Mark Scott, ruling out his term being extended.

Firing a shot at the ABC, Mr Turnbull said its journalists were left-leaning and described high-profile presenters Leigh Sales and Emma Alberici’s budget interviews with his colleagues, the Treasurer and Finance Minister, as “aggressive”.

In an interview with conservative News Corp columnist Andrew Bolt on his Sunday morning Network Ten program, The Bolt Report, Mr Turnbull responded to reports that Mr Scott wanted to extend his term beyond next year and said the board was searching for a candidate to replace him.

“It’s not up to him to extend his term,” Mr Turnbull said.

“The ABC is currently engaged in a search for his successor. Mark Scott’s tenure as managing director of the ABC is coming to an end and they’re looking for a successor.”

The ABC was criticised this week for its post-budget interviews with senior government ministers.

On Lateline, Alberici accused Finance Minister Mathias Cormann of trotting out nonsense figures before initially cutting him off when he attempted to respond to her allegation. And on the 7.30 program, Sales was criticised for continually interrupting Treasurer Joe Hockey when he was answering questions.

Mr Turnbull yesterday admitted he found the interviews ­“aggressive”.

“You mention two interviews, Leigh Sales’ interview with Joe Hockey and Emma Alberici’s with Mathias Cormann: they were both very aggressive interviews,” he said.

“I would say as somebody who used to interview people for a ­living, both as a journalist and then as a barrister and of course as a politician, I would say that a more effective interviewing style is one that is less aggressive and more forensic. But that’s in effect an editorial opinion.”

Tony Abbott acknowledged the hostile nature of one ABC interview during the week.

“Michael, I know you are determined to critical. I know you want to be as critical as you can possibly be,” Mr Abbott said to ABC journalist Michael Brissen­den during a conversation about why the government had chosen not to adopt Labor’s superannuation tax.

Asked if the Prime Minister was right in a broad sense about bias at the public broadcaster, Mr Turnbull said the ABC, like most media organisations, was determined to hold the government to account and said politicians always felt the media was too critical of them.

“I do think the ABC and the journalists of the ABC, if you like, lean more to the left than to the right, but you would say that about most journalists. Clearly that’s going to be more obvious when we’re in government and clearly the job of the media is to hold the government to account,” he said.

While rejecting suggestions specific ABC journalists named by Mr Bolt were left-leaning, Mr Turnbull said the ABC did not have the right to be biased.

He said there was a tendency for directors at media companies to refuse to get involved in editorial matters. “Well, I’m sorry, with the ABC, there’s an Act of Parliament that says you should,” he said.

“The responsibility for ensuring that the ABC’s news and information services are balanced and objective and impartial and accurate is in Section 8 of the Act and that responsibility lies with the board of directors. I have been assiduous both publicly and privately in reminding the directors of the ABC that they have to get involved.”

Yesterday, the ABC denied accusations its presenters were left-leaning or partisan in their approach. A spokesman for the public broadcaster said journalists were subject to editorial policies set by the board and based on the highest standards of journalism.

“We believe our broadcasters do a good job in meeting these high standards under the unique pressure of live interviews,” he said. “The ABC investigates all complaints, undertakes program reviews and commissions independent audits to ensure these standards are met.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/turnbull-says-search-is-on-for-abc-boss-to-replace-ma...

[monman12]

"We'd make even more money if everyone else paid their taxes."

"maybe if tax avoidance by multi nationals like murdoch was stopped our economy would be in better shape"

And what amounts are you "hinting at" D9275,  for  pefectly legal tax minimisation?  .

Remember the Circus's Henry Tax review (2010) and its 138 recommendations  of which the Circus adopted JUST TWO?    Henry Tax Review

Maybe if tax evasion (not avoidance) by individuals  (illegal) was stopped, our economy would be in better shape"

Telegraph

The black economy is hurting honest, taxpaying Australians to the tune of $22.5 billion a year, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures

Cutting the black market by 20 per cent would reduce the ­average bill of Australia’s 11 million taxpayers by an average of almost $500 each.

We would be in much better shape if  all paid their fair share of tax, and the media, politicians et al highlighted this, rather than just the populist topic of transfer pricing.

[icyfroth]

---

@j*oono wrote:

More ABC bashing from the Australian.

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More denial from the un-Australian.

[icyfroth]

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@pct001wine wrote:

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@idlewhile wrote:

No it's a factual interview we all saw from Turnbull.

If you want to talk about bashing and want to accuse News LTD about reach, look at the reach the ABC has in this country, look at the tentacles they have in radio, television, didital and print, they are 100 times bigger than any news outlet in Australia.

Thank God for the Australian, the only truly  factual newspaper in the country that is not infested with fellow travellers like the  ABC & the yellow press of Fairfax.

---

"Thank God for the Australian, the only truly factual newspaper in the country"

Oh my giddy aunt, has this taken over from The 3 Stooges as Saturday morning funnies ?

If your critical analysis of the media in this country led you to this conclusion, then I pity you.  I guess you've programmed your TV to ignore the ABC ?

---

---

@pct001wine wrote:

---

@idlewhile wrote:

No it's a factual interview we all saw from Turnbull.

If you want to talk about bashing and want to accuse News LTD about reach, look at the reach the ABC has in this country, look at the tentacles they have in radio, television, didital and print, they are 100 times bigger than any news outlet in Australia.

Thank God for the Australian, the only truly  factual newspaper in the country that is not infested with fellow travellers like the  ABC & the yellow press of Fairfax.

---

"Thank God for the Australian, the only truly factual newspaper in the country"

Oh my giddy aunt, has this taken over from The 3 Stooges as Saturday morning funnies ?

If your critical analysis of the media in this country led you to this conclusion, then I pity you.  I guess you've programmed your TV to ignore the ABC ?

---

 You must take after your giddy Aunt. Runs in the family, I guess.

[ladydeburg]

Good article MM, as usual you keep us all from making complete fools of ourselves.

[ladydeburg]

it will be interesting to see who gets the job and if any much needed changes occur. Many won’t be holding their breath, the left are dug in too deep, we all have seen the way its been going for decades.

A pity imo because an unbiased service is what the country so desperately needs.

[debra9275]

boris 

wasn't there some controvesy over some person that Malcolm Turnull selected for SBS.? It seems publicly funded TV stations are in hot water whatever they do

I'll go and find the article I read

[debra9275]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/labor-calls-for-turnbull-to-sack-nihal-gupta/story-e6...

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/concerns-cumbersome-appointment-process-for-ab...

there are heaps of articles posted about it on the net, so I've only chosen a couple of viewpoints

my view is that the ABC is just a TV station and that we are lucky to have choices between a few channels

[pct001wine]

---

@icyfroth wrote:

---

@pct001wine wrote:

---

@idlewhile wrote:

No it's a factual interview we all saw from Turnbull.

If you want to talk about bashing and want to accuse News LTD about reach, look at the reach the ABC has in this country, look at the tentacles they have in radio, television, didital and print, they are 100 times bigger than any news outlet in Australia.

Thank God for the Australian, the only truly  factual newspaper in the country that is not infested with fellow travellers like the  ABC & the yellow press of Fairfax.

---

"Thank God for the Australian, the only truly factual newspaper in the country"

Oh my giddy aunt, has this taken over from The 3 Stooges as Saturday morning funnies ?

If your critical analysis of the media in this country led you to this conclusion, then I pity you.  I guess you've programmed your TV to ignore the ABC ?

---

---

@pct001wine wrote:

---

@idlewhile wrote:

No it's a factual interview we all saw from Turnbull.

If you want to talk about bashing and want to accuse News LTD about reach, look at the reach the ABC has in this country, look at the tentacles they have in radio, television, didital and print, they are 100 times bigger than any news outlet in Australia.

Thank God for the Australian, the only truly  factual newspaper in the country that is not infested with fellow travellers like the  ABC & the yellow press of Fairfax.

---

"Thank God for the Australian, the only truly factual newspaper in the country"

Oh my giddy aunt, has this taken over from The 3 Stooges as Saturday morning funnies ?

If your critical analysis of the media in this country led you to this conclusion, then I pity you.  I guess you've programmed your TV to ignore the ABC ?

---

 You must take after your giddy Aunt. Runs in the family, I guess.

---

Off-topic, rude and interpersonal.  

[i-need-a-martini]

Mark Scott a leftist? Lol...

He was a Liberal Party stooge planted by the a rightwinged ABC Board in the hope of weeding out the non-existant perceived left bias.

He found none. But oh my gosh he tried so hard to find something (ANYTHING!) that would prove his worth to the board and managed to come up empty handed.

The only thing he managed to do was create havoc and dysfunction to a national icon. And Turnbull appreciates this because he is the only Liberal politician not trailing behind the "ABC is bias" bandwagon.

Good riddance.

[li.vish]

Hi everyone, the discussion is getting a little heated.  Please be sure to keep your communications civil.  Thanks!