The national broadcaster has had a tumultuous history, targeted by both major parties at various times. No matter who takes office after the 2019 election, the ABC can never rest easy.
A new form of journalism, dubbed “access journalism” is creeping into the media, and its reliance on allegations and lack of evidence poses a serious threat.
An ACCC interim report is one of the most consequential documents for media policy in decades, while a government report finds both public broadcasters are acting in the public interest.
Mrdak, who interviewed both Milne and Guthrie, said they had no doubt the government was “very concerned at the issues of opinion and accuracy and editorial standards raised” in the several pieces.
It was a week that saw the ABC’s managing director and the chair of its board go, with many questions still to be answered; meanwhile Scott Morrison gave the ongoing controversy over Australia Day a new lease of life.
After a dramatic week at the ABC that sees them without a permanent managing director nor a chair, there remain serious questions about government interference and the broadcaster’s independence.
The ABC chairman’s resignation provides some resolution to the crisis, but a discussion is sorely needed about other threats to the broadcaster’s independence.
According to the report, Milne had said that if Guthrie didn’t fire Probyn, she would be jeopardising half a billion dollars in funding for the proposed Jetstream infrastructure project.
Peter Fray, University of Technology Sydney and Derek Wilding, University of Technology Sydney
The ABC Act clearly states the board is duty-bound to ‘maintain the independence and integrity’ of the broadcaster. Milne’s actions appear to have compromised both values.
The ABC affair – which began with the sacking of Guthrie - spun out of control on Wednesday, following the leaking to Fairfax Media of a highly damaging email, showing Milne’s editorial interference.
A former senior manager with the ABC laments the poor choice of Michelle Guthrie as managing director, leaving her - and the organisation - in an invidious position.
ABC boss Michelle Guthrie sacked, but the board won’t say why
The Conversation37.5 MB(download)
ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie was sacked today, despite being less than halfway through her five-year term. The major question is: why? Today on the podcast, we explore the possibilities.
One of the reasons the managing director failed was that she did not understand the journalism she was overseeing, and that weakness filtered down the ranks.
In a blunt statement, the ABC board has announced the end of Guthrie’s tenure as managing director, declaring it was “not in the best interests” of the organisation for her to continue leading it.
Amid endless reviews into the future of local screen content, uncertainty reigns on issues such as the impact of Netflix, the fate of local content quotas and funding for original children’s TV.
Fifty years ago, an insurance agent named Paul Simpson was convinced of rampant bias on the evening news. So he embarked on a project to record each broadcast and store them at Vanderbilt University.