Tony Abbott questions ABC patriotism
"A lot of people feel at the moment that the ABC instinctively takes everyone's side but Australia's," says Tony Abbott.
- Published by David Knox
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Prime Minister Tony Abbott has accused the ABC of being unpatriotic in its coverage of recent news stories relating to Indonesian spying leaks and asylum seeker abuse claims.
His comments followed a recent ABC report containing video footage of asylum seekers claiming they had suffered burns due to mistreatment by the Australian Navy. The Navy has denied the claims.
“A lot of people feel at the moment that the ABC instinctively takes everyone’s side but Australia’s,” he said in an interview with Ray Hadley on Sydney radio station 2GB.
“I think it dismays Australians when the national broadcaster appears to take everyone’s side but its own and I think it is a problem.”
“You can’t leap to be critical of your own country and you certainly ought to be prepared to give the Australian Navy and its hard-working personnel the benefit of the doubt.”
Last year the ABC and Guardian Australia broke a story, based on leaks from the US National Security Agency, about Australia tapping Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s phone.
At the time, the Prime Minister criticised ABC Managing Director, Mark Scott for ”very, very poor judgment”. Liberal senator Cory Bernardi also called for ABC funding to be cut.
In November, Mark Scott defended the ABC’s decision to publish the phone tapping story, arguing it was in the public interest.
Tony Abbott also questioned the ABC’s newly established Fact Check unit, saying he wanted the corporation to focus on straight news gathering and reporting.
34 Responses
Tony Abbott & Ray Hadley huh? Haven’t listened to them before, won’t start now.
@ryan – ABC reported what the asylum seeker claimed, and the Navy’s denial. Meanwhile, Abbott doesn’t want an enquiry but everyone should give the RAN “the benefit of the doubt”. The same RAN that’s had so much publicity re sexual harrassment, bastardisation, rape…but Ita said it’s crap so it must be. Thankfully the media didn’t “give the Australian Navy and its hard-working personnel the benefit of the doubt” in those cases. And what of Tony’s pet Catholic Church and their crimes. Don’t report it? “Benefit of the doubt”?
When the Right Wingers are in opposition “Free Speech” is one of the most important and crucial Freedoms they clinch on to, But when the Right are in governance they usually want the opposition “Silenced” at any costs!
People in Glass House… oh, wait, wasn’t that a TV show that was axed under some certain motivation..? 😉
So according to Abbott, no national carrier of news should show Australia in a bad light.What a load of rubbish to come out of the mouth of a second rate journalist called Abbott.
The ABC is only doing it’s job when all aspects of news are reported. Does this mean Abbott would not approve the news about child abuse and disgusting sexual behaviour in the Navy exposed?
I agree. Ita said the same thing on studio 10 last week. It’s the biggest load of crap our Navy did what ABC said they did.
Abbort, the LNP and the Murdoch mob haven’t said anything about the ABC 7.30 Report’s investigation on corruption into the building industry.
Funny that.
But no doubt Tony will have nothing but praise for the ABC/Fairfax investigation into corruption within the construction industry and unions. Because you know…it suits him politically.
Tony needs to grow up. He has been out for the ABC since day 1 and Rupert Murdoch and his papers have been helping him do it. Its disgraceful. The ABC is only talking the truth. Something he doesn’t seem to be able to give the Australian public.
If he wants people to say good things about the government, the answer is to be a good government – not control what people are saying.
So, the Monarchy-loving, Oxford-educated, London-born, UK passport holding (allegedly), son of a Geordie thinks the ABC isn’t patriotic?
Right-oh. 😉
Tony is clutching at straws so early in his campaign against the ABC?
Like night follows day, another ‘conservative’ (the irony) leader attacks the ABC.
The right don’t like too much scrutiny or truth telling, gets in the way of their true agenda. They want a ‘patriotic’ news service that spends its time scaring the bejeezus out of a population about things that aren’t that scary at all, so they can get on with their truly frightening agenda to turn Australia into a poor little clone of the United States.
Bad luck, Tony. You have been elected with absolutely zero goodwill and we are on to you like no other leader has experienced before.
I don’t watch ABC News. Too intellectual. Pardon me, there is a story about Kim Kardashian on Nine News Now…
Perhaps Murdock Media ‘photo shopped’ that infamous black moustache on the wrong recipient, or is it just now that someone much more deserved is appearing without it?
What differences a landslide election win can influence, so much so, to seemingly rewrite the meaning of “Patriotism”, even a name change for a long time political alliance to ” The Coalition of the Political Secret Service”?.
Where it was “Patriotic” in pre-election mode (3 years), to front endless media announcements and to actively seek out door stop interviews, even appear on The Bolt Deport but never on Q&A, always filled with inane one liners and such as “We’ll Stop the Boats” but always blatantly ” Feeding People Smugglers” constant reasons they can keep boats coming, because the Government Measures would not work, and even a vote that ensured boats kept coming??.
thats a case of the pot calling the kettle black i9f i ever saw one – two words abbott – rupert murdoch!!!
Whats wrong Abbott aren’t you getting a fair go on the ABC. Abbott, leave our ABC alone, keep yours and your cohorts grubby fingers off. Just be satisfied with the Murdoch toilet paper rags.
Really so no other channel bothered to report on this???
I find that very hard to believe, but then i don’t make a habit of watching much commercial news.
Anti Fact Check? I wonder why…
“A lot of people feel at the moment that the ABC instinctively takes everyone’s side but Australia’s”
Does he mean everyone’s side but his?
Is he talking about the same people that watch story after story on TT and ACA about how asylum seekers and refugees are taking aussie jobs?
People feel that way because they are consistently fed misinformation from other sources. Australia needs the ABC, for those that want an alternative the scandalous headlines..
He needs to accept there are people interested in both sides of reporting and to not interfere with our viewing choices.
Stop living in a one sided world Tony. Grow up and get over it.
I can’t believe that there are people out there actually complaining about the fact that we enjoy such a free and unrestricted state media outlet.
I personally love the fact that our ABC is clearly for the people rather than being for the government.
““I think it dismays Australians when the national broadcaster appears to take everyone’s side but its own and I think it is a problem.”
Well, um, ah, (as Tony Abbott would say) I think Australians would be dismayed if the ABC didn’t report all news about “Australia”, good, bad and ugly. Good to see he agrees that “… the national broadcaster appears to take everyone’s…”. Meaning “impartial”? Reporting how Australia bugged The Indo President’s wife’s phone is news. Like it or not Tony, it’s news I want to hear.
Heck – here was I thinking that the job of news outlet was to ‘factually’ report the news, not to be ‘patriotic’.
Me thinks Tony doth protest too much.
There is a big difference between being unpatriotic and legitimate news report. Both the highlighted events clearly fall into the later category.
As for the fact checking unit, it is an excellent idea. It definitely has cleared up some misconceptions that I had about so called ‘facts’. Its no different than 7:30 doing a detailed article really, just part of the new program, and highlighted as a ‘Fact Check’.
Thanks goodness for ABC News (both tv and radio). Commercial free, and free of the fluffy and non news items on the commercial stations.
The ABC isn’t siding against Australia, it’s siding against Abbott. Ray Hadley, say no more!!!!