Leigh Sales to Turnbull: “It won’t change the way I do interviews.”
7:30 host defends her style after Malcolm Turnbull suggests she should be less aggressive in interviews.
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7:30 presenter Leigh Sales has defended her style after Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said she should take a “less aggressive” approach in interviews.
“He’s free to have an opinion on whether he thought the interview was aggressive, but it won’t change the way I do interviews,” the ABC presenter told Fairfax Media.
Yesterday Malcolm Turnbull told TEN’s Bolt Report, “I would say as somebody who used to interview people as a living, both as a journalist and as a barrister and of course as a politician, I would say a more effective interviewing style is one that is less aggressive and more forensic,” he added.
“But that’s in effect an editorial opinion…”
Turnbull disagreed that the ABC showed bias in its reporting, noting in gave an “enormous amount of airtime” to MPs.
Last week Sales opened her interview with Treasurer Joe Hockey by asking “Is this what political retreat looks like?”
Sales today said her previous interviews with Wayne Swan, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd were just as rigorous.
“I do the best I can to be fair, impartial and to always ask what I think the average viewer would want asked,” she said.
“If people aren’t answering the question then I push them to answer it because that’s what I’m paid to do.”
An ABC spokesperson said presenters and journalists were subject to Editorial Policies which set by the board.
“The ABC investigates all complaints, undertake program reviews and commission independent audits to ensure these standards are met. This makes the ABC more rigorous and systematic than any other media outlet and is a significant reason why most Australians see the ABC has the most trusted news source.”
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31 Responses
Is it just me or do Leigh Sales and Mel Doyle look the same?
Just you!
Didn’t some British group do an analysis and determine that there was no bias at ABC. As David proffers below, “bias is in the eyes of the beholder”.
“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” ― Jim Morrison
Nonsense the ABC has no effective editorial control of its reporters. The policy is so long, self contradictory that it is always interpreted to the let the reports do whatever they want. The Editor In Chief is the CEO who exercises no editorial control, using the title to just as a media manipulation tool to play down complaints. Look at how the Chaser just disregarded and mocked him in the Kenny matter. The complaints procedure is joke that dismisses just about every claim and is pointless. And unlike commercial media they aren’t directly accountable to the ACMA or Press Council which is taking strict control to ridiculous levels that the ABC would never stand for.
So the ABC has to get independant reviews of its staff because their editorial system is so broken. And when a respected journalist criticised Fergusson’s interview technique, the entire ABC staff, including her…
I’m sorry, but where does ‘editorial control’ even come in to this? You have a subject who agrees to be interviewed both broadly on subjects within his area of expertise and specifically on subjects that lie within his area of direct responsibility, and an interviewer who is expected to elicit answers to questions directed at those areas. Not a problem – except that some people don’t like the questions, the subject would rather not answer the questions, and the interviewer tried to get answers to the actual questions rather than unrelated talking points. And really, the subject is not disagreeing with that – just the style.
p.s. the ABC is directly accountable to ACMA, who if you remember ruled against the ABC on the Chaser’s Chris Kenny sketch…
Perhaps some of the more vociferous posters could helpfully inform us what they really mean by “bias”. Seems to me their real issue is hearing/seeing “views/opinions/subjects I don’t like” or “people I don’t like” or some combination of this … which of course is not genuine “bias” at all.
The ABC Network is a joke to watch! Poor Journalism, lies, Bias and all using out money! It’s time to privatise the ABC, There is no need for it anymore to be in our hands
Maybe William should view these shows with both eyes open, not his right. Bolt also interjects and doesn’t let the other side finish their answers.
If the ABC is bias, that what the hell is Bolt and the Telegraph? Bolt should remember people in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks.
Yes maybe but the Australian Government does not fund Bolt or the Tele with my taxes. I want unbiased reporting to make an informed decision. Blind Freddie can see that Sales and programs like Q&A are extremely Labor/Green – fringe opinion biased. It is not right for the ABC to be bias. Where Bolt and the Tele support conservative views, Channel 7 and Mark Riley has the Labor side covered. ABC is the go to channel – so the bias they show should not be accepted.
I don’t want my tax dollars supporting this inherrant bias. Whether you believe in climate change or not, I thought it was very telling that the ABC, after showing a show against climate change, had to have a panel show headed by Tony Jones, straight after to dismiss all that had gone before, just in case the informed ABC viewer couldn’t make up their own mind.
And don’t get me started on Trioli…
The difference being that Bolt and the Telegraph do not pretend to be neutral. The ABC does.
I would say that the Bolt report and the Australian have more balance than Fairfax (the partisan media). The ABC (with their arms around the green vote), are funded by taxpayers and have a duty to be neutral (and appear to be so). Newscorp and Fairfax can be as imbalanced as they lke, they are private enterprises relying on paying customers to purchase their publications and watch their channels. Thank goodness the ABC is no longer the only channel you’d receive in the rural area (as it was years ago). ABC is the Leftist Propaganda channel. One for the Comrades.
The ABC isn’t netural at all they are far too the left
I think there is a difference between allowing people to answer, and just basically not even giving them an opportunity, Sales was way over the top on budget night. There seems to be a shift to become the next “Fox News” and have interviews basically consist of “if you’d just let me finish”
Two of the finest journalists on television. They should be the barometer in how our question dodging politicians should be scrutinised. They’ve grilled Gillard, Rudd and Swan. The Libs can’t cry foul because a journalist is not playing their game.
Leigh Sales is one of the best journos and interviewers going around. Andrew right wing Bolt hates the ABC because of his perceived view that they favour one side over the other, which is not true. The ABC and its journos are fair to bother sides, they call it as they see it. Its not Leigh Sales’s fault that the Polies are always dodging vital questions that are important to the nation’s future, just because Bolt does not like it does not mean the ABC have to change their style. If she was giving him an easy ride the critics would be on the ABC for favouritism because his govt. funds the broadcaster. All Polies have to do is be honest and the intense interviews will stop.
The ABC hates LNP so much. She is just interrupts the politicians on the right and just lets the left on a easy ride so to me that isn’t a best journo. Well Bolt is true the ABC favour ALP so much its not funny and I reckon LNP should give the ABC and even further cut at the next budget. The big 3 networks deserve to stay. ABC is only 1 side and that is the left. Its getting beyond a joke at the ABC. ALP were the ones who left the country in huge amount of debt if the ALP were governing at the moment then we would end up like Europe. Like I said ABC has never given intense interviews to the left as they only favour one side. I’ve never seen one intense interview on ALP as they are too cozy with each other.
I agree William. ABC is biased, not a vindictive thing from me, it is just the way it is ABC= Labor/Greens, so when the Liberal govt (rightly does not renew) funding it is justified in my opinion.
Um you obviously didn’t see Sales interview Shorten after his budget reply. She was as harsh with him as she was Hockey, something clearly highlighted in the newspaper article.
The LNP were voted into government to reduce debt. What have they done? Added significantly to the nation’s debt and have absolutely no plan of how to reduce it.
You are dreaming. She was not harsh on Bill, and hardlyinterrupted him at all. Sales allowed him to ramble on and hardly challenged his useless policies (or lack thereof)
For what it’s worth, last Thursday I spied many tweets accusing her of being too harsh on Shorten. I remember because I was looking for a video to see if it was news-worthy (didn’t find video in time and next day I had moved on). So these things are usually in the eye of the beholder.
The debt is forecast to go to surplus in 2019/20 at this rate. While the net debt is forecast to reach at $131b which I think is a lot better then what ALP predicted. Neither does Shorten who has absolutely no plans at all.
They have done a lot but they should of been harder and rise our taxs and cut cost but they can’t when everybody cries foul about how there losing money, I for one don’t want to end up like Greece, if labour was still in we be even worse debt
Absolute rubbish. If you actually watched 7.30 you would have seen that Sales is just as vigorous with politicians from either side. When Labor was in power she gave them plenty of curry when they vacillated, waffled, or just avoided answering the question. I distinctly remember her causing Wayne Swan to break out in a sweat when she was trying to get him to address the matter put to him.
I find it highly ironic that you accuse the ABC of bias given the complete twaddle that you regularly spout about the Ten Network.
I’d say the majority of conservatives dislike the ABC and its political bias (It’s taxpayer funded and should be impartial), I say privatise it. Sales is aggressive and doesn’t allow the interviewee to answer the questions. Just compare Sales’ interview between Hockey and Shorten. Hockey is ambushed and Sales get aggressive and speaks for longer than the interviewee. On the other hand, she allows Shorten to continue to speak (as she should), until he’s finished (not answering the question he was asked, but just finished (as he is politically)).
You will only see what you want to see. Sales continuously interrupted Shorten, questioned his creditability, pushed him to answer questions. Don’t know what interview you were watching buddy.
Sure sure the Bolt shxt report is not biased. In time if LNP still in government, all media will turn into those in China and North Korea (only report what government wants people to see)…scary !!!
The Bolt Report isn’t taxpayer funded. The ABC is, and has a charter to be impartial.
A softball style works on the average person. It doesn’t work on politicians. Labor and Liberal alike, they speak in pre-prepared soundbites, evade questions they don’t like and need to be cajoled to answer anything properly.
It doesnt matter how rude or verbose a Journalist is, a politician is not going to change their answers, so it is just nice to be nice. Ask the questions, let them answer but don’t be aggressive or rude. Mr Turnbull is correct, it is not an effective way to interview someone. Sales is a poor journalist to be showing such behaviour.