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ACMA seeks ABC dialogue after twice having findings rejected by public broadcaster

ABC's refusal to cop ACMA breaches on the chin leads to the regulator requesting a meeting with top brass.

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The Australian Communications & Media Authority has sought a meeting with ABC’s David Anderson & ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron, following a terse response to its findings over a Four Corners story on FOX News.

ACMA found the ABC breached accuracy and fair and honest dealing requirements of its Code of Practice in its our Corners double episode program ‘FOX and the Big Lie’.

However, the ACMA’s overall assessment was that the program came close to, but did not breach, the high bar set by the impartiality standards in the ABC’s Code.

ABC news director Justin Stevens took aim at ACMA’s findings.

“The ABC strongly disagrees that the program is not impartial,” Stevens said.

“FOX and the Big Lie was a strong and measured piece of public interest journalism and a world class report by Sarah Ferguson and the team.

“This was a comprehensive investigation analysing the role Fox News played in helping promulgate the ‘big lie’ – that the 2020 US Presidential election was stolen.”

Journalist Sarah Ferguson also responded publicly, saying “According to ACMA’s interpretation of the code, the ABC is not free to choose the editorial focus it determines the most relevant. In a complex world overloaded with information, focus is central to the success of programs like Four Corners and journalism at the ABC and beyond.”

But ACMA Nerida O’Loughlin in a letter (excerpt below) to managing director David Anderson said ABC’s responses were “to the detriment of the broader Australian media landscape at a time when access to trusted news and information is more essential than ever.”

It’s essentially a stoush between copping a breach on the chin from the regulator, and seeking a right of reply.

David Anderson agreed to a meeting with ACMA, including with Ombudsman Fiona O’Loughlin.

5 Responses

  2. Impartiality isn’t about presentibgvtwo views – it’s about establishing the facts. A lie is a lie and given a platform to someone to say it’s the truth, when the facts don’t back that up, is not impartial journalism.

  4. The ABC staff have a budget of $1.2b p.a. and they can do what ever they want, including using its $800m news and current affairs budget to publicly attack the ACMA, which is what happened here. The ACMA can only publish reports and advise on staff retraining. Technically they can revoke the licence of commercial broadcasters but of course if they shut down Nine, MAFS and NRL fans would overthrow the government, so it’s an idle threat.

  5. Great quotes from this. It’s so ABC that they think they’re so right and they aren’t biased!
    “The ABC strongly disagrees that the program is not impartial,” Stevens said.
    “According to ACMA’s interpretation of the code, the ABC is not free to choose the editorial focus it determines the most relevant”.

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