Scott: ABC is right to engage with our region
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I respect Eric Beecher’s passionate arguments on behalf of quality journalism in Australia, and I understand his view that the ABC has an ever more important role to play as a part of domestic media offerings. Where I differ from him is his suggestion that the ABC wants to divert attention from its core broadcasting mission to enter the world of “soft diplomacy”. The ABC has been in the business of “soft diplomacy” for 70 years through Radio Australia and has been operating an international television network for nearly all this decade. Our international broadcasting responsibilities are in the ABC Charter. Like the BBC and a number of other global public broadcasters, through our international operations we put the nation on show. It is part of our core business. What we offer is not state broadcasting or government propaganda: the ABC’s international broadcasting operates to the same standards for independence as the ABC’s domestic service. And while other G20 nations are spending 15 or 20 times Australia’s international broadcasting budget and expanding rapidly, the ABC has never indicated we are seeking to match these ambitions or expenditure. Unlike other Western nations, Australia is intrinsically linked, geographically, politically and economically, to our region. We need to present ourselves to our neighbours in our terms — not through the media filter of London, Atlanta, or even Beijing. Menzies’ words on establishing Radio Australia still resonate today: “The time has come to speak for ourselves”. A doubling of the current $35m would allow an expansion of international bureaux, deliver new content that engages more directly with our target audiences and tailored in local languages, double the FM radio transmission in the Pacific, increase the audience penetration of television by nearly 200% and make services available in the Middle East and Africa. There are strong reasons why the ABC should offer the strongest, most credible independent news service available in the region. And there are doubtlessly opportunities for a seamless integration in Australia’s international services using television, radio, online and mobile. As I indicated, most other G20 nations are making the investment as they understand the impact of this “second track “diplomatic approach, using expanded media services to build international understanding of their countries. But finally, the decision on any Australian expansion will lie with the Government. The ABC has always played the role of the international broadcaster and the domestic broadcaster. The activities complement each other and build on the investment and expertise established over decades. It is not a case of needing to neglect one to focus on the other. We need to do both well. At least Eric’s critique was more credible than the one offered in The Australian yesterday, which complained in part about the “leaking” of the speech to The Sydney Morning Herald. Advance copies of the speech were provided simultaneously to the Herald and The Australian. Why The Australian viewed it un-newsworthy at the time is a question for its newsroom. The full speech on the ABC’s International proposals can be found here. |
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12 Comments
Horsesh*t, as is increasingly usual from the ABC these days. Scott would be much better advised getting his domestic business sorted. He could start by making sure that news and current affairs presents an independent, objective service based on facts and ethics, rather than the Murdochian rubbish it currently serves up. He could follow up by employing journalists (or at least people who can read and write) in his online service, rather than the half-wit under-educated children he presently employs.
Couldn’t agree more Mr.Squid…apart from the bullsh*t about the ‘Murdochian’ rubbish, do you never tire of beating up on News Limited Squid, you’re as bad the the empire buildeer who wrote this.
Mark stick to providing the news service that you’re supposed to, we’re paying for it for God’s sake…stop believing your own publicity, you’re not the messiah of Australian media and stop doing stories about yourself with the company you used to work for…
Sounds like a good idea. The more cultural interaction we have with our neighbours, the better.
The ABC shouldn’t be involved in diplomacy, “soft” or otherwise. You instantly reduce your credibility. Claiming that editorial standards would be unaffected by this partisanship is disingenuous. You can’t have it both ways, Capt. Scott. Fannying on about “Australian values” and “Australian democracy on display” is provincial vulgarity. By all means expand coverage, but your main currency is independence. Don’t devalue it.
The ABC’s “charter” is not a long document. The ABC’s international responsibilities are stated fairly broadly …
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION ACT 1983
- SECT 6
Charter of the Corporation
(1)The functions of the Corporation are:
(a) to provide within Australia innovative and comprehensive broadcasting services of a high standard as part of the Australian broadcasting system consisting of national, commercial and public sectors and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to provide:
(i) broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community; and
(ii) broadcasting programs of an educational nature;
(b) to transmit to countries outside Australia broadcasting programs of news, current affairs, entertainment and cultural enrichment that will:
(i) encourage awareness of Australia and an international understanding of Australian attitudes on world affairs; and
(ii) enable Australian citizens living or travelling outside Australia to obtain information about Australian affairs and Australian attitudes on world affairs; and
(c) to encourage and promote the musical, dramatic and other performing arts in Australia.
(2) In the provision by the Corporation of its broadcasting services within Australia:
(a) the Corporation shall take account of:
(i) the broadcasting services provided by the commercial and public sectors of the Australian broadcasting system;
(ii) the standards from time to time determined by the Australian Broadcasting Authority in respect of broadcasting services;
(iii) the responsibility of the Corporation as the provider of an independent national broadcasting service to provide a balance between broadcasting programs of wide appeal and specialized broadcasting programs;
(iv) the multicultural character of the Australian community; and
(v) in connection with the provision of broadcasting programs of an educational nature—the responsibilities of the States in relation to education; and
(b) the Corporation shall take all such measures, being measures consistent with the obligations of the Corporation under paragraph (a), as, in the opinion of the Board, will be conducive to the full development by the Corporation of suitable broadcasting programs.
(3) The functions of the Corporation under subsection (1) and the duties imposed on the Corporation under subsection (2) constitute the Charter of the Corporation.
(4) Nothing in this section shall be taken to impose on the Corporation a duty that is enforceable by proceedings in a court.
ABC can provide a useful public square function in neighbouring countries. But it needs to get basic things like the metric of the West Atlas oil spill right. A minimum 4.5 million litres based on PTTEP’s own admission, though likely even higher at up to 23.5 M litres (based on Dept of Env Senate Estimates Economics Committee 21 Oct 2009).
A real story, for real near neighbours, right now. ABC reported the spill as “several hundred thousand litres”. Meet the Press 10 same day last Sunday reported it correctly as 4.5 million litres. That’s soft diplomacy of a sort, but not what’s intended methinks.
Pete, let me explain. Every nation needs a vigourous, independent, responsible and ethical media. Australia has been lacking for years. Fairfax is dead and has been for a long, long time. The ABC’s itself is undermining its own ethical and professional standards, and its ability to provide an independent alternative has been destroyed. Its news and current affairs output has become a weak and silly parody of News Corporation. The rush to parrot commentary from the worst of the augean stable at News - the shanahans, the milnes, the pearsons, the akermans and so on - is almost comical. Some of its items on weekend news bulletins, especially political leads, are just preposterous. ABC Online is the work of half-baked amateurs who have no sense of their immediate environment, culture, economy, or that of the nation or the world. You could fit the universality of their knowledge on a pinhead. That leaves News Corporation. By default the Australian has become the national newspaper. But it remains a vehicle for personal and corporate interest and financial gain, political vindictiveness, deliberate sectional divisiveness, bigotry and intolerance. It is thoroughly debased - look at the obvious deceit and spitefulness that lies behind a significant portion of its coverage of Rudd and Turnbull. News Corporation internationally wilfully breaks the law to obtain what it loosely describes as stories - and not just in Britain. The Telegraph is regularly caught out telling lies. The Australian’s business section, once the best in the country, provides utterly perverted coverage of News Corporation itself - it makes no pretence of objectivity. The business pages are almost fact-free zones, and have become a haven for a multitude of pretentious barrow-pushers with nothing useful or interesting to say. It is glaringly obvious that during the Howard years the business sector and the economy became regulated beyond tolerable levels. The only solution, particularly for business, is far less regulation and far greater transparency and public accountability. The media must be the primary rolepayer in this - but how could any sane person leave such a responsibility to News Corporation? I spent last Friday night at a function in my home city during which a prominent business figure publicly flayed our daily paper. he received robust approval, to say the least. The editor of another rag spends much of his time in the pub or smoking recreational drugs. He is dirty, smelly and well known for his personal dishonesty. Another overseas editor does his work at a table in a hotel restaurant with his young boyfriend, aided by a copious supply of double ports. And now we are being regaled with tales of the lack of morals in the New York business. And you wonder why I spend my time pointing out that this mob is not fit to hold the position in national affairs that it does! I could not give a flying whether media companies are publicly or privately owned. What I do care about is fearless independence, honest and ethical behaviour, balance and fairness, and responsibility and accountability. The nation gets none from News Corporation, and those essential characteristics are fast disappearing from the ABC.
Well Clark and Dawe seem to have clarified the scale of the oil slick just now. God love ‘em.
Would somebody please introduce Mr Squid to the concept of the paragraph.
i ditched those farnarkling newspaper fetishes yonks ago. along with caps. punctuation may well be next
+ tks 4 putt/ up t. charta it shs how bdly t. abc is flfl/ its stat. fncsns
Mr Scott becomes more and more obvious. Step One: suck up to MEAA to assist in lobbying for ABC job (vital for ex-Liberal apparatchik). Step Two: wrap lips around those of relevant Minister. Step Three: impress Ruddbot with gratuitous slagging of Sun King, whilst offering a future in which Ruddbot’s ABC is the people’s (only) choice. Step Four: offer extensible PR machine for Ruddbot assault on global stage. Step Five: accept Government offer of new term, new board, new budget.
We await Step Five.