‘That’s not how journalism works’

As Fairfax columnist Tony Walker, hardly a fire-breathing right wing death beast, recently observed of ABC TV, it’s just not very good at what it does — other than re-direct other people’s money to mates’ production companies, of course. In late May, he wrote:

“Apart from exceptions such as 4 Corners and Australian Story, ABC TV is disappointing, and in some cases such as its unfunny profanity-laden comedies an affront to the taxpayer.

Space here does not permit more than glancing reference, but the ABC’s news service in its present format is in terminal decline.”

Just how bad things have grown at the ABC in terms of professional competence was evidenced  when Media Watch set out to scoff at that those who believe the national broadcaster should be reformed/sold/given to its employees or obliged to adopt something akin to the US Public Broadcasting model, which depends on relatively small taxpayer handouts ($445 million from the feds in 2015) and large amounts of viewers’ and foundations’ financial support. Such ideas are heresy to the recipients of an easy $1.2 billion every year and, as the best purveyors of outrage and bile have long known, a villain of boundless wickedness comes in handy for whipping up one’s supporters.

Enter stage right the IPA to a chorus of orchestrated hisses. Make enough fuss and bother about “the right-wing think tank” and — Presto! — the the ABC’s cronyism, bias, waste, commissioning of shows and agenda-pushing gets overlooked in favour of fulminations about its critics. That playbook was handy when Crikey! alumni Paul Barry  and story editor Jason Whittaker, whose pedigree also leads to that error-prone newsletter, set about those who see their show as one more case study in the national broadcaster’s ledger of gross deficiencies. One of their targets was the new book by RMIT academics Chris Berg and Sinclair Davidson, who both have unremunerated links to the IPA. The book however was written under RMIT’s auspices, on RMIT time and with RMIT resources.

So which body — RMIT or IPA — do you reckon Barry and Whittaker chose to emphasise?

Silly question. As mere mention of the IPA sets leftoids to slobbering and howling, that was the one the Crikey! duo featured. Professor Davidson sought to have the record amended — and this is where the reaction is fascinating.

Wrong as wrong could be, Whittaker responded with patronising assurances that this is the way good journalism is done, including these gems (emphasis added):

… We’re talking about ease of storytelling …

… I accept you might have written the book on the RMIT payroll but that’s immaterial to viewers …

… that’s not how journalism works …

Not ABC journalism, in any case. The full exchange can be read via this link or the one below.

It seems you can take the editors out of Crikey! but you’ll never get the Crikey! out of ABC editors.

Or taxpayer money out of their pockets, not with current chairman and prime ministerial cobber Justin Milne in charge.

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