"These days I rely much more heavily on the balanced coverage of The ABC"
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Australian turns 50: ABC sneers when it should report
Andrew BoltJULY162014(11:35am)
Culture wars,
Media
I was at the 50th birthday celebration last night of
The Australian, a world-class newspaper founded by Rupert Murdoch. Also there were Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard and former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating.
A major speech was delivered by Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson. In short, this was a serious event to honour a serious publication with serious things said, not least about the paper’s advocacy of Aboriginal advancement and immigration.
Now let’s see
how the state broadcaster reported this in AM, which is - I should remind you - ostensibly a news program.
Here’s how the reporter referred to the tribute Murdoch paid to his father in noting he, too, had dreamed of such a newspaper:
SIMON SANTOW: He may be 83, but Rupert Murdoch still craves a bit of parental approval.
Here’s how the reporter referred to Murdoch’s comments in praise of immigration:
SIMON SANTOW: His dinner was billed as a celebration, but the media mogul never misses an opportunity to give advice to the country of his birth.
Here’s how the reporter introduced a grab of Abbott’s speech:
SIMON SANTOW: Tony Abbott enjoys the support of his host - and it showed.
TONY ABBOTT: Rupert Murdoch, a man who has changed our world.
And then here’s how the reporter introduced the last third of the report, not by assessing the content of the night’s speeches or the influence The Australian has had on public dehate, but with a great slag - a rehashing for the umpteenth time of the old phone hacking scandal at Britain’s News of the World:
SIMON SANTOW: While Tony Abbott appeared happy in the warm embrace of Rupert Murdoch, the News Corp empire is on the nose elsewhere.
NICK DAVIES: He is still very entangled in the phone hacking scandal…
t is still the case that the prime minister in the UK would not want to be seen with him or to be known to be meeting him..
SIMON SANTOW: Nick Davies says it’s only a matter of time before detectives from Scotland Yard interview Rupert Murdoch...
This is not reporting but sneering. not analysing but sniggering. Murdoch is dictatorial, Abbott a lapdog and no politician in Britain would be caught dead with the media giant.
ABC boss Mark Scott keeps claiming his organisation is balanced and his does not know the politics of his staff. How many more examples must I give before he admits the ABC is in breach of its charter obligations not to be biased?
