Government interference is worrying for the ABC
The importance of an independent national broadcaster should not be understated.
In 2018 the managing director of the ABC Michelle Guthrie, was fired allegedly due to government dislike. This was then followed by Justin Milne (the then ABC chairman) standing down from the position. Consequently, there was a call for a Senate inquiry into Guthrie sacking. This leads me — and many others, to question how independent the Australian Broadcaster Corporation (ABC) is from the government.
What happened in the Guthrie and Milne scandal?
Essentially Michelle Guthrie (first female managing director of the ABC) was halfway through serving her five-year term when she was fired. According to reports she was considered by Justin Milne to be a controversial figure and at the time believed “They [the government] hate her.”
This amongst other leaks released around the same time caused the public to question what influence the government had on the supposed ‘independent’ public broadcaster and is this something we should be concerned about?
What is a public broadcaster and why is it so important?
The ABC was established in 1929 and was built on the foundations of the BBC in the United Kingdom. The ABC provides programs via television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia. The broadcaster is funded by direct grants from the Australian Government, however, is expressly independent of government and partisan politics.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) describes public service broadcasting as:
“… broadcasting made, financed and controlled by the public, for the public. It is neither commercial nor state-owned, free from political interference and pressure from commercial forces.”
Public broadcasters aim to inform, educate and entertain citizens by providing content which ranges in diversity, editorial independence, accountability and transparency. Ultimately the ABC is a cornerstone in Australian’s democracy, as a well respected media gatekeeper and prominent member of the fourth estate.
Why wouldn’t the ABC be independent?
While the ABC acts at arm’s length of the government, particularly as its role and editorial charter is legislated by the parliament. Recent history shows that at times the governing body has attempted to undermine the broadcaster most recently at the hands of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party.
In the 2018’s budget, the ABC funding was frozen costing the broadcaster $83 million over the next three years. This was then followed by scrutiny regarding the ABC’s efficiency and competitive neutrality which was voiced highly by its commercial competitors. Furthermore, can an organisation who is solely funded by the government ever truly be independent from them?
Finally, Australian Liberal Party Senator, Mitch Fifield has admitted to being a regular complainant when it comes to ABC journalists with the belief that they fail to report on the coalition fairly. This questions how well the broadcaster is able to maintain an unbiased balanced point of view, where each story has two sides. However, this type of complaint isn’t new, a ‘culture war’ has long been occurring through sustained criticism from senior politicians, harassment by senators, and alleged appointment of right-wing allies to the board of the organisation.
Can the ABC ever be independent?
Despite the controversy caused by the Guthrie and Milne scandal as well as the restrictions and reliance on the government for funding, the ABC has been able to function as independently as possible when compared to other countries around the globe.
One of the ABC’s most powerful assets is the level of public trust it receives when compared to commercial media competitors. For example, approximately 80% of all Australians (based on independent opinion polls), trust ABC news and current affairs. Additionally, this population considers the general programming to be valued, high quality and distinctive. As highlighted by the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard:
“The most trusted public broadcasters are those that are perceived as closest to the public, and most distant from the government and advertisers.”
It’s essential that all viewers remember that despite any individual’s best efforts, every human is subconsciously biased (whether its intended or not). For an independent broadcaster, such as the ABC, we can only hope that the producers, publishers and their review board do their best to provide the most impartial and balanced broadcasting possible.
We need to keep in mind that when the ABC receives heat and criticism from the government (regardless of political agenda), it is a strong indication that the broadcaster is doing its most important job: holding power to account. If the ABC starts to conform to political pressure, they wouldn’t be doing their job.
There is no perfect solution to completely separate the ABC from the government due to funding, legislative power and restrictions. Therefore, the discussion surrounding the independence of this service will forever be in question. However, this running debate is likely to continually serve as a reminder to the ABC that it needs to reflect on its performance on a regular basis to ensure it is delivering programs and information in an accurate and impartial way. This is particularly prominent in today’s era of ‘fake news’, hidden political agendas and corrupt media and business models, that the need for an independent, resourced, and local public broadcaster has never been more important.
