An episode of Media Watch which canvasses whether the ABC’s coverage of transgender issues has been influenced by the broadcaster’s corporate partnership with an LGBTQ+ community group has angered journalists in the broadcaster’s news division.
Framed as “a difficult conversation we need to have”, Media Watch host Paul Barry called on the ABC to review its relationship with Acon, a community-based organisation which grew out of the Aids crisis and now focuses on health and inclusion issues.
“The problem here is a media group partnering with and being rewarded by a lobby group – any lobby group,” Barry said. “And how that can lead to perceptions of bias in coverage or to bias itself.”
Media Watch appeared to be worried about the reaction to the program because comments on Twitter were disabled for the first time.
“The problem here is a media group partnering with and being rewarded by a lobby group — any lobby group.
— Media Watch (@ABCmediawatch) October 17, 2022
And how that can lead to perceptions of bias in coverage or to bias itself.”#MediaWatch pic.twitter.com/tAiXgYcfRC
The ABC participates in Acon’s Australian Workplace Equality Index which measures the impact of inclusion initiatives in organisations. In the annual report the ABC says it won three inclusion awards and “retained the coveted title of Gold Employer for the second consecutive year”. ABC managing director David Anderson was named CEO of the year and the ABC also won the award for best external media campaign for the podcast Innies + Outies, which was created, hosted and produced by ABC queer content lead and ABC Pride member Mon Schafter.
Barry argued that the workplace equality index “raises questions about ABC impartiality” – despite the corporation insisting that “participation in benchmarking indexes has no bearing on content commissioning processes and no influence on editorial content”.
The program used as evidence of bias emails obtained under FOI by an anti-trans group. Among journalists to discuss the Media Watch segment publicly were RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas and Stop Everything hosts Benjamin Law and Beverley Wang. RN technology reporter Ariel Bogle did not mention Media Watch specifically but pointed out that the use of “anti-trans voices and talking points” without context was problematic. Karvelas pointed out the ABC participates in other benchmarking programs.
The ABC also participates in other benchmarking indexes to monitor its progress and improve workplace practices, such as those run by the Diversity Council of Australia, Reconciliation Australia and the Australian Network on Disability.
— Patricia Karvelas (@PatsKarvelas) October 18, 2022
but only scrutiny of one group. https://t.co/5FTjijqdOE
Barry: “Acon’s ABC relationship manager offered editorial tips, including adding a help number, to boost the ABC’s Australian Workplace Equality Index score”.
“And emails from 2020 – obtained under FOI – show an ABC journalist seeking and receiving advice from Acon on the correct definition of the word family.”
It was no smoking gun. Had the program uncovered real evidence of editorial bias it may have been worth the “difficult conversation”, one journalist told Weekly Beast. Others said they had no idea the equality index even existed, never mind allowing it to factor into editorial decisions.
“There is no evidence that it’s influenced our independent reporting,” said another.
Back in print
Nine decided to stop printing newspapers the Age and the Australian Financial Review in Tasmania this week after the cost of printing on local printing presses run by Australian Community Media spiked.
Nine’s managing director of publishing, James Chessell, told trade press Mumbrella: “It’s not a decision we have taken lightly but the rising cost of paper means it is uneconomic to print in Tasmania. We will continue to focus on our many Tasmanian digital subscribers who are able to access the increasingly popular digital version of ‘today’s paper’.”
But after screams of protest from rusted-on fans of the printed newspaper and the Tasmanian media, Chessell backflipped.
“There has been positive movement on the printing of the Age and the Australian Financial Review in Tasmania, and we are happy to confirm that the printed issues of those mastheads will continue,” Chessell told Weekly Beast. “We are always exploring ways with our printing partners to ensure the physical paper is available as broadly as possible.”
Digital platforms payday
Buried in the ABC annual report, which was tabled in parliament on Thursday, is the figure the broadcaster received from its deals with Google and Facebook under the news media bargaining code.
Under “content sales” is listed a total of $21,741,000 for the 21/22 financial year, up considerably from 20/21 when it was a mere $9,662,000. The $12m difference was made up, Weekly Beast understands, by the cash the ABC received for its news content from the digital platforms.
Aunty is already making good use of the Google and Facebook money, hiring more than 50 journalists to report from over 20 regional locations this year.
And when it comes to moving some 300 journalists out of Ultimo in the inner-city to Parramatta in western Sydney, the ABC has received a cash injection to fund the plans. The report reveals the ABC received $88m from the sale of one of its properties, Lanceley Place, in Artarmon.
Mundine’s busy schedule
When failed Liberal candidate Warren Mundine resigned last month from the SBS board two years into a five-year term, he cited his business and personal commitments. The annual report reveals just how pressing those other commitments were to the businessman and former Sky News presenter.
Mundine attended just three of the board’s six meetings last financial year and just one of the four audit and risk committee meetings. This is despite pocketing $44,000 for the nonexecutive role. Every other board member had 100% attendance.
Mundine’s pay was of course significantly lower than the SBS managing director James Taylor, whose package was around $800,000.
While we are on the subject of paying public broadcaster managing directors, the ABC managing director David Anderson’s package is worth a cool $1m.
Stream dream for advertisers
There was a surprise moment at the Foxtel “upfronts” held at the new $880m Allianz Stadium on Thursday evening and it wasn’t when Tim Minchin, star of Foxtel comedy Upright, jumped on stage to perform a song from the hit show.
When it was announced the Foxtel Group’s streaming service Binge would carry ads in 2023, the audience applauded wildly. It was then we realised the audience was made up largely of media buyers, advertisers and marketers thrilled to have another platform on which to sell their brands.
Advertisers will be able to place ads before and during a show but they will be capped at four minutes an hour. The move follows Netflix’s plans for an ad-supported tier, Basic with Ads, which launches on 3 November.
In original Australian productions, Foxtel unveiled a scripted series Strife based on Mia Freedman’s memoir Work, Strife, Balance. Actor Asher Keddie said she was excited to be playing the lead role, inspired by the media entrepreneur’s family and business life.
Colin from Accounts, a romantic comedy starring Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, has also been commissioned for 2023.
Just when you thought dating shows couldn’t get any tackier than Love Island and The Real Love Boat, HBO Max’s FBoy Island comes along.
The premise of FBoy Island is to put three women on an island and get them to identify the womanisers (the “fboys”) from those seeking a serious relationship.
Szubanski fires up
Magda Szubanski and Fran Kelly bonded over how they are mercilessly trolled on social media when the comedian chatted with the host of Frankly at a recording of the ABC talk show on Wednesday.
While Kelly said she “didn’t engage” with trolls, Szubanski said she can’t hold back and usually returns fire, blaming her fire on her Scottish mother. However, she said attacks based on her weight were so common they were “water off a fat duck’s back”.
Szubanski got emotional discussing the 20th anniversary special, Kath & Kim: Our Effluent Life, because it features never-before-seen footage of the late Shane Warne via outtakes from earlier shoots. Szubanski said she struggles to believe he isn’t around any more.
Frankly, which also features actor Richard Roxburgh and UK actor Shazad Latif, airs on Friday at 8.30pm.
• The subheading of this article was amended on 21 October 2022 to remove a reference to Acon as a “lobby group”. The text of this article was updated on 22 October 2022 to reflect the fact that Magda Szubanski’s mother is Scottish, not Polish.
