ABC: ‘A major and brutal new strategy is needed’

Insiders has become a bit of a rote exercise. The format needs a facelift. I enjoy “Talking Pictures” and the interviews, but the couch format does need something done to it … There is often a chummy cosiness which at times seems to put newcomers as well as viewers on the outer. Q+A lost its impact sone years ago when Stan Grant and others took the chair . It has never recovered.

Dick Rowe: There is no doubt the ABC is in a quandary — between its semi-mainstream media role modelled on the BBC and the new media world in which it is struggling to retain old devotees and attract the capricious young, it is actually meeting the needs and preferences of neither. 

My brief recommendations:

• Acknowledge and commit to its former serious news and analysis role;
• Abandon the vacuous and facile attempts to appear “cool” for those [who] seek fleeting entertainment and which certain ABC content executives seem to believe will attract new media followers, e.g. Spicks and Specks, Question Everything and particularly the seemingly endless Hard Quiz. They represent all that is ephemeral in broadcast television — they are the 20-over cricket version of TV;      
• Euthanise Insiders and Q+A which have long passed their use-by date. The former seems determined to attempt to appease its right media critics (News Corp), while the latter is more the home of various self-promoters pushing barrows rather than providing opportunities for serious commentators/experts who would make worthwhile contributions to consideration of major issues. The presenters of both only serve to emphasise the degree to which they fail in comparison to their forebears;
• Euthanasia would be too good an end for News Breakfast. What a travesty! Nothing but a pale and empty imitation of the commercial TV breakfast programs, themselves a total waste of broadcast air time. How serious and competent journalists (e.g. Michael Rowland) can look in the mirror while serving up this drudge is a mystery.

What has the ABC done with the previously real talent that seems to have been sidelined or who have given up the fight? Emma Alberici is but one example. Start identifying external industry talent who could make a real difference — Paul Karp at Guardian Australia, Amy Remeikis at [The Australia Institute], Charlie Lewis at Crikey, Rick Morton at The Saturday Paper all come to mind. Make a call to Working Dog Productions. Its Utopia, The Hollowmen and Frontline were social commentary and comedy gems.  Maybe they could bring another stroke of genius. Dig into the archives — there must be an almost endless supply of quality that would be a major attraction to new audiences. 

Above all, ignore the barbs and agendas of News Corp and its fellow travellers. Nothing the ABC does will ever appease them and attempts to do so will only detract from getting on with the job that I and millions of Australians pay our famous 8 cents a day for.

Starving for news

Raylee: I love the ABC and have been a regular consumer for most of my 74 years. I always watch ABC news, 7.30, usually Australian Story, Foreign Correspondent. I must say i am off news at the moment because it is far too depressing. But I have seen all the ABC  movies on iView, all its series and can’t find anything new and interesting to watch. I have had to resort to SBS with all it darned ads. There seems to be nothing new. It was a tragedy losing Stan Grant. Thank goodness for Sarah Ferguson. The ABC needs a lot more funding and better current affairs analysis, more new Australian drama and movies.

Karl Kraus: I’m a child of the ’60s who watched the 3 channels available: ABC, Nine & Seven. The innocence from those days is comforting as, when a small child, the delights of the images on the moving picture box was hypnotic and seemed harmless, akin to how smoking was seen during that period. Time passes, and during the past 20 or so years, the ABC has become an ideologically based network arrogant in its own awesomeness & right to preach what is determined by that ideology as truth. But whose truth and to what end?

It seems to have a flawed culture that has devolved into a mixture of manufactured causes and woke-pushing propagandists … Four Corners used to be a show I’d watch and respect the content, as it always presented what I felt was an honest summation of the variables related to the topics it covered. In recent times it has become so one-sided, depending on the view it wishes to inculcate to its dwindling viewership, that the programs often seemed to be orchestrated hit pieces, not very intelligently produced, to push the message/narrative no matter the sacrificing of that hallowed term, journalistic integrity.

I’m obviously biased in some quarters or, as I like to think, awake, logical, open-minded and with a fully functioning bullshit detector & a modicum of common sense. The transition from legacy media delivery to the growing and dominant “network society” has allowed the insecurities, intellectual rigour void & pathological belief in their infallibility surface spectacularly for all to see — except themselves … The ABC requires a total transplant into rich soil to reinvent & reinvigorate a once proud institution respected & jointly owned by “we the people”.

Kristin Dawson: I’ve been an ABC follower for more than 50 years. I also am very aware of so many devoted followers, including myself, utterly disillusioned as we see the demise of our Aunty, especially in the news department. There is a refusal to listen to stakeholders who are the dedicated viewers, a refusal to attend to and dismiss complaints. Journalism once a strength is now a weakness, echoing commercial stations, where well-received programs such as The Drum are ended whilst keeping low-quality programs such as Insiders, Q+A and Afternoon Briefing. No wonder so many believe there has been a strategic effort to diminish the organisation by the IPA and Coalition so there is nothing left but their goal of selling it off into private hands. A good, solid, independent public broadcaster is vital in this age of deliberate misinformation, and not one that repeats the misinformation.

Mark Arthurson: For what it’s worth, I think it was Chomsky who said public entities are deliberately run down in order to privatise them (the ABC, utilities, transport, education etc). I do think there’s an agenda here.

Alan Donaldson: As a  rusted-on ABC listener and viewer for all my life (I’m nearly 83) I would like to say a few words about where I think it has declined in its presentation over the past few years. 

With politics, I think it has tried to imitate the Murdoch press too much with its political coverage both on radio and on TV. Not so much in right v left, or where the ABC sits in that regard, but with too many attempts at the “gotcha”-type aggressive interviews and interviewers. In particular (with just a few exceptions) presenters like Patricia Karvelas, Sarah Ferguson and David Speers. These people have caused me to not listen or watch to their shows due to their interview styles and personalities.  

Hanging in the balance

Instead, after the morning Radio National news (which I think overall is still fair and reports the facts — not opinion) I listen to ABC Classic FM. I used to listen to Fran Kelly. I rarely if ever watch morning TV but if I do I find it ok. Afternoons I listen to ABC Jazz. Please ABC, keep these programs and stations funded.  

RN is generally ok, Late Night Live, Conversations and The Music Show are among my favourites but I feel there is too much attempt to present First Nation-  (and I voted Yes), gay- and trans-type programs. The number of these shows being presented is out of balance with our nation’s demographics. Sure they need a voice, but a balanced voice, or am I just unlucky to hear them as often as I seem to? 

At night if I can I watch three TV news, starting at 5 or 6 on a commercial channel, later SBS 6.30 until 7, then local ABC. I still rate the ABC news as good compared with other channels, but SBS overseas coverage is best. After the news, I have no complaints with ABC TV shows generally but find lots of what is presented not to my interest. It worries me the obvious lack of funding and pressure from the Murdoch press seems to have caused the ABC to lose some of its direction, I hope Kim Williams can help it keep me interested.  

Gavin Miller: Easy. Rid Australian politics of the duopoly. The duopoly has allowed the corrosion of the ABC at the behest of Murdoch media & the rest of the MSM,  7 & 9.

Peter Eltherington: My ABC isn’t what it used to be. As a Queenslander, I am primarily interested in the news that is relevant to me and my family. The killing off of our local news and subjecting us to stories based in Sydney about Sydney is a backward step. I do not watch commercial news stations because they are based there as well. I am not interested in anything to do with Sydney and its stories. You have lost some great journalists from here over the years for budget cuts.

7:30 made a poor choice replacing Leigh Sales with Sarah Ferguson who is a good journalist but not a lead. It saddens me to say that if I didn’t have my local radio I would ask for my 8 cents back. Being cowered by the right-wing media is not the answer. Be bold and … bring my ABC back.

Roger Thompson: I’ve grown up with ABC radio and television. As bad as it is, the commercial alternative is still quite unappealing. Because governments are becoming less transparent and more beholden to big business, the ABC has been both starved of funding and stacked with reactionary management. I’m not sure how this can be remedied.

RM Clifford, friend of the ABC: I used to love the ABC; changed when those with already big communication platforms were invited in to rubbish the ABC instead of experts. Journalist and MPs arguing with each other. Still listen to Radio National. SBS is my main free TV now. Insiders and Q+A should have gone with The Drum.

Hugh Watson: It has been disappointing to see the ABC international coverage wither. SBS has comprehensive coverage of world events across the globe, including in countries in Africa and South America that the ABC ignores or just doesn’t have coverage for. News Breakfast has become a shadow of the commercials with trivia and pap stories.

Anne Sheldon: The article’s comments about Q+A and Insiders I found groundless and most likely written from a journalist’s perspective as opposed to an engaged member of the public. I do not believe Insiders has had it’s day — it is for many a valuable insight into the most relevant stories of the day and from a varied range of media. 

Send them on their way

Lorna Kaino: I concur with those … who are dismayed with the dross that seems to characterise so many ABC programs. The ABC recycles form and content that has lost its way, employing presenters who should be retired. Examples include the smug, aloof style of David Marr, or the aged presenters affecting punk styles in once-popular shows such as Spicks and Specks etc.

Give the younger presenters a go. It would be better to have fewer programs that are well-researched, rigorous and interesting, such as The Minefield and The Law Report, than the inane chatter that fills so much ABC air space.

John Slade: It is true, the ABC has lost a lot of appeal because of its poverty-stricken budget. Four Corners has revealed — and continues to reveal — many failures, driven by corruption and/or incompetence etc. when watchdogs, government agencies or private internal mechanisms have been asleep at the wheel or turning a blind eye?  

Many radio shows such as The Science Show, Big Ideas, Late Night Live, The History Lesson, Background Briefing etc continue to be wonderful. Q+ A has been off since Tony Jones left. [Karvelas] carries too much of her history as especially highlighted when she failed to halt Barnaby Joyce’s usual flow of climate denial disinformation. PK commented that the show was “feisty”. It was outrageous! Not being a Q+A viewer, I watched it on iView – just to see how awful the show has become. Stan Grant is a fine chap (I have read a book of his) but his tangents into religion lost me.

The ABC should never have lost nerve in the face of the unrelenting awfulness of Sky News commentators. It should comment back. As for inviting its commentators onto the ABC, that is utterly perplexing. The ABC is an absolute cultural necessity for Australia, especially in the era of Trump who owes much to the Murdochs who’s only criteria is profit. 

Ian Radnell: My complaint is regarding ABC Classic which has now become a talk radio station.

Sharon Gardner: I really think the quality and impartiality has diminished: Insiders, Q+A and news. I don’t remember any journalists putting Peter Dutton under scrutiny. 

Rob Ware: There are a number of areas where the ABC could change to restore health. Get rid of the smug, elitist vibe mainly accentuated by external forces beyond their control, but also partly by staff hanging themselves.  A new internal culture must be developed.  

To restore the ABC to unbiased, quality journalism, the ABC should work closely with a reputable school of journalism at university level, and open itself to professional scrutiny from respected academics and journalists whilst offering students practical hands-on experience. It does that now but not enough. Management should employ key journalists based on quality of work more so than if they have a public profile. Management must stop appeasing other media outlets as if in competition with them. This current activity lowers the quality rather than improving it. The ABC must be above this.

Management must  lead with authority not timidity in reflecting, reporting and leading culture trends and change. This does not mean it needs to be appealing to woke or right-wing belief systems but rather lead the way in highlighting non-dualistic thinking, which means rising above traditional divides. At the moment, it almost stereotypes cultural trends.

Flowing from this, it should be more than a news outlet, which means getting off the 24-hour news cycle by dispensing with ABC News TV.  News Radio is a different story [and] is essential as it is reports more than offers opinion.

Support and promote Australian quality comedy and drama  — it is doing ok here, given society seems to have been spooked by anything off centre. It must lead the way in edgy ideas and shows otherwise it is second guessing public opinion, which doesn’t work. News not opinion in general would help. SBS does this really well.      

The ABC must lead in defining the country, otherwise the likes of Murdoch will shape Australia in the image of itself:  bereft of truth, colour, meaning and creativity. It is a critical institution which must be nurtured and respected above the political divide.  

ABC still better than the rest

Philip Carman: I’m a 71-year-old ABC watcher/listener and reader (and writer of my own financial services and economics/politics/philosophy blog/newsletter for a few decades) and have been an ABC consumer for the past 50-60 years. I also view, listen to and read a whole raft of the competition, such that it is, including 7, 9, 10, Fin Review, Murdoch’s Oz and even SBS as well as Guardian Australia, The Saturday Paper, BBC, The New York Times, Crikey and some others.

Here are a few facts that need to be injected into this confection. The ABC isn’t perfect by any means, but it is still better than almost all the rest, which are woeful. It is the only source of local drama of any calibre and is the least worst at repeats (on TV, anyway) with 7 and 9 rolling out decades-old previously ABC programming each and every night. Yes it needs to do a bit better – as it’s our national broadcaster and virtually the organ of record as such, but the competition needs to be stopped from destroying what we have left of the ABC through these confected arguments about the ABC’s “problems”.

Commercial TV and radio programs (free to air – who’d pay for any of the rubbish being streamed and/or broadcast?) around the nation do precious little well (maybe sport gets done fairly well – but then we have to endure gambling ads being rammed down our throats with “gamble responsibly” at the end, along with a welter of other advertising that makes watching/listening a nightmare experience. Aunty can be a tad slow and sometimes a bit old fashioned, but it is also innovative and a leader in Aussie content as well as intellectual content.

What I’m saying is that this is a confected story about something that everyone in competition with it hates because it gets public funding. I think it deserves more funding so as to drag the rest’s standards higher. Taxes are meant to be spent to improve the joint and sometimes that irks those who are mediocre, like Murdoch, 9, 10 and (especially) 7, which are all run/owned by billionaires who hate paying taxes and resent taxes being used to show them up (Four Corners, Media Watch anyone?).

How about writing about something more useful and exposing the rubbish programming we get from the commercials – who many think are better because they’re “private sector” but which are really embarrassingly pedestrian?

Gillian Pechey: i am not a big supporter of ABC TV.  I’ve suggested it be cancelled and the money spent on radio and quality journalism. I”m retired and listen most of the day to Radio National. Some of it is outstanding. I watch Four Corners, Media Watch, Australian Story, Gardening Australia. I really appreciated The Drum, almost always interesting and engaging. Julia Baird, Dan Bourchier, John Barron. Why on earth has it gone? Losing The Drum is a sign to me that people managing ABC TV do not think like me. 

I”m learning to use podcasts. Lots of ABC podcasts are good listening. I still watch Insiders but have given up Q+A. PKarvelas loves conflict rather than analysis. In her style she belongs with the commercial stations. These entertain and shout about their wares. Presumably have no interest in thoughful, honest politics. No interest in informed democracy.  

Darrell Priest: I read many people saying the ABC is old and staid. My thoughts are that it is new age and aneamic, lacking any guts and particularly giving voice supposedly equally. Why endlessly  promote people who are espousing absolute rubbish, untrue, lies? Nothing anywhere is equal and the guts of the story needs to be got at and presented for what it is. Not phiffing around trying to be inclusive at the expense of what’s real. Tell it as it is! This requires research, which requires good journalists on the ground backed up by the organisation and adequate funding. More dollars for the best people to provide the best news and current affairs.

Sue and Rowland Hill: Until The Drum was axed last year it was the best current affairs program on the ABC. Capably hosted by Ellen Fanning or Julia Baird it attracted a host of extremely eloquent speakers and contributors from all walks of life. Everyone we know looked forward to watching it. Then it was gone, to be replaced by inane repeats of Hard Quiz night after night. It has totally put us off ever watching Hard Quiz again.

Liz Thornton: I have a “Support the ABC” sticker still on my car but I am no longer a friend .I have read the twitterati who have bewailed the disappearance of great journalists and I am now of similar thinking that Murdoch would prefer not to compete with tax subsidised ABC. The Voice is one of many beefs that I can agree with. These days we rarely see those people who represent the unheard voices of [domestic violence] or racism or social work. Why? 

Shining Tingle

Laura Tingle shines out as a good reporter and yet she does not run [7.30] and rarely gets to sit on insiders as now elections approach topics are centred on knocking those people who really want a better society not run by Murdoch. We see what the US has become thanks to Fox and co.

I feel disgusted at the tone at ABC and now watch the SBS France 24 and Al Jazeera if I want the truth. Israel? Goodness me.

Hans Schwab Triado: ABC’s online news lacks depth and editorial nous. Articles are repeats of headlines. Missing the quality and thoroughness of journalism ABC represented in TV current affairs. Documentaries and general TV entertainment also well below par. Commercial TV is not an alternative. Where to go? Please revive.

Anne Caine: I still love the ABC, both Radio National, Channel 2 & 24. Also Planet America. But I miss Lateline. I am glad Patricia Karvelas is leaving RN Breakfast as I find her hard to listen to. She seems to get tongue-tied quite a lot. I am looking forward to Sally Sara hosting the show. I used to watch Q+A with Tony Jones. I haven’t really watched it recently.  

I do read the ABC online reports each day but find that they are a bit lame, and I generally turn to Guardian Australia or The New York Times to get serious news. I also read the SMH and find its reports very good. 

John Denis: Having read the comments in your article I am inclined to agree.  ABC TV is my choice of viewing but there seem to be too many repeats, eg Hard Quiz (afternoons), Antique Roadshow (afternoons), Vera, etc.  As for online news, well there are only a limited number of current or immediate items, mainly in “just in”. Very disappointing.

Colin MacKenzie: Who does it think is its audience? Trying to be everything to everybody can’t work. I seriously miss the “cultural” programs — ballet,dance, theatre, orchestras. We used to watch Sunday Afternoon with Peter Ross and found that very enjoyable having been used to theatres and concerts when growing up in Glasgow. Now that I’m living in Tasmania I feel deprived of such fare.

Andrew R: News? Murdoch with syllables.

Len Holbrok: I thoroughly agree with your observations of the ABC. I am in Tennant Creek, NT, and the ABC used to be a solid source of information. I used to get out of bed early on a Sunday to watch Insiders. Not any more. Also the ABC website has gone downhill: bland non stories akin to sensationalism. Not interesting. And its layout of logos for channels for each state is changing all the time. Now the NT is to the left, then it is to the far right. Consistency, please! 

The ABC used to be excellent all the time, now it has occasional flashes of brilliance. Where is Virginia Trioli, Cassidy etc?

Diane Cummins: Yes, I’m a rusted-on RN listener and only watch ABC or SBS. There are many like me I suspect, who don’t watch loads of TV but use the two I mentioned.and have an expectation of interesting programs. Last year, even though I was not a dedicated watcher of The Drum, I did tune in before watching the news, so even though I think Tom Gleeson is smart and witty, you can have too much of anything. Now I watch SBS News before switching to 7.30. It struck me as a really dumb move to think that old episodes of Hard Quiz was a good lead-in to the news Monday to Friday.

I hate criticising the ABC because fundamentally it’s a great asset to Australia. But it seems to me the programming is questionable, even though standout programs remain: Media Watch, Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent, Australian Story, Back Roads. I’m hopeful the 2025 “refresh” brings some worthwhile additions.

John Goonan:  I suspect the comments you are asking for and will, I am sure, get will be a lot like a wake — people remembering the good times (shows and personalities) and ruing their disappearance.

David Speers has ruined Insiders with his pathetic nagging of those he interviews (like a dog with a bone) in an effort to trip them up and get a scoop. Q+A is on again, off again, on again, off again. What happened to The Drum? The most boring drawn-out interviews on the world news each night. The list of top credible respected journalists that are no longer seen or heard at the ABC is and amazing tribute to what was: Andrew Probyn, Stan Grant, Nour Haydar, and the list goes on.

Carolyn Wood: I have been in a deep state of mourning for a few years now for the ABC.  It is like I have been betrayed and dumped by my true love. The standard of what it passes off as news is no better than a kid from 4C who is failing English and just copies word for word from his dumb friend. The news is just repeating what has been given from Murdoch or the LNP.   95% of radio news starts with ” Peter Dutton said this” or “The opposition said this”. It provides soundbites for the LNP but misquotes the government. Supposed news/current affairs programs are just staging boards for Murdoch staff to come and spew their bias.

There seems to be little or no actual journalism executed and I could not tell you the number of times I have heard an ABC journalist say in response to a question that is not on the press release: ” I don’t know.” How do they not know? They know the story they are supposed to be talking about, so why can’t they do a bit a research before they open their mouths? It is not like they are on the cutting edge of any story so its not all fresh and new; they only regurgitate the same thing all day. They don’t even question the press release, just repeat what it says word for word.

Train the youngsters

The quality and intellect of the ABC has diminished as well. Where are the bright young things making a name for themselves through investigation, research and quality output? They seem only interesting in getting their face and name out there and not upsetting Murdoch so they can move to News Corp or Sky. I am all for inclusive employees, but can we please send them to elocution lessons so we are not listening to people who can’t pronounce words and do not speak grammatically. 

ABC entertainment is of a very low standard; the only shining lights are the rare Australian gems such as Fisk, Rosehaven, and some of the dramas. Radio: love James Valentine and Phil Clark, excellent, informative and entertaining. Also ABC Illawarra has terrific presenters who are knowledgeable, skilled, entertaining and in touch with the area. Far better than ABC Sydney.

TV: Laura Tingle is the outstanding journalist among a mediocre team that is blatantly biased towards the LNP. Tingle is not only outstanding because of the poor quality of the rest; she has always been a standout, head and shoulders above all others. 

Steve Duffy: You are correct: the ABC has been hobbled by poor/ misdirected management and influx of shallow Murdoch types like Speers and Karvelas. The gotcha moment has been entrenched as the main task for these posers. The balance is broken, and blind justice is looking the other way (sic).

Maryanne McKay:  l was an ABC loyalist. I learnt sooo much over the decades and have very fond memories of numerous journalists and programs. I rarely watch or listen any longer. l have found great podcasts but do so miss our old ABC.

Todd Slater: I’m a lifelong ABC person across all mediums. What is currently happening at Ultimo is the result of decades of being a political punching bag for the likes of Murdoch & successive conservative governments. It started when John Howard came to power in March 1996 & slashed the budgets & started stacking the board relentlessly. These people had next to no public broadcasting experience & were in the main “culture war warriors” for the Liberal/National Coalition. Howard’s quote at the time was telling: “The enemy talking to our friends.”

Donald McDonald & Maurice Newman & Janet Albrechtson amongst others were all given successive terms on the board & as chair. Recall the terms of Jonathan Shier, Michelle Guthrie & Ita Buttrose. Where we are now at is at the end of that process — the hollowing out from within. The constant bashing from Murdoch — recall when News Corp published all the top journalists’ salaries across its front page as if to say how dare they waste your money.

Kowtowing & appeasement became common. Why does it constantly have Murdoch journalists on various programs as “balance”? When was the last time you saw an ABC journalist on Sky News? Yet it indulges this rubbish. Patricia Karvelas & David Speers are terrible & their constant hectoring & pursuit of gotcha-style interviews reeks more of A Current Affair. it’s a massive turn-off.

I stopped listening to RN breakfast in January. I listen to News Radio only for hard news. Likewise staff promotions. Why does Annabel Crabb still have a job? Journalists like Ellen Fanning & Emma Alberici should be on prime time. Sports coverage? It’s a whimper of what it once was . Apart from radio coverage it’s non-existent. It was once a mighty flagship of the ABC & covered many sports right across the spectrum. Again — dumbed down.

TV continues to make quality but on the smell of oil rag & minimal arts coverage & barely any variety shows. Live music programs?

It’s time Kim Williams galvanised Ultimo for a start but also other capital cities & the regions where local news is the lifeblood of communities. What happened to the famed cadetships where young people could apply & be correctly trained — voice training, presenting, the art of interviewing — all taught in-house etc. It goes without question the ABC is one of the great public broadcasters in the world. It’s time to make it great again.

Wayne Closter: Solution? Start by airing the “facts”. Facts that have been checked. Not the current “bothsidesism” that is happening without fact checking. Broadcasting lies, without comment, gives them legitimacy. As we found from the Voicereferendum, this has an impact. Sure, air all sides, but maybe have an on-screen prompt, like the ABC used to online when it fact checked: the tick, the cross, the asterisk.

The ABC and RMIT had some sort of fact-checking partnership, but this was discontinued in June after 11 years. Why was this discontinued in a world situation where we need facts to be checked!? They gave us a handy guide to do our own fact-checking. 

A decade-old habit of watching the ABC 7pm bulletin has stopped in our house. The ABC reporting of the US presidential election was the last straw.

Final point: cost savings. Maybe not send your presenters on a junket to cover the US presidential election. It added nothing.

Christine: As an avid Radio National listener, I too am frustrated with the constant repetition of what are undoubtedly good programs but heard on repeat it seems like almost three times a day (I’m looking at you The Music Show). Must be evidence of a profound lack of money.

Laurie Forde: The ABC can be saved only by professional journalists. Through the MEAA they should stick together and expose examples of misinformation, fake news, blatant bias, unproven assertions etc in the MSM, including the ABC. The ABC should have a daily report on which news items, comments etc have been challenged by MEAA journalists. 

The ABC is under continuous attack by the commercial media and Coalition politicians in particular. It is a huge problem which politicians are too timid to tackle. It is up to professional ethical journalists to save our public broadcaster.

John Barker PhD: I agree that there is a crisis In the ABC – I’m dismayed after almost revering the ABC for providing a window on to a rational world when I was surrounded by rural idiocy in the 1950s. Here are three suggestions.

First, don’t try to be popular with everyone. There is no “everyone”. There is a “bell curve” of human responses to everything. The ABC should be aiming at the early adopter/lead user group on the left side of the bell – the first 20% – not the 60% in the middle. They are not necessarily the woke/elite/left/intellectuals – they are the most concerned about the particular issue and will “diffuse” the ideas along the bell curve.

Second, get away from celebrity personality presenters. There are plenty of subject experts who, with a little training, would be excellent interviewers. The biggest problem today is the that our “leaders” (political, business, technical, artistic, sporting) are experts at avoiding answering critical questions and staff presenters can easily get snowed because they aren’t and cannot be as expert as the interviewee. These staff presenters should be the link people between the expert interviewers. For example: “The federal treasurer announced today a budget deficit of $30 billion. Here to interview Dr Chalmers is Dr Mary Smith from the department of dconomics at UNSW..” Being interviewed by experts would have a salutary effect on the BS and would attract the attention and respect of the audience.

Third, drop panel programs like Q+A. The medium is being gamed by the panel members, knowing that they can do their set piece without any real cross-communication between panel members.

Standards are slipping

Andrew Kruger: What does the ABC stand for and how can it recover? When young men and women started in journalism in the1960s, as many of the present cohort of ABC devotees and retirees did, there was only one standard. It embraced truth, fairness, fearlessness and unbiased reporting. Management insisted on it and employees lived by their code of ethics. It was a code steeped in the tradition of fair, honest public journalism.

Over time that changed, when a culture of ABC staff moving out of the organisation and into propaganda areas took those formerly from the ABC into areas of bias, spin and disinformation. Adherence to truth and fairness became more stretched when journalists began moving between public and commercial journalism. I’m not referring to investigative journalism. That has it’s place in all organisations. It’s the practice of accepting editorial interference in reporting the truth, without giving it adequate weight and context. That no longer exists because in its folly of believing ratings outrank reputation, the ABC rushed headlong into the commercial trap of trying to become like, or even more sensational, than its competitors. That’s neither the role not the purpose of ABC news and current affairs, or of public broadcasting in general.

Unfortunately, as so often happens with our public broadcaster, it slavishly follows the BBC even down to using the same titles for programs, but without the dedication to the meaning of public broadcasting. Perhaps that’s the fault of politicians who press the ABC relentlessly over ratings and audience share. The BBC lost its way with propagandising weapons of mass destruction and the war against Iraq. Australia slavishly followed.

If you lose credibility in misreporting such significant events, or by not reporting say, a continuing genocide in Palestine, how can you expect people to respect your fearless dedication to telling the truth in a domestic crisis? If we lose respect for the ABC as a fearless truth teller, then we may as well sell it to the commercial networks and accept that free media is a thing of the past.

The debate can never be conclusive when we can no longer debate any issue without political opponents turning it into a socially divisive instrument which undermines our belief in truth and fairness. That’s Murdoch’s objective — and it’s working. The challenge is to rise above that and re-establish the ABC as a non-partisan broadcaster. We need a commission which is not subject to political pressure and which can’t be stacked with political appointees.

The other serious factor at play is the role of government in using the ABC for propaganda purposes and of intimidating it when it doesn’t do as it’s told. Hence raids by ASIO, and other government departments to breach the walls of trust between journalists and their sources. This even happened under Whitlam, so this is a bipartisan problem.

The prosecution of whistleblowers is another intrusive influence. During the Whitlam years many of us believed that freedom of information could truly be delivered. In the years since, that freedom has been wound back, as so-called national security legislation has been introduced to silence and intimidate and even jail journalists for reporting the truth. Their sources are not protected by whistleblower legislation which acts only as a smokescreen for real government intentions to stifle dissent. Australia has no bill of rights, no enshrined freedom of speech in its constitution and dare we think, may never have, given the divisive nature of the political duopoly which runs our country. The only issue they can agree on is how to prevent anyone from an independent background entering the political arena to challenge their total control of the debate on any issue.

Labor or Liberal fascism is never going to be the bedfellow of an independent media. Unless we restore the independence and validity of the ABC as the source of unbiased news, we will never have the ability to inform the public about these issues. That’s where we are heading and the ABC is not helping its purpose in unquestioningly mouthing the objectives of either government or opposition. Reform is simply a matter of returning to basics. But there must first be public and political will to bring this about. That requires a political revolution in which the public accepts its role in demanding the truth. It’s not too late. There’s still time if we block proposed legislative changes intended to make our democracy less representative and less responsive.

Beryl Mulder: The endless repetitions of Would I Lie To You, Antiques Roadshow, Grand Designs, Spicks and Specks, The Last Leg and Hard Quiz, and the lack of innovative programs in the past few years have led to me losing interest in watching the ABC. It needs a huge infusion of ideas and talents and much better management overall. We live in hope.

Deb Ford: “Too many lame stories, limited analysis etc. I do listen to News Radio and Radio National so haven’t abandoned completely.” Totally agree. Insiders embarrassing. Bring back Barrie. Offsiders — yay. But I’m a woman, 70+, what would I know.

Elizabeth Armstrong: Poor Aunty. I must admit to not watching as much as I used to though. Spare me another Q+A with all the motherhood statements of the bleeding obvious. Insiders I can still watch, depending on which journalists are on. I often mute the politicians.

I shouldn’t use the word “woke” but honestly programs about gender identity etc are a turn-off. I know the ABC has to represent us all, but sometimes it feels like it’s really in ya face. People are not special just because they are different from the mainstream. It’s trying to get a younger audience but they are not the main game for the ABC. My sons would never have tuned in once but they are getting older and much more likely to watch good programs on ABC. So stop trying to appeal to audiences under 40 at least. Eventually people will come to you. 

Having said that, I would march in the streets to keep the ABC going. It’s so important to have trusted news and analysis in this time of mis/dis information.

Gloria Wallace: I was once an avid supporter of the ABC and still get hopeful ABC Friends’ emails from people trying to stay the distance. But unless something major happens to bring real, factual and important current reporting back, the ABC has lost me. Good investigative journalism seems to have fallen by the wayside.

News Breakfast is a banal joke. Gone are the days when the incisive perceptions of Trioli et al made it worth catching over breakfast before work.  I’ve written to the ABC to complain, but it gets worse rather than better. The loss of The Drum was probably the last straw for me. It was the last program that I watched regularly; genuine and knowledgeable guests with experience and views, from whom I learnt. Now I’m more likely to tune to SBS to find out what is happening in the world and to watch in-depth programs on YouTube for example mounted by Al Jazeera. I’m over Insiders. The questions that should be asked are lost to the posturing and gotcha moments which are usually aimed at pursuing some current, local, political agenda.

I have no suggestions; I’ve given them all before.  I think it is a done deal.

Doug Matthews: The ABC has become a shadow of the great radio, TV and news network it was just a decade ago. The funding cuts made by successive conservative governments have left it a hollow version of what it once was. The quality and competence of its reporters and presenters leaves a lot to be desired. I particularly refer to Insiders, which went downhill quickly when Barrie Cassidy left, to be replaced by an ex-Murdoch hack, and Q+A that is vastly inferior to what it was. Thankfully we have very good journalists presenting 7.30. 

While it is still making some comedy and drama programs, the numbers of them are less. It’s no wonder [so many] are looking at Netflix and others. There used to be many more BBC programs too, but the ABC has now been outbid for them. 

The new boss seems to be pushing for better funding and hopefully this will happen. I continue to watch some ABC and listen to this once great institution, but it definitely not the same.

Freedom lost

Margaret Howkins, Civil Liberties Australia (WA): First, I believe that deliberate underfunding of the ABC is the main cause of its decline in courageous, critical analysis of news & current affairs. Second, like second-rate politicians the world over, the ABC is unable to thrive knowing that fundamental economic change needs to happen before anything else (the cost of living, wars or climate crisis) can be critically assessed  with integrity. The ABC is not allowed to raise the elephant in the room: that Australia’s economic trajectory is unsustainable without a fundamental, radical, courageous change in priorities of profit and greed over humanity and egalitarianism. Morally and ethically, the ABC since the 1980s has existentially lost its freedom (from its political paymasters) to tell the truth.

John Lobo: The ABC used to be a fearless promotor of facts, whether or not the politicians liked it. It is now a follower of current trends. Imagine getting rid of a journalist who did nothing more than be truthful about the Middle East conflict. So now we get the Murdoch or the US’s view of it. Likewise, racism in the ABC? unbelievable.

Where have all the investigative journalists gone? David Anderson needs to look in the mirror and move on. He does not seem to support his best people. Looks like he does not have the heart or courage to stand up and be counted. We need change at the top. The new chair should get his hands dirty.

Ian of Adelaide: I love the ABC. But I have fallen out of love. Crap TV shows. Too many repeats. And the quality of news reports is now so poor that I have stopped watching its TV news and rarely listen to RN or local radio.

Lilian Dowell: I have always listened to and watched the ABC but I am becoming increasingly disenchanted. I am more inclined to watch SBS and read independent news but I am still hoping the ABC can turn around. The recent sacking decisions, hirings and the stopping of certain shows is not good. 

I do not want to discern a presenter’s or reporter’s political leanings. Sadly it is often apparent as evidenced by the way the interviewers favour certain interviewees. There seems to be too much emphasis on the gotcha questions to get a headline or a news clip. There is also often an adversarial type of interview and there is no need for this attitude. Richard Glover and Laura Tingle, for instance, ask the same questions in a polite, probing yet respectful manner and often get better responses. 

The quality of journalism has deteriorated greatly. Bias, aggression, poor language/grammar and poor fact-checking contribute to this. On current affairs shows there are too many guests with a background in Murdoch media. There are many independent journalists or experts who could be invited to participate. 

The ABC appears to be kowtowing to government to shore up support and hope for better funding. I understand that mindset but we need a strong independent national broadcaster. 

Robyn Jewell: I watch very little on the ABC now because of the progressive diminution of quality. However, being old — approaching 80 — and having time available, I like to watch news at 5. ABC24 is the only free-to-air option but the quality of presentation is extremely poor. I have written more than once giving feedback about Joe O’Brien’s appalling presentation style & lack of interviewing skills. Predictably I have had neither acknowledgement nor response. 

The pity of it is that there is a number of alternative candidates for that timeslot, mostly, but not exclusively, female, who are much more professional & certainly much more enjoyable to watch & listen to when they appear. When O’Brien isn’t available or at weekends, it’s a great relief to experience a presenter who doesn’t slouch all over the desk, lose track of what he or she is saying, ask ridiculous questions, stretch interviews out to absurd lengths because they don’t listen to what is being said & then rush through whatever needs to be covered before a break. As an intelligent viewer I feel insulted that I’m not considered important enough to be provided with a better product. 

Rod Wise: Good writing by David Hardaker. As he says, the ABC seems to have lost confidence in itself. This could be linked to the changed nature of Australian society. Back in the last century when the ABC was highly regarded, it seemed much more assured. It knew who its audience was and catered for it with presenters and programs which reflected that audience.

My father was a very conservative, Coaltion-voting farmer, and he loved the ABC. He felt it was for people like him: staid, calm, wealthy and white with none of the crass nonsense found on commercial media. But Australia has changed so much and the ABC tried to reflect that multicultural, diverse, tolerant and progressive contemporary Australia. My long dead ead would be horrified. It has failed because trying to be all things to all people is impossible.

Robert Fletcher:  We do need to remember that the ABC is more than ABC TV and you’ve rightly pointed to its strengths in radio. We should also bear in mind that ABC Classic provides a substantial cultural service not available elsewhere. I’m of an age where I have some difficulty with some of its programming but I understand it needs to attract younger people and am absolutely in favour of introducing more people to the richness that the field brings.

As for ABC TV, I’d suggest that one problem it faces is that the board and management exhibit timidity in the face of political criticism. You have mentioned Stan Grant and Antoinette Lattouf and the board and management need to understand that those journalists were giving voice to opinions that have quite some currency in the community and it is wrong that they be silenced. If it becomes apparent that the leadership of the organisation will not support journalists, why would quality journalists come to work for it. And let’s not forget the disgraceful treatment meted out to Emma Alberici, one of the best we’ve seen. I guess I’m saying that perhaps the main problem is with the leadership of the organisation and that it needs to be more forthright in defending its independence and standing up to the political bullying.

Peter Valentine: I am 80 and my life spans a great deal of the ABC success as a reliable, essential, authoritative reporter of the world around us. As a child I grew up in WA with the ABC central to our information flow (we would pause each night to listen to the ABC news). The ABC remained our prime source for decades.

My wife and I went from farmers in WA to uni students and then to an academic career mainly based in Queensland, and still enjoyed the ABC. But for the past 20 years I’ve noticed a relentless decline in the quality of material, and in the past decade it became quite frivolous in the face of emerging quality offerings online. I was never interested in commercial radio or TV (complete rubbish) so they were never seen as an option, and as the print media declined to fish-and-chip wrappings it was clear online material was vastly superior to the thin quality of recent ABC programs.

That is where we are. If only some semblance of good government action could reconstitute the ABC I might be delighted. In every field pretty much, non-government groups and not-for-profits do a vastly better job than the poorly enabled public sector. Why that is might be a worthwhile project. The “M” word might be involved.

Drum beats

Joan Harcourt:  I watch less of the ABC now. It was the only TV and radio I listened too. I loved The Drum and am still angry that the ABC  stopped it

Gillian Pincus: The ABC should stop trying to get a young audience to listen or watch as young people never will. Listening to the ABC comes with maturity. I am 83 and started listening to the ABC in my early 20s when I was at home with a baby. I started listening to Blue Hills and AM and PM.  Ive got nine grandchildren and not one would listen to RN or watch anything on ABC television as far as I can tell.

Britt Steiner: I have been a staunch supporter of the ABC, particularly programs such as The Drum, which always provided a diverse range of opinions on many topical subjects. The only thing I watch now is the half-hour news at 7 pm and 7.30.  Also an old oft-repeated Vera. Used to be I watched from Afternoon Briefing through to late most nights but no more as there is so much trivia and rubbish.

Graham Macdonald: Jenna Price said it all in the Nine papers this week. The ABC is abandoning a loyal and discerning audience to chase a theoretical group that has no interest in it, or even a degree of hostility.  I don’t agree that Insiders is past its usefulness, and the sudden elision of The Drum was stupidity of the worst order. Did no one at the ABC analyse what were the fundamental elements of The Drum and what its audience thought of it? Businesses retain strong focus on their core business. The ABC shows no sign of being aware of the concept or using it to guide management decisions. 

John Ramsay: Simple: watch or listen to SBS. It has shown itself to be superior to the ABC in all respects for some years now. I am 68 and have been a loyal ABC listener and viewer since childhood. It seems to me there has been too much political interference and  a slavish obsession with so called political correctness. What people want is the news, free of predigested commentary.

Up the ABC! Up the workers!

Ann Heenan:  Re-runs of various entertainment programs indicate disrespect for the intelligence of the public. Insiders has lost the discussion of ideas by experts and become a display of one person’s ego. Dumbing down the ABC is so disappointing. I’ve given up on TV.

Suzanne Cooper: The news offers the same stories as mainstream, and often the same clips, there is less world coverage, a concentration on opposition views, no in-depth coverage or examination of topics. As for Q+A and Insiders, it’s enough to make you weep. Watch neither now, even if Niki Savva or other favourites are on. I cannot tolerate hosts and often other commentators.

Bring back The Drum! Biased presenters on morning news is another issue. 

Bob Pearce: The ABC is a victim of the times. I strongly believe that for the public good the best way to regulate private entities is a public presence. That is why the ABC is under sustained pressure from those who want unfettered control of of media and the world. It is about power .

We constantly hear that democracy needs a strong media to survive, while those same people undermine and attack a strong media at every opportunity. The private news outlets are now political influencers. They don’t report the news — they write the news. They can’t afford the ABC to be telling the story as opposed to their story. Their power is such that all political parties in worldwide democracies need the reporting of the press to get elected and together they have worked hard on the political parties to defund and undermine public broadcasting.

The ABC is a last lone voice in the wilderness … Time to stop bashing the ABC on behalf or Rupert and his rogues before it to goes the way of the water in the Murray Darling Basin. Time to get off the knock-the-ABC wagon and jump on the fund-the-ABC. Stop funding the BBC (let Vera retire), get rid of cheap hard quizzes and canned laughter and go back to genuine comedy, serious reporting, hard-hitting and well-resourced journalism and quality local adult and children’s content that reflects the values and aspirations of all Australian be they regional or in the cities.

Go back to providing a service before we get to the stage where we are paying for a streaming service to report that local “wild fire” (bushfire), flood is brought to you between ads for some McDonald’s in Alaska.