We received a huge response to our callout yesterday on how to fix the ABC. Today and in the coming days we hope to publish all your ideas and suggestions, space permitting.
But first. Just as we were finalising our newsletter yesterday, ABC chair Kim Williams was on his feet at the National Press Club. (A text version is here.) His subject, like ours, was the plight of the ABC. Great minds and all that — but in this case not much thinking alike. Williams’ headline message was that the ABC needs more “investment” from the federal government as an effective bulwark against the wave of mis- and dis-information crashing through the internet. His predecessor, Ita Buttrose, said the same or similar at an Andrew Olle lecture two years ago. The democracy-under-threat argument is hardly news.
More complicated though is Williams’ vow — repeated yesterday — that ABC reporting must adhere to “the highest standards of objectivity and professional ethics”. “We do not serve causes at the ABC, we serve the truth,” he said, calling it a “non-negotiable” position. Who could disagree? It sounds like Journalism 101, yet it goes to the heart of what the ABC is and what it stands for. It is the struggle of our times: how an independent, publicly funded broadcaster maintains objectivity. Williams keeps this discussion at an abstract level. Maybe it’s time to have the debate on the details.
Tackle the tough stuff
Banning reporters from using social media to express their personal views is the easy part. Much more difficult is to tackle identity-based journalism — the idea that as a reporter I should give vent to my beliefs. This has been an explosive and transformative issue in progressive newsrooms around the world.
Readers of The Politics have come up with their own conclusions about the state of the ABC and how to fix it. One common theme is dismay at the axing of The Drum, the 6pm panel program hosted by Julia Baird and Ellen Fanning, among others. Another dominant view is that ABC has been cowed by conservative media — and that it must stand up.
Today’s newsletter includes many of your responses. It makes for fascinating reading and justifies us breaking format to put the views on the record.
IN YOUR WORDS
Pat Mahony: As a life-long ABC lover, I’ve drifted away from both news and drama there — except for the dramas about the ABC. Tragedies all.
Amanda Weate: Stop trying to emulate commercial stations with endless “personality”- focused shows about dogs, objects and other stuff. Bring back proper focused political commentary, current affairs, foreign correspondent-type shows backgrounding, and be brave not spooked by Murdoch.
Revive The Drum — that was the best thing on television. Radio is healthier. Keep David Marr. Make better use of David Speers. Show more movies.
Mark Walker: I have given up on the ABC after they canned The Drum. It was the only thing left worth watching. Even 7.30 has gone down the gurgler. And let’s not talk about Q+A which hasn’t been worth watching since Tony Jones left. Occasionally I’ll watch it if there’s going to be no pollies on, as they only ever spout the party line and never actually discuss or debate actual policy.
It’s why The Drum was so good. They got on former pollies who were mostly moderates, like Chika, and everyone was very polite. But it was occasionally fun to watch red ratbags like Van Badham go for the jugular, and slip a stiletto between their ribs. But the use of actual experts on policy and news … [meant we] got to hear from people who normally only get a 5-sec soundbite on the news, and some of those, particularly from the disability sector, were open to debate, and did so.
I prefer to watch SBS News as at least it covers things that the commercial networks don’t. I refuse to watch Nine, but I read the SMH. For me, the SMH is now what Auntie used to be.
Dr Megan Williams: I am a lifelong listener to, and watcher of, the ABC, and a supporter of the concept of an independent broadcaster. It’s breaking my heart to see what has become of it now. I find that most of the programs I used to enjoy listening to or watching no longer offer deep analysis or background, and do not provide me with any information or food for thought beyond what I already had or could obtain from a commercial outlet.
The worst are the current affairs and news programs, which had once been my favourites. I find now that if I listen in the mornings I hear the same soundbites over and over, on the news, then on AM then perhaps on P. Karvelas’ program then on a later news broadcast, then often also on The World Today, none of them expanding or analysing, except sometimes Karvelas. The interviews seem interested only in setting off or inflaming conflict: as soon as a politician begins to answer a question as to the thinking behind something, the interviewer interrupts with “But so-and-so says the opposite,” so of course before long all the pollies are willing to do is state their general aims and say the other mob were worse when they were in power.
Insiders joke
The absolute worst is Insiders, which used to be a weekly ritual for me when Barrie Cassidy was the host. He knew how to interview and host in a generous way, allowing people to develop their line of argument, asking expansive questions, genuinely interested, and often, giving them enough rope to hang themselves with — he didn’t need to play “gotcha!”. I’m deeply sad at what has become of Insiders.
Also very disappointing are the so-called investigative programs. I used to really enjoy Background Briefing but now it seems like little more than a group of very young reporters talking more about themselves than about the question they are investigating. They give almost no actual information or analysis, rely on “this happened and isn’t it terrible and I don’t know why”, and spend inordinate amounts of time interviewing their producers and having long conversations about whether they ought to telephone a particular subject, where both reporter and producer give reasons why that would be a good idea, then we hear the phone ringing, then we hear the person answering, then we hear the reporter introducing themselves to the person even though we know perfectly well who they are, then maybe one question is asked and then we have the reporter talking about their experience of the phone call and what they feel about it! It goes on and on! Then 40 minutes are up so they are going to have to have another episode, maybe two, on the same topic, when all they have revealed could have been conveyed in 10 minutes total. It makes me want to scream!
I do think that some of what are perhaps called culture programs are still good: The Law Report, The Bookshelf, The Religion and Ethics Report, The Minefield, Late Night Live (though that can be a bit light on). But I do miss Phillip Adams — his voice has been one of the soundtracks of my life.
I do hope this helps and is not just tearing down. I would love the ABC to come back to life and I would come back in a shot. For now I’m tending to listen to audiobooks.
Malcolm Brown: Focus on fact and quality journalism, on hard-hitting comedy and arts, ditch call-back, ditch woke and PC bollocks, stop pandering to both sides of politics. Don’t bite when the conservatives (or anyone) waves a stick at you. Don’t repeat the same boring sound-grabs and political talking points day after day after day.
Quality will grow followers. Centrism is boring viewers away from the program.
Tim Burrows: Having worked at the ABC we called this deckchair management. A new manager thinks they have to assert themselves and chase a new (possibly nonexistent) audience. So established teams are broken up and restructured and experienced people are thrown overboard all to platitudes about building and engaging audiences. All the while ignoring the real underlying problems that are causing them to sink.
Libby Robin: Agree that ABC is suffering a death by a thousand cuts. The Sydney-centrism of Aunty infuriates everyone everywhere else (even rural NSW, possibly even the western suburbs of Sydney). The northern beaches are not Australia.
Sky pirates
Most annoying have been the succession of changes to the news — too much court reporting and celebrity rubbish (in imitation of Sky). The royals stuff is obsequious. After the Queen’s funeral debacle, it might have improved … but it hasn’t much.
Our household has in 2024 turned off the nightly news for good. We used to watch every night. But first the finance speculation started taking over the news (second guessing the RBA and the sharemarket is future gazing, not news — and is often wrong). Finance went from 5 mins to 10+ mins (not interesting to people who are not shareholders). Then the sport became so heavily biased to various sorts of Sydney rugby (not interesting for AFL states, esp when not much or no AFL included). Then a new heavyweight on American basketball, along with motor racing, Moto GP and other uninteresting fossil-fuel guzzling “sports”. Eventually we didn’t even wait for the weather, which was a good feature when it was local, but much less good when it is national. (Some of the weather modelling problems are the fault of changes at BoM.)
Get The Drum beat
The ABC’s worst decision was cutting The Drum. Not an expensive show, it allowed a dive behind the news and for us to hear voices that had not been approved by the ABC’s own “Sky news” team that increasingly controls both content and analysis. This seems to be an ideological decision, not a cost-cutting measure. Endless re-runs of Hard Chat are not a programming decision at all. Please bring back The Drum if you want your viewers back.
Bob Reed: The decline of the ABC, particularly in the TV area, is a victory by the conservative forces after years of grinding away, aided by right-wing governments and their funding cuts. The ALP has not reversed the negative trends when it has had the chance. What can you expect from a PM who goes to Kyle Sandilands’ birthday party.
It’s all very sad. Where is the cutting-edge news and investigative journalism or just plain quality questioning of pollies? [The quality of] Andrew Olle, George Negus, Kerry O’Brien, Maxine McKew, Matt Peacock and many others with excellent production and research teams? The current bunch parade insipid material which could have come from any commercial hack. There is no will to do different and the leadership will perpetuate that.
And oh for the great drama that once graced the screens. Budget cuts and lack of guts. I could go on.
Myrana Wahlqvist: We would love to see a revitalisation of the current dumbed-down Aunty:
- Get rid of prime-time quiz shows;
- Improve national- & state-based TV news. Ours is 3 minutes of mostly already shown news then rehashed human interest stories + sport;
- Rejig Insiders so it’s not just David [Speers] talking to his cynical News Ltd or 9 Entertainment mates;
- Above all, create a new The Drum with Ellen Fanning as host. We really missed The Drum during the US elections, & next year as the Trumpster demolishes the US gummint it would be wonderful to have it back.
Mark Emerson: I have been a loyal supporter of the ABC for most of my 71 years. I enjoyed watching and trusted its news content above all other media outlets. I now have no confidence in the ABC [and its reporting] of news and current affairs. The ABC is no longer factual, independent from government or trustworthy. The Murdoch press is also a great influence on what the ABC puts to air.
Sadly, I now subscribe to independent media and rarely watch or listen to ABC news or current affairs. The ABC has lost far too many experienced, dedicated journalists, editors and other professionals with years of experience. The ABC is a sinking ship without life rafts and its management and board need an urgent upgrade.
Toni McLean: I complement RN on its “specialist” pgms — The Law Report, The Philosopher’s Zone, Rear Vision, Future Tense, The Minefield, Big Ideas, Conversations, Indigenous pgms, All in the Mind, LNL (love David Marr, interesting guests, and I think he would not have been given the job a couple of years ago!), and probably most of the other specialist pgms on RN. Good quality journalism and presentation and all are pleasantly informative and enjoyable. I mostly listen to these on the app. Hamish Macdonald has done great podcasts and has been a very intelligent interviewer on RN Breakfast.
Rot from the top
I think the ABC has a major problem with news and current affairs, on TV, radio and online. Surely in these times that is where we NEED them to excel. (Thank god for The Saturday Paper for some decent analysis and depth.) The rot had certainly set in by the time Michelle Guthrie arrived and with the board at that time.
I ceased watching Leigh Sales [on 7.30] when she appeared to be on the verge of wetting her pants, either with excitement or infatuation, while pathetically interviewing [US Secretary of State] Antony Blinken. I realise he is a smooth charmer but … Later I did start watching Sarah Ferguson, she is one of the better interviewers, but I sensed she was constrained by ABC gutlessness so I haven’t continued to watch.
My BIGGEST gripe with RN is the mutual congratulations between presenters who are mostly, in my opinion, mediocre to incompetent.
If the ABC gets one thing right I think it must be news and current affairs in this appalling media and political envt. We need several highly skilled interviewers of the calibre of Kerry O’Brien, a fearless board and management, top quality analysis by deep and knowledgeable thinkers, and professional presenters who do not engage in dumbing down with mindless prattle.
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