Malcolm Turnbull blasts the ABC over ‘lack of accuracy’ on privatisation calls
THE ABC has been quick to bite back after Malcolm Turnbull criticised the quality and accuracy of its journalism, following a week of debate over whether the broadcaster should be privatised.
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THE ABC says Malcolm Turnbull is “entitled to his opinions” after the Prime Minister today criticised its “lack of accuracy” and the “quality” of its journalism.
It comes after a week of debate over whether the national broadcaster should be privatised.
Prime Minister Turnbull criticised the broadcaster on Melbourne radio 3AW this morning when asked if the ABC had become too left leaning.
“I’ll tell you what criticism I would make of the ABC. Yes, I think some presenters, some programs are biased more to the left. But what I’ve found disappointing in recent times is the quality of the journalism — it is the lack of accuracy,” Mr Turnbull told host Neil Mitchell.
“The ABC has got an obligation under its Act for news and current affairs to be accurate and impartial.
“Now obviously impartiality is in the eye of the beholder and people can have different views but accuracy is different.”
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“And I am concerned that there have been too many cases of just simply inaccurate reporting.”
Mr Turnbull added: “I think that as the national broadcaster, the ABC has an obligation to be fair and impartial. But they really have to ensure that when they’re putting out the news it is accurate and factual, and when they make a mistake it is promptly and prominently corrected.”
An ABC spokeswoman responded to Mr Turnbull’s remarks this afternoon, saying “the Prime Minister is entitled to his opinions” about the ABC.
“The ABC has the highest editorial standards of any media organisation in Australia and holds itself to them more strictly than any other,” the spokeswoman said.
“We also have the only independent complaints handling body, which investigates complaints relating to our editorial policies.”
She told News Corp the ABC had received seven complaints from the Prime Minister’s office and Communications Minister Mitch Fifield concerning nine pieces of content since January.
“We take all accuracy complaints seriously and investigate them thoroughly as appropriate,” the spokeswoman said.
“Where we find a problem we acknowledge it and correct it transparently and promptly.”
“Like any other Australian, the Prime Minister is entitled to his opinions about the ABC and is able to raise concerns directly with the Corporation.”
The spokewosman said “errors or misjudgements” were acknowledged in four pieces of content the PM’s office and the Minister had complained about and two complaints were still under investigation.
“To put that into context, so far this year the ABC has published more than 15,000 online stories and broadcast more than 250,000 hours of content.”
Minister Fifield confirmed to a Senate budget estimates hearing in May that he had made five complaints to the ABC since January, including two complaints about the reporting of journalist Emma Alberici.
The Prime Minister’s comments today come after Liberal Party members voted almost two-to-one on Saturday in favour of a Young Liberal motion for the “full privatisation of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, except for services into regional areas”.
Mr Turnbull today doubled down on his stance that the ABC would “never be sold” while he was Prime Minister and predicted it would “never be privatised under any government ever”.
“I can certainly speak for myself, it will never be privatised under any government I lead,” he told 3AW.
“In the business of political predictions, which is perilous, I think we would both agree the ABC will always be in public ownership.”
Earlier this week, ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie rejected calls to privatise the national broadcaster and the Coalition’s claims of political bias.
In a speech to the Melbourne Press Club, she said calls to sell the ABC ignored its value to the public.
“The public regards the ABC as a priceless asset, more valuable now than ever in its history,” Ms Guthrie said.
“I can appreciate that the ABC would fetch a high price in a commercial market but does the public want a new media organisation that compromises quality and innovation for profit?
“Does the commercial sector want a new advertising behemoth in its midst? I think not.”
Ms Guthrie said the public regarded the ABC as one of Australia’s “great national institutions” and “deeply resent it being used as a punching bag by narrow political, commercial or ideological interests”.
Originally published as Malcolm Turnbull blasts the ABC over ‘lack of accuracy’ on privatisation calls