Rotten at the core: The big problem the ABC must face up to after latest war crimes fiasco

The ABC’s crusade against Australian veteran Heston Russell shows what happens when ABC journalists approach a story wanting to achieve a certain ideological objective

In August, and at great expense to the taxpayer, ABC News wheeled out a new ‘look’ and advertising campaign based on the premise of being Australia’s most trusted news source.

Yet, revelations on the weekend of its appalling false attacks, and alleged doctoring of audio in order to malign our ex-servicemen and women, prove that the ABC’s multimillion dollar campaign is nothing but blatant false advertising.

There is something rotten at the core of the taxpayer-funded broadcaster, primarily that its news coverage is delivered from a biased and ideological inner-city viewpoint.

The ABC’s crusade against Australian veteran Heston Russell shows what happens when ABC journalists approach a story wanting to achieve a certain ideological objective, not to simply find the truth. It seems journalistic ethics need not apply because, as activists see it, the ends always justify their means.

The ABC has launched an internal investigation into how the broadcaster published an online video that doctored vision of former special forces commando Heston Russell firing six shots at unarmed civilians in Afghanistan in a detailed report on war crimes.

How embarrassing must it be for new ABC Chair Kim Williams to have to scurry to remove content from its website after being exposed by a commercial television channel.

Apparently, the ABC is investigating how it published this doctored audio in a news report depicting an Australian soldier as firing six shots at unarmed civilians in Afghanistan. But it would be wise not to hold your breath for any genuine repercussions in an organisation that is basically a staff run collective and a law unto itself.

The sad reality is that the ABC is no longer an institution of cultural importance in Australia as it once was and fails to represent the diverse views of the community, despite receiving billions in taxpayer funds each year.

Heston Russell outside the Federal Court in Sydney. Photo by: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Last financial year alone, the ABC spent in excess of $21 million on advertising, promotion and audience research. There is little, if any, justification for a fully-fledged taxpayer-funded broadcaster, which competes against commercial media outlets, to increase its advertising and promotion spend in this manner.

But the core of the problem is that ABC management simply does not get it. If there is a purpose for a public broadcaster in this day and age, it would be to provide completely unbiased news content on topics of national relevance. Spending a fortune on a new ‘look’ and advertising will not solve the fundamental problem of biased coverage plaguing it.

This episode also highlights the absurdity of the federal government’s proposed ‘misinformation’ laws, reintroduced into parliament last week. These laws will force social media companies to censor the opinion of mainstream Australians if it is ‘reasonably verifiable as false, misleading or deceptive.’

Yet, such standards will not apply to ABC journalists, and it could very well be that ABC backed ‘fact-checking’ organisations will be the ones responsible for determining what opinion is censored and removed online.

It is no wonder Australians have little faith in the independence and integrity of the taxpayer funded broadcaster. Its declining viewership is testament to that. Its purpose and funding should be seriously reviewed. Its conduct suggests it is anything but Australia’s most trusted news source.

John Storey is the Director of Law and Policy at the Institute of Public Affairs