ABC’s Twitter meltdown

The logo for Australia's public broadcaster ABC is seen at its head office building in Sydney. Picture: AFP

As Twitter meltdowns go, it was instructive. The sharing of a newspaper article by the ABC has exposed a level of tendentiousness and jaundiced expectations that a hundred critiques from people like me could never demonstrate.

In this episode a single and simple act that was very much in keeping with the national broadcaster’s charter obligations for diversity and objectivity happened to unleash a reaction that proved how rare such an approach has become. The ABC audience, including people who have had their hands on the levers of power in this nation, was outraged that Aunty’s social media feed could promulgate anything that didn’t keep undying faith with the usual green Left agenda.

The tweet was from the official Q&A account, which regularly retweets articles by upcoming panellists or other relevant pieces to stimulate discussion, grab the attention of prospective audience members or prompt questions for the show. On this occasion, in preparation for tonight’s edition with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, the Q&A twitter account shared a news piece by this newspaper’s national affairs editor, Simon Benson, which carried balanced reporting of the Coalition’s and Labor’s main budget arguments.

Above the article, the tweet posed this question including the wording from the Coalition in quotation marks: “Can Labor deliver on its pre-election promises despite ‘a record of financial and economic mismanagement’?” When it hit social media streams late on Friday afternoon all hell broke loose.

Can Labor deliver on its pre-election promises despite "a record of financial and economic mismanagement"? via @australian #QandA https://t.co/7z60DxMwwb

— ABC Q&A (@QandA) April 5, 2019

“Has the ABC been hacked,” came one response. “What. The. Actual. Is ABC doing. Peddling propaganda,” was another. “This is not my ABC. What the heck!” and on they went.

It was fully unhinged. “Was Rupert Murdoch now running the ABC?” “Why was the ABC promoting Murdoch’s interests?” “Shame on the ABC.” “Jeez Ita.” “That’s disgusting.” “Can we have our ABC back, Ms Buttrose?” “Liberal shills telling lies is not news.”

This was a thing of beauty. The most vociferous defenders of the ABC were demonstrating to the world their jaundice and their expectations of the public broadcaster. So rarely, it seems, do they see the ABC air any balanced political reporting that they were frothing at the mouth about a mere retweet of The Australian’s coverage.

Most, of course, never would have read the actual article. It has long been clear that most twitter responses to videos and articles come from people who haven’t watched or read them, reacting instead to the summary in the tweet or the headline. This is exacerbated when it comes to paywalled content such as The Australian’s.

The combative hordes of ABC fans were decrying the fact it would share a News Corp article, let alone one that carried some criticism of Labor’s economic record. The program found itself on the defensive and tweeted a general reply the next day: “Hey Twitter. You’re getting all SHOUTY again. We share and quote a very wide range of opinions. We don’t endorse the opinions, we just make them available to encourage public discussion. That’s the#QandA project. Guess it’s working.”

Full marks to Q&A for standing firm and explaining a solid rationale. That is entirely the right attitude, although the reaction perhaps suggests they haven’t been bold enough in the past.

Still, even more alarming than the reaction from anonymous fans were those from some political heavyweights. Former treasurer Wayne Swan, whose legacy was on the line, chimed in with characteristic overreach: “This anti Labor propaganda from Q&A is a disgrace & requires an immediate retraction.”

This anti Labor propaganda from Q&A is a disgrace & requires an immediate retraction. #auspol https://t.co/GH64nlqYvl

— Wayne Swan (@SwannyQLD) April 5, 2019

ACTU boss Sally McManus went full militant too: “Why is the ABC sharing Murdoch propaganda lines?”

Why is the ABC sharing Murdoch propaganda lines? https://t.co/rpZCIUpbvX

— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) April 5, 2019

And Labor’s Workplace Relations spokesman Brendan O’Connor attacked the ABC: “Extraordinary that an ABC platform would lift the entire News Ltd anti Labor narrative and loaded assertions so readily. Where’s the independent reporting and balance we’d expect of our national public broadcaster?”

Extraordinary that an abc platform would lift the entire News Ltd anti Labor narrative and loaded assertions so readily. Where’s the independent reporting and balance we’d expect of our national public broadcaster? https://t.co/f8rSBZeDM0

— Brendan O'Connor (@BOConnorMP) April 5, 2019

None of this gives us a lot of confidence about ABC independence under a prospective Shorten Labor government. If it is this bad now, we might only imagine how much worse it could get.

The polarisation of our media continues apace. The public-funded behemoth is becoming increasingly entrenched ideologically, and its funding will run as a third-order election issue, openly linking Aunty’s future to a Labor victory. Awkward.

After seeing all the ABC paranoia and outrage generated by one uncontentious tweet, we know worse is to come. One anonymous tweep, @_rebase, shared a insightful last word on this episode: “We should spare a thought for the (Q&A) social media operator who now eats alone in the ABC canteen.”

we should spare a thought for the social media operator who now eats alone in the ABC canteen https://t.co/BrHLZRBNMe

— trebase (@_rebase) April 6, 2019

Footnote: In the column on Monday April 1 Chris Kenny incorrectly claimed that ABC Radio National’s The Bookshelf presenters Kate Evans and Cassie McCullagh joked on air about ‘murdering conservatives’. The comments were in fact directed towards art “conservators”. The Australian apologises for the error.