ABC’s Emma Alberici reacts to revelation Justin Milne pressured Michelle Guthrie to sack her

ABC journalist Emma Alberici says revelations Justin Milne pressured Michelle Guthrie to sack her may represent a conflict of interest.

Justin Milne, right, reportedly asked Michelle Guthrie, centre, to sack Emma Alberici, left.

ABC journalist Emma Alberici says revelations Justin Milne told Michelle Guthrie to sack her may represent a conflict of interest because the ABC chairman also chairs a company named in a controversial corporate tax article she wrote.

Mr Milne reportedly told his former managing director to sack Alberici, the broadcaster’s economics correspondent, in the wake of complaints from his friend, the then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull about her reporting.

Just a day after Mr Milne and the ABC board dismissed Ms Guthrie almost half-way through her five-year term, Fairfax Media reports today that Mr Milne directed Ms Guthrie to “get rid’’ of Alberici.

Mr Milne’s directive was reportedly contained in an email sent on May 8 in response to one from Ms Guthrie and was later circulated to board members in the week before the managing director was fired.

“They [the government] hate her,” Mr Milne is quoted as saying in the email of Alberici.

“We are tarred with her brush. I think it’s simple. Get rid of her. We need to save the ABC — not Emma. There is no guarantee they [the Coalition] will lose the next election.”

Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne host Jon Faine from Italy this morning, Alberici said she had no knowledge of the internal direction to sack her and that the revelation may undermine the independence of the national broadcaster.

“I just think it really undermines the independence of the ABC, I think that’s why we work there, it’s certainly why I work there,” she said.

Mr Milne is chairman of MYOB, one of the companies Alberici reported as paying no tax.

Responding to a line of questioning put to her by Faine, Alberici said Mr Milne should not be attempting to influence a process in which he could have a conflict of interest.

“I found MYOB was one of those companies that hadn’t paid corporate tax and they were listed in my article, Justin Milne is the chairman of that company as well as the ABC,” she said.

“All I’ll say Jon is I don’t think someone should be making recommendations on something that they have ... at least an appearance of a conflict of interest.

“Normally what is this case in business certainly is that people recuse themselves from board meetings if there is even an appearance of the conflict on interest.”

The Australian reported yesterday that Mr Turnbull repeatedly expressed frustration to Mr Milne over Ms Guthrie’s leadership of the national broadcaster. Sources close to Ms Guthrie revealed his concerns were regularly passed along to the ABC managing director.

Ms Guthrie absorbed the criticism while at the same time facing public attacks from high-profile ABC presenters such as Jon Faine for not standing up for the organisation against Canberra.

Mr Turnbull and his senior ministers, led by Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, were publicly critical of the ABC’s editorial stance under Ms Guthrie, attacking reporting by Alberici and that of political editor Andrew Probyn.

Mr Turnbull’s office sent an unprecedented 1000-word complaint claiming Alberici’s coverage of corporate tax cuts in a report in February used information “based on outdated figures” and included a phrase that was “a direct lift from ALP talking points”.

The complaint from the Prime Minister’s office said Alberici’s coverage of the issues around the government’s planned corporate tax cuts “confuses income with profit”.

The ABC later found nine errors in Alberici’s news story, and admitted an accompanying analysis article showed a “lack of impartiality”.

After a second story on innovation policy, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield complained directly to Ms Guthrie about Alberici. In a letter he accused Alberici of “errors and omissions of fact” amounting to a breach of the ABC’s editorial policies.

The ABC corrected part of her story but rejected the complaints by Mr Fifield and Mr Turnbull, describing the story as “accurate, newsworthy, in the public interest and presented in context”.

Former ABC chairman Jim Spigelman said he wouldn’t have pressured Ms Guthrie like Mr Milne is reported to have. “I wouldn’t have thought so, well I wouldn’t have done it,” he told Radio National. “Well I surprised, and I wouldn’t have done it.”

The revelation has prompted calls today for Mr Milne to be removed as chairman.

Australia’s media union, the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, said the report of Mr Milne seeking to interfere in editorial and staffing decisions at the ABC was “deeply disturbing.”

“They would indicate Mr Milne has no understanding of editorial independence, proper complaints handling processes, or the appropriate distance a board chair needs to keep from staffing matters,’’ the MEAA said in a statement. “If true, Mr Milne should resign immediately.”

Alberici said a lot of what had occurred, since the political complaints were made about her reporting, was “disturbing”.

“When my article was published, Malcolm Turnbull stood up on the floor of the parliament and basically hurled abuse at me and my journalism,” she said. “So I think there’s a lot that went on that um that was disturbing about this exercise.’’

Journalist Mike Carlton said Mr Milne had “no place in making editorial decisions, nor to hire or fire staff’’.

“An ABC chairman has NO place in making editorial decisions, nor to hire or fire staff. Milne has behaved disgracefully in attempting to axe Alberici to appease Turnbull and Fifield. ABC staff should pass a motion of no-confidence in him. Pronto,’’ he tweeted.

An ABC chairman has NO place in making editorial decisions, nor to hire or fire staff. Milne has behaved disgracefully in attempting to axe Alberici to appease Turnbull and Fifield. ABC staff should pass a motion of no-confidence in him. Pronto.

— Mike Carlton (@MikeCarlton01) September 25, 2018

ABC journalist Barrie Cassidy, the host of Insiders, said today’s revelations went to the heart of the broadcaster’s independence.

“Justin Milne’s exposed rationale behind his stance on a govt complaint goes to the heart of the ABCs independence. And he’s the chairman!”

Justin Milne’s exposed rationale behind his stance on a govt complaint goes to the heart of the ABCs independence. And he’s the chairman!

— Barrie Cassidy (@barriecassidy) September 25, 2018

ABC journalist Quentin Dempster said Mr Milne’s email to Ms Guthrie “indicates Mr Milne does not understand that his primary function is to protect ABC independence. The fact that he is a friend of Malcolm Turnbull makes this Alberici intervention inappropriate’’.

An ABC spokeswoman declined to comment this morning.