ABC’s Andrew Probyn report on Tony Abbott judgmental, ACMA finds

The broadcaster’s new political editor has been chastised by ACMA for breaching impartiality standards in a controversial report about the former prime minister.

Former PM Tony Abbott is the subject of a complaint about the ABC. Picture: Aaron Francis

The ABC’s new political editor has been chastised by ACMA for breaching impartiality standards in a controversial report about former prime minister Tony Abbott.

The broadcast regulator has hit the ABC with a breach over a scathing piece-to-camera by Andrew Probyn, who replaced esteemed political veteran Chris Uhlmann after his move to Nine last year, and stunned viewers when he described Mr Abbott as “the most destructive politician of his generation”.

Probyn’s story centred on Abbott’s attendance at a Global Warming Policy Foundation event in London in October, and his controversial comment that climate change was “probably doing good; or at least, more good than harm”.

But even more contentious was the phrase uttered by Probyn, who offered no qualification to his brutal assessment of the former PM.

ACMA found that the on-air statement was “declarative and not in keeping with the scope of the factual matters presented earlier in the report”.

The ACMA considered the statement judgmental, not in language considered as analysis and one that the ordinary reasonable viewer would have understood as “pejorative”.

“The impartiality provisions in the ABC’s own code require it to demonstrate balance and fair treatment when presenting news, and avoid conveying a prejudgement,” ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said.

Mr Abbott welcomed the finding, telling The Australian that he found it “encouraging that people can see through the bias and are inclined to complain” to the regulator.

“It’s also encouraging that ACMA can recognise what plainly was a statement of prejudice, rather than an form of objective reporting,” he said.

ACMA’s investigation and breach finding came after the regulator received multiple complaints about Probyn’s report from members of the public, a source close to the matter said.

It is the second time ACMA has issued a breach against the public broadcaster since 2011, with the only other example relating to commentary about an alleged paedophile.

Probyn, a former print journalist who joined the ABC’s 7.30 from the West Australian newspaper in 2016, has won multiple awards including the Melbourne Press Club’s Gold Quill Award.

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield commended ACMA for “doing its job as the independent umpire to ensure the ABC upholds its own editorial standards for balance and fair treatment”.

“The Government has legislation before the Parliament to enshrine in law the requirement for the ABC to be fair and balanced — something everyone assumes is already in the ABC Act,” Mr Fifield said.

The ABC has promised to incorporate the ACMA finding into its editorial compliance training programs, a response which the regulator has accepted.

It is not required to issue an apology to Mr Abbott, as the ACMA does not have the power to compel such action.

An analysis piece by Probyn about Mr Abbott’s climate change speech remains online at the ABC website.

The last time an ACMA breach resulted in an on-air mea culpa from the ABC was when then Media Watch host Jonathan Holmes apologised to The Australian’s NSW political editor Andrew Clennell.

Holmes had accused Clennell, then the Daily Telegraph’s state political editor, of “one-sided” reporting about poker machine reform, but Media Watch failed to provide any chance for the journalist or his editors to respond.

ACMA found that Media Watch had breached the ABC’s Code of Practice, which requires reasonable efforts be made to provide an opportunity for a person to respond to allegations being made about them.

“In this case, we and the ABC accept the umpire’s ruling,’’ Holmes told viewers following the October 2012 ruling; “So Andrew: I’m sorry.’’

The ABC declined to comment when contacted by The Australian.

Probyn has also been approached for comment.

The ABC's political editor Andrew Probyn.