‘Completely out of order’: ABC requests interviewee not to make ‘anti-China’ comments
The ABC has been accused of requesting an interview subject ‘not to make any anti-China comments’ days after ambassador Xiao Qian visited the broadcaster’s Sydney HQ.
An academic about to be interviewed by the ABC says he was asked “not to make any anti-China comments” just days after ambassador Xiao Qian visited the broadcaster’s Sydney HQ.
Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at think tank ASPI, was appearing on Geraldine Doogue’s Radio National program, which was being hosted by Kathryn Robinson, in an interview about space-based solar power.
Dr Davis told The Australian a producer facilitating the interview made the request, claiming the ABC was seen to be “anti-China”.
The request came just two days after the Chinese ambassador visited ABC offices on Thursday.
“This person then said to me, ‘Oh, look, we’ve come under a lot of pressure because we’re seen to be anti-China, so can you please not make any anti-China statements?’” Dr Davis said.
He said he responded to the request by saying he would only be speaking “factually about space-based solar power” and that he had no intention of making anti-China comments.
“The actual request was completely out of order, in my opinion,” Dr Davis said.
“You don’t ask someone not to have freedom of speech, which is what this person was asking me to do.”
The ABC said Dr Davis had misunderstood the request.
“Before the interview, the producer explained that Greg Sheridan had just been on that morning’s program talking about the Chinese ambassador’s speech, including making criticisms of China,” the ABC said.
“The intention for this story was to remain focused on the technology of space solar, and not further discussion of geopolitics.
“Unfortunately it appears this was misconstrued as being a request to not criticise China, which was not the intention.”
Dr Davis later acknowledged to The Australian that the ABC had referenced Sheridan in their request. “Even so, not to ask any anti-China statements is out of order,” he said.
In a press release released on Friday, China’s embassy published photos of the ambassador’s visit and wrote that it hoped the ABC would report on China and Australia’s relations “more rationally and objectively”.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia,” the embassy wrote. “It is hoped that ABC will give full play to its unique advantages in information dissemination, introduce and report China-Australia relations more rationally and objectively, and make positive contributions to enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.”
Dr Davis said he “put two and two together” after seeing the release about Mr Qian’s visit to the ABC.
“I thought maybe that’s where the pressure has come from,” he said.
“This is the first time I’ve had someone actually say ‘Can you please not say something essentially anti-China?’
“I wouldn’t say anything anti-China anyhow. I will criticise the Chinese government but I wouldn’t say anything anti-China. It could have been one staffer who was not thinking things through … one staffer who spoke out of turn.”
The ABC defended the ambassador’s visit, stating meetings of the kind were a “normal occurrence”.
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