Guardian amends Turnbull opinion piece criticising Sky News Australia’s 24/7 voice channel

The online news website has amended a co-authored article by the former prime minister criticising Sky News Australia’s new 24-hour voice channel, despite him not watching it.

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the US talking on morning TV.

The Guardian Australia has amended an opinion article written by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull criticising Sky News Australia and its new 24-hour voice channel before he had even watched it.

Mr Turnbull, a former ­opponent of the voice turned supporter, and Sharan Burrow, who are co-chairs of Australians for a Murdoch royal commission, wrote a comment piece last week titled, “Sky News spreading fear and falsehoods on Indigenous voice is an affront to Australian democracy”.

“The launch of a 24/7 Sky News channel dedicated solely to the voice risks becoming a factory for misinformation, which will almost certainly be packaged up to feed YouTube’s angertainment algorithm,” they wrote.

Sky News complained to the Guardian, refuting numerous claims made in the article, which resulted in the online website updating it the following day.

The footnote placed at the bottom of his commentary piece now states: “Following publication of this column, Sky News Australia contacted the Guardian to say they reject the claims of the piece.

“They said the voice debate channel, which launched on 25 July, ‘will canvass all sides of the Indigenous voice to parliament to ensure every perspective of the debate is heard in the lead up to the historic referendum’.”

In an interview, Mr Turnbull doubled down on his criticisms in an ABC radio national breakfast ­interview but when asked by broadcaster Patricia Karvelas, “have you watched Sky News’ 24-hour voice channel yet”, he replied, “well it hasn’t really started yet, it’s just getting under way”. At that point the 24/7 voice channel had been live for almost 24 hours. Content that has aired on the 24/7 news channel includes a town hall hosted in Melbourne by teal independents and Voice supporters Zoe Daniel and Monique Ryan and Voice to Parliament handbook co-authors Thomas Mayo and Kerry O’Brien, voice supporters rallying in Brisbane and a reconciliation lecture in Canberra.