Indigenous coverage funded by Yes backer

The Guardian online has published numerous articles about Indigenous Australians and the upcoming referendum with financial support from a major Yes vote donor.

The Guardian Australia Editor Lenore Taylor. Picture: AAP

The Guardian Australia has published numerous stories relating to Indigenous Australians and the upcoming voice referendum with the support of a philanthropic sponsor who is publicly backing and financially helping the Yes campaign.

The Balnaves Foundation – which provides funding to the Guardian – is part of a group of the nation’s richest philanthropists who have pledged $17m in support to help fund the campaign for an Indigenous voice to parliament.

The Guardian’s website has dozens of news articles that are “supported by” the Balnaves Foundation, including a page that says, “Indigenous affairs reporting supported by the Balnaves Foundation”.

Recent headlines include: “Australia Day, link roads and tax policy: the voice debate can only get better outside parliament”, “Tom Calma says politicians deliberately ‘peddling misinformation’ on Indigenous voice” and “Don’t panic? How the Indigenous voice to parliament is faring four months out”.

The Guardian was asked if there was a balance between “pro and anti voice” stories that had the financial backing of the Balnaves Foundation and a spokeswoman said: “The Guardian is covering a variety of views in the voice debate and reporting the story as it evolves.”

The Balnaves Foundation’s website states its support for the voice to parliament and features an article with the headline, “The Balnaves Foundation supports yes campaign for voice to parliament with other philanthropists”.

The Guardian, which is led by editor Lenore Taylor, has a small Balnaves Foundation logo on the left-hand side of articles supported by the foundation and explains to readers when they click on a link below the logo that it is “editorially independent content”.

“A client whose branding appears on editorial content may have a role in suggesting what kind of topics are covered, but the commissioning editor is not obliged to accept ideas from the funder,” it says.

“‘Supported by’ is also used to describe editorially independent content that the Guardian has produced with funding from foundations around the world who support specific projects.”

It also said the Guardian “will not show copy to funders for approval”.

Other topics Balnaves supports on the Guardian’s website include Australian arts.

A Guardian spokeswoman defended the relationship with the Balnaves Foundation.

“Guardian Australia has complete editorial control over all of its journalism and it remains completely independent, even when funded by philanthropy,” she said.

“When we partner with a philanthropic funder, we agree on a broad area of coverage only, after which all editorial decisions are made by Guardian editors exclusively. Philanthropic partners never pitch story ideas to editors. There are no exceptions to this.”

She also said the funding from Balnaves enabled it to “deliver fully independent coverage on Indigenous affairs”.

Earlier this year, The Australian revealed the Guardian failed to disclose links between the Balnaves Foundation with one of the organisation’s key figureheads quoted in many articles on its website. Professor Megan Davis, a key architect in the voice to parliament referendum working group, is also Balnaves chair of constitutional law at the University of NSW. Mentions of Professor Davis in stories by the Guardian failed to disclose her role at Balnaves despite the stories being written that were “supported by” the Balnaves Foundation.

After The Australian asked the Guardian about this, a spokeswoman said: “On reflection, given her prominent role in the debate, we will use her full title when we refer to her to ensure there is no perception of any conflict of interest.” The Australian was not suggesting Professor Davis was at any fault for the lack of disclosure.