No change to climate of hot air for ABC staff

Climate activism within the ABC has been laid bare in a treasure trove of emails unearthed by a Freedom of Information application. Staff emails show an “ABC-Staff climate crisis advisory group” is proceeding in defiance of the board and management, and that senior staff have pushed the ABC to adopt a climate advocacy role like The Guardian.

The internal communications also reveal that senior management have been considering ­“solutions-based” journalism on climate change — a form of ­reporting akin to advocacy under another guise. Some ABC staffers also raised concerns about the public broadcaster wasting energy and being “hypocritical”.

Hundreds of pages of email exchanges were released under an FOI request by Evan Mulholland of the Institute of Public Affairs after The Australian revealed the initial move to establish the climate group. Melbourne-based radio producer Barbara Heggen sent an email to an ABC-wide list on Sunday, November 17, and it was reported in this newspaper later that day by media editor Leo Shanahan.

“Hi all, just to let you know,” came one of dozens of reply-to-all responses the next day, “this email chain has turned up in today’s Australian.”

Two days later, ABC chair Ita Buttrose told ABC radio that this was “one of those ideas that is not going to happen” because “the ABC leadership team and managing director have thought otherwise”. Yet the day after her firm ruling ABC staff anonymously briefed The Guardian Australia that the climate crisis group would not be stopped.

Emails from January this year now show staff have ignored Buttrose’s edict. Heggen was trying to set up a Melbourne meeting and was receiving plenty of encouragement from colleagues.

In one emailed response, a staffer (most names have been redacted) complained there was often “a million lights still on” in the early hours of the morning at the ABC’s Southbank studios and that they “walk around turning these off”. The prospective climate group member added: “My small contribution to saving the Earth.”

Questions I sent to Heggen about the status of the group this week have not received a response. But her original email said the group would gather the “brains trust” of the ABC to discuss ways to “report on and inform” Australians using a “solutions journalism” approach, and would report to management with ideas for responding to the “climate crisis both internally and externally”.

Just hours after Heggen’s call to arms (before Buttrose’s intervention) the ABC’s editorial director, Craig McMurtrie, responded with information about a meeting a month earlier at the ABC’s ­Ultimo headquarters involving the broadcaster’s science specialists. McMurtrie explained there were concerns about “audience ­fatigue” and staffers who were “unclear on why we wouldn’t follow the Guardian model — which tends more towards advocacy journalism”.

One of the most senior journalists at the broadcaster, McMurtrie outlined efforts to organise lunchtime speakers on climate change and scientific briefings to look at ways of “sharpening our coverage” including through “solutions-based” journalism. “If I can help, let me know — the more brain power on this the better,” he wrote.

Other responses from ABC staff around the nation are telling. It was a “fabulous idea” and an “awesome initiative” that showed “great thinking”. Many were eager to be involved.

“I have just been looking into how other media organisations are dealing with coverage of climate change,” came one reply. “The New York Times has a desk dedicated to climate change coverage …”

“Hi Barbara,” responded another, “Would love to take part. I do most of the enviro reporting for our team and it’s a massive issue for our audience and young people so would be good to get some representation in there.”

Another staffer doing academic research on journalism and agriculture described it as a “great” idea. “I am very interested — particularly from a talkback radio perspective — where anyone and everyone tries to weigh in on the topic.” Many replies gave the impression the ABC does not provide enough coverage of global warming or display a sufficiently strident editorial line “A friend asked if it was possible to have a ‘climate’ tab on our news website,” said one. “I would say the issue is as fundamental as politics and it deserves its own tab.”

This staffer wanted to “lobby management” to do more on climate and the environment itself. “In Hobart we have a large surface area of roofing, perfect for solar panels and water catchment, along with our carpark area, collecting this water and storing it to irrigate the ridiculous amount of grass around the building.”

Then there was the ABC staffer from marketing. “I’m not a content maker, but if this idea gets off the ground and you need a marketing person involved, let me know.” Another said: “This is the issue of our times, please count me in Barbara, very keen to be part of discussions, as would some of my team.”

“I am in,” replied another enthusiast, “and how we deal with people who say ‘sunspots and volcanoes’ without being condescending and infuriated.” Others pointed out there were already many climate-related initiatives under way at the ABC. “But that’s no reason not to have a group like this too.”

Then there was this Sydney-based staffer. “I did a quick meta-analysis of climate reporting in Australia and found the word climate change was mentioned less than 12 per cent of the time across all digital stories regarding fish kill stories since January. I don’t think this is acceptable.”

We are left to wonder about the appropriate percentage of climate change references in fish kill stories. A staffer who emailed from Brisbane boasted about switching off TVs late at night: “They’re everywhere and no one is watching them, often even during the day. At least our building has ‘smart’ lighting. Best to avoid hypocrisy where poss.”

Then a crushing intervention: “Colleagues, could you please use ‘Reply’ rather than ‘Reply all’. Thank you, and my apologies for the ‘Reply all’.” Another respondent seconded this idea saying the group replies were “littering people’s inboxes with the stuff that is irrelevant to work”.

One email wondered where “middle Australia” stood and why “denial” is so prevalent. “Is it because they feel they are being shouted at? Blamed?” Perhaps the most insightful and pithy of our anonymous ABC insiders offered a one-line reply to Heggen’s climate proposal: “As if we don’t do heaps on this topic ­already.”