ABC checks facts on fact check

The ABC has made a sensible decision to review its involvement in what will become an increasingly fraught business of fact-checking information that makes its way into public debate. This is particularly so given the potential for new laws being considered by federal parliament to police digital media on its publication of information deemed to be misinformation or disinformation. The ABC’s difficulties have been highlighted by a disputed claim as to whether or not the Uluru Statement from the Heart is a one-page document or a more substantial text. The issue was raised by columnist and Sky News presenter Peta Credlin. Anthony Albanese has rejected the idea the Uluru Statement is more than one page and confirmed he had not read the longer document.

Megan Davis, one of the Uluru Statement’s main ­authors and a key member of Mr Albanese’s Referendum Working Group, said in her 2018 Parkes Oration: “The Uluru Statement from the Heart isn’t just the first one-page statement; it’s actually a very lengthy document of about 18 to 20 pages, and a very powerful part of this document reflects what happened in the dialogues.” Professor Davis has since recanted and backed Mr Albanese’s view. A fact check published on the ABC website with the message “RMIT ABC Fact Check and RMIT FactLab present the latest in fact-checking and misinformation” declared Credlin’s claim to be “false information” and the Uluru Statement to be one page. The finding was used by Facebook to censor an online editorial posted by Credlin. On Monday, the ABC Media Watch program appeared to side with Credlin and said the claim should at least be considered disputed.

Internally, the ABC has dug in on the decision, with presenter Leigh Sales coaching staff on how to push back on suggestions the statement is one page. But behind the scenes, the relationship between RMIT and the ABC is being more closely defined. The ABC has been working to distance itself from the fact check, despite the fact it published the result and claimed joint credit for it online. As Sophie Elsworth writes on Friday, FactLab has completely overhauled its website, removing a reference it worked “hand in hand” with the ABC and having no mention of the ABC on its homepage. The Fact Check results are still available on the ABC website. Fact-checking is a growing phenomena that is being used increasingly to censor views activist academics and journalists do not like. As a public broadcaster, the ABC should stick to reporting both sides of the story and get out of the censoring business altogether.