ABC backs Swan’s integrity in response to COVID19 related article in The Australian

The Australian newspaper has accused Norman Swan of being “after money to turn spin doctor.”

The accusation appeared in an exclusive article (subscription required) by Brad Norrington splashed across the front page of the weekend’s paper.

The article outlines Norman Swan’s directorship of a company called Tonic Health Media, which promotes health information and tenders for government health advertising campaigns. The article says the company was unsuccessful in a bid for the government’s latest COVID19 campaign.

We contacted Doctor Swan for a comment, but he did not want to be drawn into discussion about the article, telling radioinfo he had already given his response to the reporter and didn’t want to give The AustralIan’s story any oxygen.

The ABC has confirmed its confidence in Swan, acknowledging his independence and integrity. An ABC spokesperson has told radioinfo:

“Dr Norman Swan’s involvement with Tonic Health Media is governed by the terms of his contract with the ABC and our editorial policies. Norman is a highly-experienced ABC journalist and health professional who offers informed insights and analysis as part of the ABC’s coverage of COVID-19, and is highly regarded and respected for his commitment to independence and integrity.”

The article says the company that Swan founded “unsuccessfully pitched last month for work funded by the federal government to produce educational videos about coronavirus for GPs.”

A paragraph towards the bottom of the article reports that Swan now only holds a 5% share in the company, and quotes Swan explaining that a sales manager tendered for the campaign and that he had no involvement in procuring the work.

The article says Swan was “highly critical of the Morrison government for not treating the crisis seriously enough.” It says his comments “have irritated senior government ministers.”

Swan told Norrington the ABC is aware of his interest in the company and that he been transparent with the national broadcaster and has promised there will be no conflict with his on-air work. He says Tonic Health Media has “a long history of… dealing with the commonwealth on education campaigns.”

Brad Norrington does not disclose the source of his information about the media campaign. Unsuccessful tenderers for government work are not normally made public. It is unknown whether information used in the article was a leak from government, the health department, the advertising agency, or some other source.

 

 


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