One of the great things about this beautiful country we live in is that our national and public broadcaster the ABC is not above being questioned by its own staff. Although managing director Hugh Marks may beg to differ on this occasion.
On Tuesday June 9, Marks popped in for a chat with Sally Sara, the breakfast host of ABC Radio National. I’ve wondered whether Hugh was prepped beforehand on all the questions that Sally would ask because of several uncomfortable replies.
Former ABC Head of News Justin Stevens announced his resignation just a fortnight ago saying it was for both “professional and personal reasons.”
Two days later, and in uncannily speedy fashion for such an organisation, Simon Robinson was announced to be the incumbent ABC News Director.
The following week the broadcaster announced a new podcast called Autistic AF hosted by former Australian of the Year Grace Tame. ABC Radio Melbourne Drive host Charlie Pickering was approached by Avi Yemeni for comment outside of his workplace on the day of the release of the first episode and said that Tame’s employment was “problematic”.
These matters were put to Hugh Marks. The audio is below.
I’m not seeking to weigh in with my own opinions on the above. Rather, I would like to appreciate that Sally Sara could ask the managing director, her boss, whether Justin Stevens was aware that the ABC had commenced a search for his replacement before he had actually resigned and receive an honest answer of ‘no’.
18 months ago Justin Stevens addressed the Melbourne National Press Club. A private person this was a talk that stayed with me because of the ways in which Justin’s level of care for ABC News and the lives it affects intertwined with his own personal values and experience.
He said:
We’re about giving Australians accurate, timely news that is reported with integrity, free from bias, proprietor influence, corporate pressure, commercial influence or government interference.
We aspire to fair and thorough reporting that allows audiences to make their own judgements about topics and issues that matter to them.
We pursue original journalism that exposes secrets and holds power to account.
And we deliver this high-quality news and current affairs to people on their preferred platforms, whether their TV set or through their ear pods.
Our central aim is always to give Australian information they can trust.
He acknowledged that mistakes were sometimes made:
Of course, the ABC should be scrutinised and held to account – just as we scrutinise and hold others to account.
Media companies are no more immune to this than anyone else. But we carry a heavy responsibility to have all the checks and balances in place.
At the ABC, we have to be accountable, prepared to listen to good faith criticism and open to improvement.
The ABC is by far the most transparent media organisation in the country, with an extensive complaints system, and an Ombudsman who independently investigates editorial complaints and publicly reports the findings.
Mistakes are certainly made. Missteps sometimes happen. And we must admit when we can do better.
Whatever it was that led to Stevens and Hugh Marks seeing enough of a significant difference in the future of how the ABC delivers the news to us, it has commenced the Simon Robinson era with uncomfortable accountability from Hugh Marks about how we got to now.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo. Email: [email protected]. You can subscribe to this publication for just $199 per annum (less for community stations, students and pensioners) and support local media. Celebrate Radioinfo in its 30th year.
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