🚀 go-pugleaf

>In article <31f8afa8.4079629@news.mel.aone.net.au> douglas.buckser@acslink.aone.net.au (doug buckser) writes:
>>At least in Melbourne, the local ABC
>>news coverage has been rather shamelessly political at times.
>>Personally, I thought the lowlight was when an ABC camera crew
>>followed Jeff Kennett into a loo.

I am willing to concede that the _ABC TV CURRENT AFFAIRS_ coverage of 
Victorian politics may be percieved to be biased .. but don't forget that

(a) we are talking TV Current Affairs, not the entire ABC
(b) there is a need for some balance of the Hair-oil Scum's coverage

>>Another interesting aspect is that many of the ABC presenters used to
>>be on the staff of Labor politicians.  For example, it's my
>>understanding that Kerry O'Brien used to work for Whitlam and the
>>chief national political reporter used to work for Hawke.  Do you know
>>if this is true?

Nope.

AFAIK, O'Brien was a former Whitlam staffer. However, McKew is not a former
Hawke staffer .. although she is a partner of a senior ALP official.

But so what? I'm a former (non-Labor) party candidate, I've worked with ABC
staff who were Media secretaries to coalition MPs, etc.

All that proves is that people who cover political events have a deep and 
abiding passion for the political process. And this is a bad thing?

>>2. Sympathetic coverage of pro-gun or anti-immigration views (to
>>   balance the sympathetic coverage of their opponents).

My direct experience is with Radio News (we get a copy of all stories filed
by cap-city newsrooms) and it would appear, to me, that the 'pro-gun' lobby
gets equal time (if not a tad more, as they tend to be more vocal). 

In the case of immigration, take a listen to some of the features aired on 
Radio Australia / Radio National. Oh .. but be quick .. as part of the cuts
announced last week, RN will be forced to repeat its features more often,
meaning fewer will be produced.

>>4. Commercial sponsorship of ABC programs (which I understand which
>>   was broken by the Sunday program)

No, it was actually broken by John Millard, who had his career given a 
lateral arabesque as a result.

>>>Believe me, the issue of the ABC's independence is vital to democracy in 
>>>this country.
>>Would you mind expanding on this view?  How is the ABC vital to
>>democracy?  If we take the extreme case and eliminate the ABC, how
>>would democracy be affected?

Without the ABC, the electronic media in this country would be dominated 
by a small cartel of media owners for whom the bottom line is, and should 
be, profit.

If it profits them to kow-tow to a political leader (cf the Herald-Sun &
Jeff Kennett) they will do so.

This, IMHO, is _not a good thing_.


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