“The statement’s intent was to be transparent in explaining to the public the ABC’s position. The ABC strongly backs Laura Tingle. Her work for the ABC has been superb and she is a major asset for the organisation.”
Barry on Monday’s edition of Media Watch labelled Tingle’s comments “not a good look”, and ABC boss David Anderson told a Senate estimates hearing last week he wished they “had not happened”.
Laura Tingle and ABC managing director David Anderson.Credit: James Brickwood, Alex Ellinghausen
However, Anderson disagreed the ABC had cowed to the Murdoch-controlled company in its response.
In the Senate hearing, Anderson called media coverage of the comments “a News Corp pile-on”.
In a 1400-word explanation published by the ABC on May 29, Tingle wrote she regretted that her comments “were not surrounded by every quote substantiating them”, which had been part of her earlier coverage and analysis of Dutton’s budget response.
Yet rather than defend the “perfectly defensible”, Dempster says Stevens’ statement on Tingle’s comments is a direct attempt to appease News Corp, and by doing so, “the ABC walked into their culture wars trap”.
Dempster says it’s not the first time the ABC has failed to protect its journalists, as shown by the Antoinette Lattouf saga. The Fair Work Commission this week found that the ABC had sacked Lattouf three days into a five-day casual contract.
“It seems that in future all ABC journalists will have to have a defamation or industrial lawyer at their side whenever they are subject to ABC disciplinary action right up to and including termination of their services,” says Dempster.
Barry’s Media Watch, which has also criticised the ABC’s handling of the Lattouf saga, is part of the broadcaster’s content division, overseen by chief content officer Chris Oliver-Taylor, rather than Stevens in the news division. The spokesperson said Barry hosts an opinions program, and offers his own opinions.
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“Paul Barry’s analysis on Media Watch ignored formal accountability processes which should be routinely applied by the ABC in the event of any contentious issue involving staff performance. Instead, Paul joined the Murdoch Tingle pile-on,” says Dempster.
“Paul Barry is entitled to his ‘opinion’, but it did not help.
“Tingle is both a political analyst of long standing and a political commentator hired to give ABC audiences her specialist insights. Just like Alan Kohler on finance.”
Barry declined to comment.
News Corp’s Australian boss, Michael Miller, told the National Press Club this week that the company was not “obsessed” with the ABC. He said the outlets covered each other in equal measure.
“I do feel that we’re not obsessed,” Miller told the room of journalists. “We look at Media Watch every Monday, and we accept that that’s part of having a varied media and giving Australians choice.”
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