Now the Australian Ambassador in London, the former senator Richard Alston was communications minister at the time of the invasion of Iraq. In the fraught political climate of the time it fell to Alston to perform the task of harassing the ABC.

Alston duly had people more competent than himself gather 66 complaints against the ABC - instances in which they had apparently unfairly besmirched the good name of the Coalition of the Willing through slight and irony.

Next Alston ook his ABC bias chestnut to the ABA, where the good Professor David Flint decreed the board would itself consider the important matter.

Not put out by Richard Alston's herculean efforts in attempting to bring the national broadcaster to heel, the Irony Party is compiling its own list of instances of bias at the bolshie-leaning public broadcaster for the benefit of the Broadcasting Authority. _________________

Alston's complaint

Instances of bias

Senator Alston having departed the local political scene for a somewhat cosy ambassadorial position in London, the Irony Party of Australia has taken up the task of determining instances of bias at the errant local public broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on behalf of the Government and in the public interest.

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Alston's Complaint

It's heartening and reassuring to note that the ABC remains under close scrutiny from hawk-eyed former communications minister the retiring Senator Richard Alston. Sen, Alston last year brought a complaint against the national public broadcaster's current affairs AM programmme concerning possible bias in its reportage of the invasion or liberation of Iraq by the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and Poland, in a loose Coalition of Those Who Stood To Benefit.

Concerns new Communications Minister Daryl Williams may prove too soft-spoken to contain the ABC's natural flagrant Stalinism have been dispelled. Senator Alston, even while moving out of office, is as militant as ever where the smutty underside of the public consciousness is involved, leaving Williams to focus on keeping the mad executive Zwitkowski on a tight leash.

Alston was dissatisfied with the findings of an independent investigation commissioned by the ABC's managing director Russell Balding. Now the media standards crusader has taken his concerns to the Australian Broadcasting Authority.

The ABA board has subsequently deemed the issue too important to be farmed out to underlings, and will therefore handle the matter itself, despite accusations of a conflict of interest on the part of ABA chairman David Flint. So it seems the ABC will be even more rigorously tested than has already been the case, and those Australians worried by perpetual Bolshevik and Communitarian incitement can sleep more easily.

But like any system controlled by women and men reminiscent of the likes of Kruschev, Castro, and Ho Chi Minh, the cracks are widening at the Aay Beeb Ceeb, and contentious, slanted reportage is beginning to slip through insufficiently disguised.

 

Instances of bias at Aunty

Nucular

The word 'nuclear' was pronounced 'nucular' by Norman Hermont four times during a report on intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction prior to the West's invasion. (24/2/04)

ABC of Balance

The first in a new series of ABC Radio National programmes called Counterpoint aired on Monday afternoon, dealing with the issue of public ownership of a major media organisation. Pugnacious host Michael Duffy suggested the privatisation of the ABC as a solution to a perceived left-wing (whatever that is - perhaps a reference to the political idiom of former generations) bias.

That the ABC feels the need to carry such programming is indicative of the impact of the attacks on the national broadcaster's credibility from Government, neo-conservative goons, and the for-profit media sector. It appears the new programming is reflective of a sort of sense of shame among ABC managerial luminaries. But the introduction of shows designed to tilt the balance of opinion emanating from the ABC , is a very different task to that which is more usually the emphasis sought at the public broadcaster, an emphasis imposed on the organisation by virtue of its charter.

But here, rather than attempting to achieve a degree of impartiality, ABC honchos have deliberately weighted opinion included as part of Radio National programming.

For example ABC Online carries the following blurb to introduce last week's Counterpoint programme: "The ABC has been biased towards the left for the past decade. It's backed the wrong horse on one major issue after another. Is it time to talk about privatising the ABC?"

The glaring problem here is that in seeking to address a perceived problem of bias, ABC management has deviated from the charter-stipulated aims of attempting fair and impartial coverage of political issues. In other words, in an effort to address a general perceived imbalance in opinion, the guidelines that should govern the production of each individual programme have been set aside.

To state as a matter of fact that the ABC has been 'biased towards the left for the past decade' would appear to contravene the ABC charter, which requires an attempt at balanced coverage. Here there is a presumption not only of bias, but of an easily identifiable 'left', a hackneyed proposition that has little relevance for many younger politically minded ABC viewers and listeners.

Further, it is stated that 'the ABC has backed the wrong horse on one major issue after another.' What issues? Where is the rigorous evidence required for such a bold statement? Which horse was the wrong horse? Is this not a matter open to interpretation?

In fact, it appears that the attempts of the ABC's mamagement to ameliorate the ongoing harangue from its critics, with the introduction of Counterpoint one aspect of this project, have resulted in far more serious and absurd breaches of charter obligations than were originally criticised by the ever-shifty former senator Richard Alston.

ABC bias seems entrenched

 

A clear incidence of bias was evident during ABC TV's Lateline programme last night, during a report on the current affairs show concerning the Federal Government's knowledge of atrocities committed by United States military personnel in Iraq during the year-long occupation of the country.

Reporting that the Defence Department has conceded it had not brought relevant intelligence to the attention of senior Australian ministers, ABC journalist Greg Jennett included a brief grab from a Prime Ministerial conference yesterday, in which Mr Howard expressed his disappointment and displeasure at the Defence Department's intelligence failures.

JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER: I am very unhappy that I was misinformed by the Defence Department.

- transcript of excerpt from ABC News report, excerpted from media conference held by the PM

But the simple statement from the Prime Minister was prefaced by a comment that displays indubitable and unassailable left-wing bias, of the sort for many years common at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "It's fury…" said Jennett "rather than embarrassment that the affair seems to have caused the Prime Minister."

Seems to have caused the Prime Minister? The inclusion of the term 'seems', without which this uncomplicated story might have proceeded reasonably and factually, paints Mr Howard's remarks in an entirely different light. Jennett, acting in accordance with the national broadcaster's usual disregard for integrity or its own public charter, has, with the inclusion of a single gratuitous word, impugned the PM with a vicious and unwarranted inference of insincerity.

Consider the following statement, by which the events at Mr Howard's press conference might have been more accurately described: "It is a terrible, magnificent fury rather than simple embarrassment that the affair has caused our Prime Minister." This is a simple, factual statement conveying the emotions of the Prime Minister, without any need for a smutty inference suggesting intrigue, double-dealing, and even lying on Mr Howard's part. The alternative included here demonstrates how simple it would have been for the ABC to report the story fairly and without bias.

But for Jennett, that would be anathema. His object, clearly, is not simply reporting on the events of the day, covering important statements from our elected leaders. Instead, he seeks to besmirch the Prime Minister's unimpeachable reputation, introducing doubts into the minds of ordinary Australians as to the honesty of their leading citizen. In difficult times, with Australia at war, the dangers of such skewed reporting are more acute than ever.

Australia's intelligence services, including Defence intelligence, are on the front line in the on-going War Against Terrorism. The terrorists intent on destroying Western freedoms forever are cunning propagandists, quick to employ any hint of impropriety or incompetence from Western leaders and institutions.The effects of news reports undermining the cohesion and unity of the Australian public, who have been brought together in recent years in common in these difficult times could be disastrous. In this climate it is clear that planting false doubts in the minds of Australians about the honourable men who lead our country is not only weak and devious, it is dangerous.

After all, what is Jennett suggesting? The word 'seems' applied to the Prime Minister's anger at the short-comings of the Defence Department carries with it the gamut of criticisms aimed at the Government by nay-sayers and ne'er-do-wells since the beginning of the Iraq liberation project.

Further, it paints a distorted picture of a Prime Minister prepared to lie to the nation, a Prime Minister capable of covering up terrible war crimes committed in US-run prisons around the world, a national leader so corrupt and bereft of principle that in light of widespread human rights abuses by a crusading military acting with impunity across the globe his first thought is for his own political fortunes and those of his cronies.

Such baseless accusations and false doubts remain common in Australia, despite the efforts of the Federal leadership to address the problem. But with the ABC at last under scrutiny for its left-leaning emphasis, and new legislation now proving effective in limiting the rhetoric and hyperbolae of Australia's enemies, there is hope we may look forward to a time when false doubts like those Jennett has raised in his slanted and manipulative reportage are at the very least unprintable, if not unthinkable. (Ironyparty.org)

 

Alston's Complaint

Nucular

ABC of balance

ABC bias entrenched

Links to material on Senator Alston's complaint to ABC Managing Director Russell Balding:

Mediawatch material on ABC bias accusations

ABC Radio's PM story on media monitoring of ABC