Analysis
Updated
Today, the Australian public has asked to be reassured that the ABC's independence is protected.
It has been and it always will be. Australia's public broadcaster acts only in the interests of the Australian public and our independence is our most precious asset.
How does management protect independence?
The current furore raises very important questions about what the ABC's legislated independence means and how its management, editorial leaders, journalists and other content makers put it into practice.The ABC Act quite clearly states that it is a duty of the board "to maintain the independence and integrity of the Corporation". The act also requires the board to ensure that the ABC's reporting is "accurate and impartial" and that policies and processes are in place to guarantee independence and impartiality.
Management's role is to implement those policies without fear or favour.Nothing is more important than ensuring that stories are accurate and editorial decisions are independent and impartial. We are here to serve the public interest and absolutely no other interests.
Protecting our journalists from influence
ABC journalists, producers and content makers are under constant external pressure from politicians of all stripes and vested interests. No-one feels that more than the Director of News and others in senior management.Our role is to ensure journalists are protected from those political and sectional interests, while simultaneously ensuring that stories are not influenced by journalists' own personal or political interests.
The ABC has the highest editorial standards of any Australian media organisation.
What's expected of content makers is clearly set out in the editorial policies and there is a rigorous and independent complaints process to review content when the inevitable complaints roll in.
While journalists do, and should, refer difficult decisions to management, we expect them to take responsibility for their editorial decisions.
We also expect them to be bold and courageous in their journalism. In return they expect us to defend them from interference and undue influence.
Nothing matters more than the public's trust in the integrity of our journalism.
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