The Australian apologises to ABC over abusive readers’ comments
News Corp masthead The Australian has apologised to the ABC following the publication of readers’ comments which called to burn down the national broadcaster’s Ultimo head office.
The comments, which were posted under a story titled ABC warned of cladding dangers at Ultimo HQ, joked about the building becoming a “towering inferno’ and asked for someone to “hurry up with the matches.”
Yesterday morning, the ABC’s acting head of communications, Sally Jackson called out the comments on Twitter and asked The Australian if they were appropriate.
Wow, The Australian has readers? Wonders never cease. Or are these employees like Google Plus MKII?
… probably the same “82% of Australians” that “trust” the ABC – some of them without actually watching or listening to it …
Vitriol from News Corp and their followers. Surprised much? Nah
These people are so threating I feel police action should be taken. Threating Arson and setting fire to high rise buildings is not a joke.
Are they members of any political party because if they are their organisation should expel them .
Lighten up Kaye … Paul Barry from Media Watch says it best “Journalists as a bunch tend to be pretty thin-skinned. They dish it out to other people but they hate having anyone come after them. Rarely does anybody take it well or with good humour.” I think there’s a fair chance he was talking about the ABC’s staff.
Gee, you don’t seem to have any particular agenda with your name and comments.
ABC is the only network that would fund a program like media watch, and you want to suggest he is criticising his fellow staff for being thin skinned?
And where is your source that most people who say they trust the ABC haven’t even watched it?
You’re making all of this up.
Nope, not making it up. It is a well-held truism that most writers tend to look around their immediate area as source for material and just like anyone who has ever worked at the ABC (including myself) can identify with the sub-plots and characters of programs like “Frontline” and “Utopia” because D-Gen/Working Dog used their immediate surroundings (the ABC) for inspiration, I’m sure Paul does the same. There is, in fact, a sort of friendly rivalry between the Media Watch and news departments rather than them being seen as “fellow staff”.
The source for the comment about “some” (not “most” as you have incorrectly written) people who claim to “trust” the ABC not actually watching it came from a research project initiated many years ago by a Sydney university in an attempt to debunk the then-current diary ratings methodology. When they reluctantly released the data for audit, it was revealed that a large number of people who ticked the box for a commercial TV news and not the ABC also ticked the box for the question about “trust” for the ABC. So it was clear that many people felt it made them look better to have an association with the ABC even though, in reality, they didn’t watch it. Given the ABC’s news ratings have plummeted in the meters rating era, it would appear to hold true even more today.
Given that television diaries ceased some 28 years ago in 1990, the basis for you assertion – just like your opinions – are sadly out of date. I can also assure you that those diaries did not ask about “trust”. So you rely on a single ‘research project’ almost 30 years old. Pathetic.
I agree with ex ABC – we need to lighten up a fraction. The comments published are the sort of comments you may hear between people talking to each other casually or jokingly down at the pub, or even just meeting casually and having a bit of a natter. Mostly harmless, venting a bit of spleen or frustration.
Whether they should appear in print is a different argument. Having read other open comment sites, my observation is that these sort of comments generate a self-feeding momentum with a race to the bottom, in the end adding utterly, utterly nothing to the debate, and one ends up wondering, whether a lefty, righty or just citizen John or Jane Doe in the centre somewhere, “why the hell am I reading this crap!”.
Personally I feel there needs to be some editorial control of the debate, which allows us all to add to the debate in a more reasoned and thoughtful manner, preferably with some substance to back up our arguments. Yes, everyone has a right to free speech, and we all have an opinion – it was a famous American female sprinter who said on TV in response to some commentator’s comments “opinions are like arseholes, we all have one” (she was a real spunk, unfortunately was nabbed for abusing performance enhancing substances). Anyway, I digress – remember the rest of us have to read it – we’re the bunnies, and most of us bunnies turn off if all people are doing is having a spray! And if it’s a Fox doing the spraying, we’re just going to run right out of the argument and not come back to the site. And the Fox is then going to wonder, hang on, why are my subscriptions declining? I digress again.
While we need to have the debate, there continues to be significant support for the ABC. This may well change- more likely a generational change, in the lifetime of the Young Liberals who most recently rocketed this into the daily news. However, it’s not currently a goer. While I have discussed this with a wider circle, coming closer to home in my own extended family, there are rusted on Liberals living in several capital cities and in regional areas who would be up in arms if anyone were to sell off the ABC.
Yes, I’ve got an arsehole and an opinion. Hopefully I haven’t bored the shit out of you with my opinion. My arsehole does shit, but I’ll keep that to myself.
Ex ABC? I have no idea what that means – ?ex staff, ex reader, watcher, ex manager. Throw off your cloak, come out of the closet. Show us your face! Full us in with details of your malcontent.
Rick asks “ex staff … ex manager” – yes and yes. But “malcontent”? No, I’m now just someone who has been there and done that and am disappointed that the ABC over the past twenty-five years has sadly declined from an innovative Australian public-service broadcaster that held the Charter as its guide to today’s Ultimo-centric, second-rate and derivative “news organisation” (to quote now two MDs) that is overstaffed with lazy, cookie-cutter story-tellers and arrogant, over-paid autocue-readers channelling the old Melbourne Truth as its model. Do we need the ABC? – yes. Does it need fixing? – most certainly! Does any politician have the answer? – nope!!!
Don’t fret too much ABC staff, readers of the Australian probably aren’t a threat. Few octogenarians actually commit violence offences.
Hi Ryan, I read the Australian and I’m not an employee. At least is devoid of all that left wing tosh.
If the scenario was reversed – the News Ltd building and comments on the ABC website, nothing would happen. No apologies, and petulant defiance. Harden up Lefty luvvies! It’s only going to get tougher for you in the coming years, because your era is over. Done with.
Mike, if the situation was reversed the ABC would be facing Police action and government sanctions, due to the extreme breach of its neutrality and competitive neutrality clauses – key requirements for its continuing operation.
…but don’t let the facts get in the way of your petulant argument.
It’s nice of you to denigrate a segment of society with your endearing encouragement to “harden up”, but before offering your advice perhaps you should forearm yourself with something more useful.. like facts. Or truth. Or something more concrete than your baseless, factless, pissing-in-the-wind hypotheticals reinforcing your baseless, factless opinion.
Have a great weekend.
I have to disagree. If the scenario was reversed, the Murdoch columnists would go into meltdown. Andrew Bolt would be in seventh heaven.
How reassuring that Sally Jackson included her greengrocer’s apostrophe. Some things never change!
A greengrocer’s apostrophe actually refers to using an apostrophe for the plural form. It’s a snobby little gripe – – even when used correctly, unlike in this case.
I don’t know what you are talking about. She doesn’t use an apostrophe, and the one in The Australian’s (sic) tweet is correct.
I agree with ex ABC – we need to lighten up a fraction. The comments published are the sort of comments you may hear between people talking to each other casually or jokingly down at the pub, or even just meeting casually and having a bit of a natter. Mostly harmless, venting a bit of spleen or frustration.
Whether they should appear in print is a different argument. Having read other open comment sites, my observation is that these sort of comments generate a self-feeding momentum with a race to the bottom, in the end adding utterly, utterly nothing to the debate, and one ends up wondering, whether a lefty, righty or just plain citizen John or Jane Doe in the centre somewhere, “why the hell am I reading this crap!”.
Personally I feel there needs to be some editorial control of the debate, which allows us all to add to the debate in a more reasoned and thoughtful manner, preferably with some substance to back up our arguments. Yes, everyone has a right to free speech, and we all have an opinion – it was a famous American female sprinter who said on TV in response to some commentator’s comments “opinions are like arseholes, we all have one” (she was a real spunk, unfortunately was nabbed for abusing performance enhancing substances). Anyway, I digress – remember the rest of us have to read it – we’re the bunnies, and most of us bunnies turn off if all people are doing is having a spray! And if it’s a Fox doing the spraying, we’re just going to run right out of the argument and not come back to the site. And the Fox is then going to wonder, hang on, why are my subscriptions declining? I digress again.
While we need to have the debate, there continues to be significant support for the ABC. This may well change- more likely a generational change, in the lifetime of the Young Liberals who most recently rocketed this into the daily news. However, it’s not currently a goer. While I have discussed this with a wider circle, coming closer to home in my own extended family, there are rusted on Liberals living in several capital cities and in regional areas who would be up in arms if anyone were to sell off Aunty.
Yes, I’ve got an arsehole and an opinion. Hopefully I haven’t bored the shit out of you with my opinion. My arsehole does shit, but I’ll keep that to myself.
Ex ABC? I have no idea what that means – ?ex staff, ex reader, watcher, ex manager. Throw off your cloak, come out of the closet. Show us your face! Fill us in with details of your malcontent.
Catch you soon.
That’s certainly not the worst thing the Australian would be apologising for in their reader comments. Some charming right-wing trolls who lurk there…
this is really awesome