Thanks for the memories, Ita – but the ‘B’ in ABC doesn’t stand for brand
Ita Buttrose finished up her five-year stint at the ABC this week by filming a six-minute video in which she gives one final lecture to the wayward young staffers dragging the good old-timey name of the national broadcaster through the mud.
It was the latest in a long line of baffling decisions made at the ABC recently. The 5.59 video (which is longer than Bohemian Rhapsody, by the way) was sent to ABC staff on Wednesday afternoon, and veers from a stern admonishment of employees who don’t value and protect the ‘brand’ to a shout out to Bluey as “the greatest ever Australian cattle dog”.
Well said Nathan. It’s great someone has pointed out that ABC is a service paid for by all tax payers so its staff should be thanking all Australians for being generous enough to continue supporting it. My impression is that the ABC management and staff think Australians should be thanking the for doing the job they are paid to do and for some unknown reason contend that part of their job is to direct Australians about how they should think about issues.
Good riddance Ita. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
Is Ita taking thge mickey??? Is this her final kick in the guts for those who really have tried to save the ABC?
Oh Ita! Your ‘Brand’ is but another step in some foul plot to privatise! People are used to you now, they will not notice the next intrusion… Never quite understood your position/popularity in the commercial world, definitely never equated that with a post on the ABC.
How funny that in all the years I never actually knew the name of that song, always did wonder what the tongue in cheek references were, (when I actually heard the words) Sadly, now I know it is even funnier!
I enjoyed the opinions in the article and felt my views were reflected. ABC has become a little too ‘tabloid’ as a result of attempts to compete with the commercial netwoks. We need the ABC to remain apart, that’s what makes it a great Australian service.
Thank you Nathan for saying what many of us know. Great article.
Agree with this opinion piece totally. ABC has often addressed the issues of news in the world. It is not like the commercial channels and we don’t ever want it to be. B is for Broadcasting not Brand. Keep being free to tell it like it is.
I’ve been proud of ABC for showing the issues of animal cruelty for instance that the Commercial channels are being silenced about, and on the human tragedy in Gaza.
It’s the main channel we watch.
That is correct, it’s a service to Australians, all of them. Not just for politically vocal journalists, or certain minorities to use for their own personal agendas. Stop the bias for people like grant, who instead of reporting has his own opinion and agenda and uses his position and the abc to push said opinion. The abc should report no opinion and have relevant content and show respect to the Australian public who fund it. If people want opinions watch sbs, nine, all the other major media outlets who have their agendas, keep political views, and opinions out of abc, except if your bob santamaria
Well stated Nathan. There’s a fairly common statement being made these days by people and it’s along the lines of “Speak your truth” or “I have to speak my truth”. We no longer live in the past when editors and media managers dictated to journalists how a story was to be presented to the public. Journalism, good journalism, is about presenting the truth in its warts and all, not tinkering around the edges or sitting on the fence but at the same time also being able to do that with respect and diplomacy. We all have a voice. We, the public, refuse to be kept in the dark and therefore, we expect nothing less than respect from our media, that includes most of all, the ABC, which as people rightly point out, is financed by us, the taxpayer. I wish Ita well, but making barbed remarks about staff is not approriate as you are exiting stage right. It’s time for the ABC to refresh and turn over a new leaf. Here’s hoping.
Very biased
I agree with you totally, abc seems to be trying to hard to please what it feels are the the right toes not to tread on and in the process is delivering unconvincing depth of sincerity in all facets. One very obvious, mother and son, not all of human species was necessary to the point of losing all comedy and flow. Staff should be able to view s outside of their workplace,it’s possible that a majority of the viewers are in agreement and also would like to be heard
Stan Grant gave his personal option piece on royalty and must have thought everyone thought the same as him? Didn’t he expect others to have an opinion and have the right to express them? After all, he didn’t like the idea of a different culture involved in with his culture. Smacks of racism, but don’t let that get in the way of hypocrisy…