Almost exactly two years ago, the Australian Federal Police executed a search warrant at the ABC’s headquarters in Ultimo, Sydney. That raid, and the search the day before of News Corp reporter Annika Smethurst’s home, produced an outcry. But what has happened since? Two inquiries, two reports, and precious little else, reports ABC Alumni’s press freedom spokesperson Jonathan Holmes. Australia still suffers from ‘excessive and unnecessary secrecy’.(A shorter version of this article was publishe...

By Jonathan Holmes / 14 June 2021 It’s a cliche to say that we all inhabit news silos these days but people pay to read stories that reflect and reinforce their views The other day I got angry enough about an editorial in the Australian newspaper – which castigated in vicious terms two of the ABC’s most accomplished journalists – that I wrote a letter to the editor. A waste of time, of course: the letter wasn’t published. So I posted it on Twitter, where it got thousands of likes, replies and r...

In Part 2 of this essay on issues surrounding defamation law (see Part 1: ‘Ghosts Can’t Sue’), Jonathan Holmes looks at the Federal Court, which has become the forum of choice for defamation plaintiffs, including Ben Roberts-Smith and Christian Porter.  Why?  Largely because trial by jury is not available in the Federal Court.  Almost two years ago, the Council of Attorneys-General agreed that this should change.  So far, it has not.By Jonathan Holmes / 28 May 2021, updated 1 June 2021 What do ...

Recently ABC iview has started asking users to create an account and log in to use iview. This change has been in the works for several years and the roll-out, which is planned to be mandatory from July 2021, is being met with some scepticism. Here’s what the Alumni’s tech expert Peter Marks has to say …Scepticism about the introduction of compulsory log ins for ABC iview includes accusations that it is one step on a path to switching to a commercial subscription ABC, or that ABC IDs might be u...

The year’s first major public rally in support of the ABC was held in federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s Kooyong electorate in Melbourne on Saturday night, 8 May. Organised by ABC Friends Victoria, the well attended fundraiser heard from speakers including the MEAA’s vice president and former ABC journalist Karen Percy, and former ABC journalist Jim Middleton representing ABC Alumni. Our Victorian convenor Peter Marks, who assisted the event’s organisers, reports on the night’s proceedings.ABC...

The three-part investigation of the 1979 Luna Park Ghost Train fire by the ABC’s Exposed team reminded Jonathan Holmes of the time almost forty years ago when Four Corners took on NSW Premier Neville Wran. In this special article for ABC Alumni, Jonathan recalls the challenges to investigative journalism posed then, as now, by Australia’s defamation laws – and asks whether new amendments, which come into force in some states in July, will make any difference. Perhaps, he writes, they will. But ...

The Federal Government has quietly published the report of its review of Australian broadcasting services in Asia and the Pacific. The Government agreed to the review two years ago, raising hopes of a revitalisation of Australian media services to our neighbours, largely provided by the ABC until budget cuts reduced content and the closure of short wave radio transmitters took away the long established means by which it was delivered. Our friends at Supporters of Australian Broadcasting in Asia...

Jill Emberson was a hugely talented ABC journalist/broadcaster, and a tenacious fighter for social justice. She was particularly drawn to stories and issues relating to the Pacific, women, Indigenous and First Nations people.   As she fought her own gruelling four-year battle with ovarian cancer, it came as no surprise to those who knew Jill that she became a fearless advocate for raising both awareness and funding resources for research into the disease, in the hope that no other woman would h...

Quentin Dempster discusses potential risks of the ABC entering into precedent-setting commercial relationships with online providers. Will it, he asks, make it easier for any hostile future federal government to demand more commerciality, not less, and soften up the ABC for partial or whole privatisation? ABC Should not take ad dollars from Google or Facebook By Quentin Dempster/ 6 March 2021 The ABC is now a leader in the Australian online news industry, but there is an obvious risk of ...