Dear Mr Boeder

Thank you for your email of 15 May.

In keeping with ABC complaint handling provisions, your concerns regarding the ABC 7pm News have been considered by Audience and Consumer Affairs, a unit which is separate to and independent of program making areas within the Corporation. We have assessed your concerns against standards 4.1 and 4.2 of the ABC Editorial Policies relating to impartiality:

4.1 Gather and present news and information with due impartiality.
4.2 Present a diversity of perspectives so that, over time, no significant strand of thought or belief within the community is knowingly excluded or disproportionately represented.

ABC News management have provided the following response to your concerns:

“As part of our normal editorial planning process it was decided not to cover the pulp mill rally in Launceston. In the past ABC News has regularly covered anti and pro pulp mill protests – ABC News covered the rally outside Parliament House on May 25.

In hindsight the decision not to cover the Royal Park rally was wrong. However, it was not on the basis of any bias, rather about resources and because News have covered many TAP rallies including the recent Batman Bridge rally.

The State director of the ABC has no input into ABC News’ editorial decision making and does not work in the News Division.”

On review, Audience and Consumer Affairs agree with ABC News that the Royal Park rally should have been covered; it was a local newsworthy event. In considering your concerns of bias, we have reviewed other coverage in the last two months by ABC News in Tasmania and note that a wide range of viewpoints has been covered regarding the pulp mill. The stories have included, amongst others, the views of anti-mill campaigners, the Greens and the Wilderness Society.

ABC News has provided comprehensive and impartial coverage, featuring a range of viewpoints, on significant developments in the pulp mill debate. While it was a misjudgement not to cover this rally, Audience and Consumer Affairs is satisfied that this was not evidence of bias, and that there has been no breach of the ABC standards outlined above.

For your reference, the ABC Code of Practice is available here: http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/documents/codeofpractice2011.pdf and the ABC Editorial Policies here: http://abc.net.au/corp/pubs/documents/20110408/EditorialPOL2011.pdf. Should you be dissatisfied with this response to your complaint, you may be able to pursue your complaint with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (http://www.acma.gov.au).

Yours sincerely

Denise Musto
ABC Audience & Consumer Affairs

Original letter to Audience & Consumer Affairs:

To: Audience & Consumer Affairs

From: William Boeder Subject: Anti Pulp-Mill Rally Launceston

Date: 15/05/11 09:40

Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by William Boeder

ABC program: ABC Tasmanian news coverage

Response required: true

Date of program: 14th May 2011

Contact type: Request / Suggestion

Location: TAS

Subject: Anti Pulp-Mill Rally Launceston

Comments:

Dear sir,

Can you please advise me as to why the ABC news agency illustrated a particular bias by its Tasmanian executive management in not reporting or having this event covered as a particularly significant, if not one of the most contentious events in this State on the above date?

It is known that each of the regular Tasmanian media news sources attended this protest rally yet their is no mention of this by the ABC on the day this event occurred!

Are we the people of Tasmania left to suppose that the ABC in Tasmania is no longer concerned with reporting the news events as and when they do occur?

Was the ABC reason for non reportage or coverage of this particular event a result of some form of favorable gesture to aid the most despised business entity in all Tasmania?

Is it true that the ABC news service Tasmania is being (influenced) by the former Examiner Newspaper Editor, now employed by the ABC in Tasmania, by the person in the name of Fiona Reynolds?

I wait upon your most immediate response?

Respectfully yours,

William Boeder.

Network – ABC Television

Watch the rally and hear the speeches HERE: