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
mjf
June 15, 2011 at 11:53
This time wasting exercise directed to the ABC is worthy of a news article ? Mr Editor, you cannot be serious.
ben graham
June 15, 2011 at 12:18
Denise Musto makes no mention of the Independent Complaints Review Panel. Has that panel been disbanded? Did ABC make any report such a significant event? Doing a search on the ABC website for “Independent Complaints Review Panel”
brings up the most recent result being dated May 2005: ABC makes changes to complaints review panel
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2005/05/05/1361063.htm
Is the Independent Complaints Review Panel still operational?
Buck and Joan Emberg
June 15, 2011 at 13:31
Good Bird Dogging Bill.
Mike
June 15, 2011 at 13:58
Keep following this up William.
You need to take this beyond the Tas Times.
I want to hear you on ABC radio asking questions about this matter.
Well done.
Rod Crass
June 15, 2011 at 14:42
I find it hard to believe that Fiona Reynolds did not have a say in the non-coverage of the Tap Rally,she made it painfully obvious (to me) when she was Editor of the Examiner, her bias towards Gunns and Co.
Bob Kendra
June 15, 2011 at 15:09
Pulp supporters would be very upset if a major event that they conducted was ignored by the ABC. As news and current affairs can be highly influential, the news – or absence of it – can be news in itself. The quality of Tasmanian media coverage underpins the shape of our democracy. Mill protesters have strong objections to The Examiner’s coverage over the past seven years, whereas mill supporters will notice any lapse in the newspaper’s backing for the mill. William’s question concerning Fiona Reynolds carries lots of baggage.
Mike
June 15, 2011 at 15:23
And the former Examiner Editor made her ill feeling toward TAP embarrassingly clear.
The ABC’s response to Boeder confirms our suspicions.
Its about TAP, its about the organisers rather than the community interest.
Who cares who organises the rally or public meeting? Who cares?
The point is whether the LOCAL COMMUNITY shows an interest. If they do, the ABC being the local public broadcaster should be there.
Our local ABC failed to turn up and cover two large FTV public meetings. The Batman Bridge rally they claim TAP organised was in fact organised by Lucy Landon Lane of Pulp the Mill. Not TAP. The ABC cant even get this right.
The ABC will devote entire programs to logging towns in Triabunna, Scottsdale etc but not once have they made an effort to visit the communities affected by the pulp mill in the Tamar Valley.
Not once have they had Lucy, Bob Mcmahon, Pete WW or any other anti pulp mill advocate on their Friday Forum. Chipman, and other logging lobbyists yes.
Sue Neales hinted in her valedictory article as to why the ABC are shit scared to give a voice to the anti-pulp mill voices out of the Tamar Valley.
…”Or Timber Communities Australia’s attempts to tie the Mercury and its journalists up in knots and presumably to intimidate younger journalists from ever wanting to write forestry story again with continuous complaints to the Press Council about how the forestry conflict was reported”
Clearly the same thing tactics have been used on the ABC and have worked.
hugoagogo
June 15, 2011 at 16:10
Now come on, the ABC has a duty of care to its staff under its OHS obligations.
Judith King
June 15, 2011 at 17:16
If 6,000 farmers or teachers or nurses marched and protested anywhere in Australia it would be covered by all media outlets in detail nationally.
Why is it that when 6,000 ordinary middle class mums, dads, grandparents march it is hardly reported?
Censorship is alive and well and active in reporting of forestry and environmental issues.
Our right to protest has been subjugated by the media which has been ‘encouraged’ by government attitudes and big business.
Interestingly the united voice of ordinary Tasmanians is growing, getting louder and a social movement is underway. It won’t be stopped.
salamander
June 15, 2011 at 17:17
I was relieved ABC admitted it was a mistake. Choosing what to report on on the basis of frequency is obviously flawed. The level of interest/awareness/informing that a subject generates should provide the criteria. At least the thousands who attended the rally didn’t just say “not another one” – though naturally they would be delighted if such events were no longer necessary.
Mrs Smyth
June 15, 2011 at 20:54
By the ABC’s reckoning they will not be reporting on the next tsunami! or the next east coast floods! Keep pushing William, I’m sure there is more to this story.
Michael and Bonni Hall
June 15, 2011 at 22:32
Re #9. How true. But, on last nights news we heard about 2000 people rallying in Barcelona!!!!!!!!
Truth
June 16, 2011 at 18:01
The ABC admits a “mistake” because it was caught out and challenged.
State Director – Fiona Reynolds doesn’t have a hand in this. Seriously cannot believe that…
It is a typical case of a single mind being made up, and that’s the end of that.
Garry Stannus
June 17, 2011 at 14:31
I was concerned by the disparity in the two rally attendance figures – The police figures of 2,500 and the TAP figure of 6,500. Karl’s picture accompanying this article suggests a crowd so big that viewed from the boundary they are small and grow smaller into the distance.
Using my own pix of the rally, from the top of the floodwall and also from Trevallyn, and pix of the march, from up in the Cameron St car park, I was able to count the rally attendance and number of marchers reasonably accurately. How? Using my pix pasted into Microsoft ‘Paint’, I put a coloured mark on each person in my pic as I counted them, changing to a different colour when I got to 100 and so on, except for some small groups and stragglers who made up less than 100, for example. They got a different coloured mark and the size of their group was recorded. If anyone wants to view my attendance figures, check my work, coloured marks included, I am more than happy to forward said figures, photos and daubings – just contact me via [email protected]
If you’d like to see a rally photo/essay of mine that wasn’t accepted for publication on TT, I am more than happy to also forward that, on request. (it’s a 9mb size doc – maybe that was the problem, but I can send it as a 4 mb pdf if preferred)
On the question of whether Fiona Reynolds was involved in the decision not to cover the rally, and that some sort of bias was involved, we might think of the implications of that statement:
“The State director of the ABC has no input into ABC News’ editorial decision making and does not work in the News Division.”
If true, then does this not raise concerns about editorial decision making in the News Division?
Ian
June 17, 2011 at 15:20
Its very concerning that Gary Stannus feels unable to publish his Rally Crowd estimate on TT. I’m guessing it was lot lower than the 6,000 claimed by mill opponents. Probably more like 3-3500 maximum.
Gary what is holding you back from publishing that figure on TT? The editor?
Elizabeth Perey
June 19, 2011 at 14:40
Garry #14, why the mystery on this one? Tell us the number your method of estimation gave you.
Pilko
February 17, 2012 at 21:36
I note today that ABC TV News gave extensive coverage to the pro logging rally tonight where 4-500 people marched through Huonville.
Of the last 4 major anti-pulp mill meetings/rallies in the North ABC TV News covered one – The Batman Bridge rally.
Large midweek public meeting at Riverside attended by 520 in Dec 2010 NO COVERAGE by ABC TV and barely rated on radio. Covered by WIN.
Large midweek public meeting in April 2011 at Riverside. More than 600 attended. NO COVERAGE by ABC TV. WIN news covered event.
TAP Rally at Royal Park Launceston in mid 2011 attended by a few thousand (cant remember exactly). NO COVERAGE by ABC TV.
Not a very good strike if you are a Tasmanian with concernes about the pulp mill and looking to the ABC to give you a voice.
Pro logging rally Hobart August 2011 covered by ABC TV news.
Pro logging rally Feb 2012 covered by ABC TV news.
A wonderful strike rate if you have a pro-logging interest and looking to the ABC to give you a voice?
Mrs Reynolds??? Mr Fisher???
How do you reconcile this?
John Groves
February 17, 2012 at 23:00
editor’s note: comment deleted — there weren’t many clauses of the code this comment didn’t breach. Please read the TT code — http://www.oldtt.pixelkey.biz/index.php/pages/legalbits —
pilko
June 18, 2012 at 23:27
Further to my comment #17.
Readers may be aware that a group calling itself ‘Rally for Change’ is holding an anti-govt rally in Launceston this weekend. The group is from the North East and by the looks of its facebook page, ‘Rally For Change’ appears to be aligning itself with pro-logging, pro pulp mill & Liberal party interests.
This afternoon on ABC radio’s Northern Drive program they had the two rally organisers in the studio to give the protest event a plug.
I’m once again staggered at the brazen bias of the ABC and i personally feel the ABC owes myself and many others an explanation.
As i alluded earlier in the thread, i have personally helped with the organisation (with TAP, FTV etc) a few anti-pulp mill rallies and public meetings over the last few years. As an organiser (and i know it is the case with other organisers) we approached the local ABC to give our rallies/meetings a plug.
We were told by the ABC it does not plug these sorts of ‘political’ rallies despite our pulp mill rallies being issues based, not being partisan and not calling for a change of govt.
I’m guessing TAP and other individuals and groups who have dealt with the ABC in the organisation of anti-pulp mill, healthy democracies and forest conservation rallies etc have been told the same thing by the ABC. – ‘We dont plug rallies & protests’.
The ABC will cover protests at their whim but they have a policy of not plugging them and they are quick to tell you this.
FTV had two large public meetings in 2010-11 in Launceston which saw the venue packed to capacity with 500-600 people turning up. Huge local interest, particularly on a week night.
The ABC refused to plug them (which we accepted & understood) but also did not bother to turn up and cover either meeting.
Same with the last large TAP rally in Royal Park. The ABC were a complete no show. The ABC later admitted they should have covered the rally. See above.
Now with the “Rally for Change”, here we have a openly political rally.
The RFC organisers openly admitted today on the ABC’s Drive program that the rally was to protest against the minority govt. Straight out.
It is a blatantly politcally partisan rally.
The ABC announcer even said “get along and make your voice heard” WTF????.
I absolutely support the right for the Rally for Change to have their rally and make their voice heard. My issue here is with the ABC’s absolute bias.
If any person or group reading this has also been told by the ABC it doesnt plug political rallies then you have real grounds for a complaint.