"The threat to democracy with a nobbled ABC"

How can requiring the public broadcaster to be apolitical, unbiased and objective be a threat to democracy?

The ABC has become the Left's propaganda arm. The equivalent of Pravda. It's entirely controlled by the Left from top to bottom and its audience is the inner city elitists.

They are wealthy enough to pay for their broadcaster. The SBS should be paid by subscription to those who what to watch it, and the ABC should be purged of all those who show any sighs of political bias. Since it is publicly funded it should be aimed at correcting the market failures where the private sector cannot provide services profitably - e.g. the bush.

We all appreciate the ABC when it is objective impartial and unbiased. But it strayed far from that now. It must be cleaned up. If it can't be cleaned up it will inevitably be privatized eventually.

Peter Lang
The ABC can only report on whats reportable at the time. When you say biased do you mean making things up.
At present we have a coalition govt; so they are going to report on coalition issues.
You are not explaining why the ABC are biased.

Journalism is at an all time low with the public because reporting in newspapers only offer one side of what's happening in the world, Murdoch papers are right wing and anything to do with the left is omitted full stop, we have had three weeks of reporting on Phillip Hughe's death, unnecessary reporting day after day, almost to the stage of cancelling one's subscription, with any reporting we want to know the truth, truth comes from obscure papers, mainly paid by subscribers, this is what we want, the truth, the ABC and SBS perhaps are biased to the left and should include the opinions of the right as well, democracy is failing owing to Government intervention where we are only being told what they want us to hear, dictatorship is becoming the norm , it is already happening

Why on earth is this bit of bumph here Graham?

Is it to show us just how far the ABC supporters have got from reality? I know it is ridiculous to try to use film plots to describe reality, & predict the future, & would have believed any thinking adult would be able to differentiate the two, but not so it seems.

I suppose it is good for us to know how the strange thinking of some ABC supporters really is, but this is irrational. I guess it does show us how far from reality one can become, when sucking on the taxpayer teat.

I guess a bit of vested interest might be sneaking in here too. Surely the ABC is the most likely TV station to inflict some dreadful local production on it's audience. You can do that when you still get paid, even when just the author & their mum are watching at the finish.

The ABC is great for news, there could be a problem with investigating as far as the coalition are concerned.
Political parties do not like being investigated, it uncovers corruption, and wrongdoings. Some political parties create more reportable news than others, but to be biased would be difficult. Newspapers are a different media and can hide behind a host of excuses to misreport something.
It comes down to the ability of the person being interviewed also. If they can not sell their explanation of a question to the interviewer, they will be pursued for more information, this does not happen with print media, you accept the writers interpretation of what was said, and that usually is enough to start a barrage of talk, even if it is only one persons opinion.
That can not happen on TV, you get it straight from the interviewed persons mouth. We all know face to face interviews can result in direct lies being told on numerous occasions, by all sides of politics

all of these questions arise from the fact that you like to think you live in a democracy, when in fact you live in an oligarchy. it makes a big difference. logic is only useful when it begins in objective appreciation of reality.

in an oligarchy such as oz, politics is a trade. in a democracy it is a duty. tradesmen must get paid one way or another, so all pseudo-political chat is either biased, or empty. it is patently unfair to load onto tradesman shoulders the tasks done by every citizen in a democracy. and generally, they refuse- they take the money. so they should.
some media tradesmen find social or emotional benefit in reporting the 'truth,' for less money, sure enough. but how do you know if the rot is set in?
there are many benefits to living in a democracy, but it requires effort, even more effort just to get it, when you don't have it. and of course, when you don't realize you don't have it, when you don't even know what democracy is, the difficulty in getting it is insuperable.
but the puzzling and insurmountable questions that bubble up in oz society are the result of fundamental lies fed to every child, about 'democracy.' oz is a demonstration of the failure of oz mothers to tell the story of the emperor's new clothes to their children, except possibly in support of the lesson that whistleblowers get driven into the ground.

The govt we have is playing the person rather than the channel. Abbott would be far more comfortable being interviewed by Clive Palmer, rather than ABC interviewers, they are far to experienced for the bumbling Abbott. He can’t find the words to express himself at an interview or overseas. Once he is out of sight of Credlin he is dumfounded. A skill called public speaking is missing.
Hence; the attack on the ABC which he promised not to touch.

sell it. It is a national disgrace.

A 5% cut over 5 years.......degrading the ABC. you MUST be kidding

The ABC is a massive anti-Liberal propaganda machine. How can the Liberals possibly hand over a billion dollars a year to an organization that relentlessly campaigns against them?

If the Liberals want to survive as a political force they need to finally get the courage to do something about the ABC.

There is absolutely no justification for spending tax payers money on a massive taxpayer funded media hegemon. How much would Fairfax love to have a billion dollars to spend each year? The ABC is crowding out and killing a private business. What a disaster.

The biggest threat to Democracy in Australia is the Left wing media. The Liberals will not last as the responsible arm of our political system if Labour spends like there is no tomorrow and then the Liberals only last one term because they try to clean up the mess. Eventually the Liberals will have to take the same path as the Republicans in the US and allow a massive deficit to build up. Labour is trashing our political system and the 'salarymen' of the inner city media class are a big part of the problem.

These are people who have never run a business or had to worry about actually making money. For them it is always other peoples money they spend.

How about we make a similar system to the UK. We could pay for the ABC by voluntary TV tax. Supporters of the ABC would be welcome to pay the tax and others who regard it as a danger to democracy would be able to opt-out. User pays.

Remember how the ABC resisted having their employees' exorbitant salaries revealed? Why? because their corporate mythology as average, hard working public servants who were protecting the common man from the "big end of town" would be revealed for what it is - a complete sham. They are the big end of town.

Now they are bleating about their first small cut in 20 years as if it is an attack on the people and "democracy". Well, let me remind them they don't represent "the people" because only 30% voted for their overlords, the Labor Party, in the last Federal elections.

Nor is the ABC democratic or even handed, with an inbuilt hatred of the US Republicans, who they always paint as right wing extremists and of course the Liberal Party who, according to the ABC/Labor Party mantra is determined to take money from the poor average guy and give it to big business. Ever heard them praise any Liberal Party figure like they swooned and frothed over Gough Whitlam and Barack Obama? Ever heard a serious criticism of Obama pass their lips? Ever heard them interview a prominent US Conservative figure without trying to portray them as a dangerous extremist or just plain stupid?

What a charmed life they lead. Some on salaries of $250k plus yet not having to compete in the open market like the other media while prosecuting their lefty ideology to their hearts content, drumming up support for their political buddies and securing a cosy future for themselves.

The ABC & SBS do have programmes that are far better than the rubbish that is on commercial channels, if viewers want endless advertising then for goodness sake watch them only, remember we buy daily the rantings of the right wing Murdoch papers and accept their reporting. An idiot who brings back snobbery English titles and couldn't run a chook raffle properly, paying wealthy women to get on the gravy train by having babies with work ethics, (stay home and look after them for no reward) excels in telling lies, the debt growing bigger daily etc, perhaps you one eyed liberal voters don't want to hear these things and blame left reporting, true reporting is what we want to hear whether left or right on what ever channel we tune into, but it is far from that at present.

Garbage Ojnab, there is not a single minute left on any ABC station that is watchable, unless you like pommy crap.

The very last one, Catalyst, became nothing but another propaganda rag a year or more back.

It really is hard to believe they can be so dumb. All they do is pedal left propaganda to left lovies, totally wasting their time. They are so far left they are way over the top, but can't see it themselves.

They think they are being so cute, guiding the debate where they want it, but as none but the lefty lovies are listening, they might as well talk to their armpit.

They forgot that propaganda must be just a little, included in a lot of truth. As they no longer produce any truth, it is all just piddling in each others pockets. I'm sure that gives them a warm feeling, but it is useless, now their intended audience has walked out. Too much bullsh!t will kill your garden, or your message.

Are you honestly suggesting the ABC is impartial and unbiased? I can think of only two possible reasons for anyone making such a laughably untrue statement: dishonesty or idiocy. Which is it in your case?

There is no function of democracy that is served by having a lick-spittle official propaganda arm, serving up a diet of non-stop nauseating, state-worshipping propaganda on multiple channels.

The ABC should be abolished. Those who want its services should pay for it like everyone else pays for media and entertainment services. Why should the majority of the population be forced to pay for the green/left/conceited moron part of the population to have their own anus-gazing service funded at public expense?

Had there been no entertainment and no news around, would that be what you choose to spend your hard-earned money on?

A few things in my old house nearly fall apart and need repair, but I know my budget so I don't fix them for now: how nice would it be to have double-glazing to reduce my electricity bill and the noise from the street? How nice would it be to improve my health by receiving alternative therapies and buying healthier organic food, if I could afford it.

Above all, the sooner I save enough, the sooner I can retire and spend the rest of my life on what life is meant to be rather than on paying the bills.

Of all things, entertainment is almost my bottom priority and for having an idea of what's going around, it's sufficient anyway to browse any of 100's of news-websites around the world for free.

So it's not about the current content of the ABC and its political inclinations, but rather about the fact that I am forced to purchase through my tax that which is outside my budget rather than being able to spend that money on basic comforts and health - and it's not even about other people's comfort and health (in fact it's about feeding their addictions and degrading their health and quality of family-life). How more unfair can it get?

Life is meant to be lived, not for watching what others do.

I do admit that I listen occasionally to ABC Classic FM radio (including the news on the hour), so I'm happy to pay my share for it, but is it really necessary to use one's eyes in order to listen to good music and to the latest facts? Isn't it better to watch the sheet-music instead and play along with the radio? or to do the house-work during news-time? Do we really need to pay for all that makeup and visual gimmicks? I don't have that fool's box at home, so why should I pay for it?

Dis/services should be paid by those who use them!

Clearly a balanced view is one which the Left now turned Right agrees with, it is so obviously 'truth' who could argue, itching to swing with their departed colleagues in Iran. Freedom the definition has changed you say?

The ABC is a victim of sour grapes, no one can say why the ABC is biased or right wing or one sided. They don’t like Tony getting his socks knocked off because he can’t explain himself.
The ABC is extremely popular, even with the left, as they know every thing broadcast on it.
Instead of pay for view why not use the off switch. People that don’t want to read propaganda don’t buy Murdoch press.
Abbott said he would not touch the ABC, must have had a good interview.
You can’t protect Abbott from the ravages of accountability, even his own kind say that. The ABC are the only ones that have free air time to hold unpaid interviews.

Hasbeen why do you watch the ABC if you hate it so much, obviously you must like something about it to know their left views.The tax you are paying is minimal to extravagant married women having babies with tax handouts from people like myself, baby bonus, child care payments, schooling bonuses, paid parental leave, nanny fees, etc. your gripes with the ABC are no different to mine with the other, if a woman opens her legs and gets up the duff, look after the kid yourself or the man who duffed you, not us the taxpayer, so my gripe is no different to your gripe, it all concerns the taxpayer funding

Those moochers at the ABC need selling, a vast Government monopoly is no longer needed. There are plenty of far left types, the Greens, Labor and others, let them buy it. Real Workers no longer want to pay for that parasitic swamp.

Comments reflect that American hard right neo con nativist disease, i.e. I don't like something therefore it must be stopped.

Leadership in politics and the privilege of governing (as we like to tell less developed nations) is about leading and governing for all, not just the motivated hard right (or left), who would prefer a monopoly on media as found in socialist and central state systems.

I have issues with some of the highly paid, ageing and mono cultural public servants at the ABC who seem to stay on forever (and many vote or reflect the LNP's values)..... but on the other hand for those whom are city based supporters of the LNP be careful what you wish for.... and the idea that the ABC is leftist is a joke.

It just shows how intolerant and noisy some of the 'hard right' (and 'left' are), while both of their hard rumps are out of touch with the real world due to being informed by US conservative christian neo con type views of the world (who would also class Abbott as a 'communist') i.e. pushing strong beliefs vs smearing perceived enlightenment and reason (Where do you think the Kremlin and other autocratic regimes learn their propaganda techniques from?).

Anyone in the bush whether left, centre of right depend upon the ABC for decent news coverage, both TV and radio, almost as a human right.

I think even Tony Abbott and others would be very nervous having to tell their rural constituencies, susceptible to swings away from (L)NP, they no longer need ABC services and can rely upon NewsCorp or commercial radio.....

Minister Turnbull was far too soft in specifying the recent cuts to the ABC. And the ABC was its spiteful best in its response. It chose to make cuts to regional services, arguably the only area where there is some justification for government funding of the ABC.
As there is no shortage of competitors in other ABC broadcast service areas, the ABC should be subject to thorough review as soon as possible, with terms of reference that call for its abolition except for functions that lack adequate provision by other broadcasting networks. Similarly, the SBS should be reviewed to determine what justification, if any, there is for a future