The ABC has a DUTY to promote healthy values.

Those of the 'makeitupasugo' school will suggest it 'DOES' promote values. Sure...ok...right... err.. which ones ?

Do we take the view

a) "The Media simply reflects society as it is" or...

b) "The Media SHAPES the community, and then reflects it"

c) "Both"

Ok..its a bit chicken and egg, but here is a wonderful example which suggests the Media SHAPES a community.

THE PORN PLAGUE.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19567811-601,00.html
It was filthy, just red with dust. And at both ends of the bed there was a stack of pornography, hard-core pornography, at least a foot high.
"I looked at the man who had led me there and I thought: 'What are you playing at?' But later I realised, this is normal. This is how men in these communities have learned to behave."

Umm... did i read 'LEARNED' ? yes. indeed I DID..

Where did they LEARN it from ? WHERE ?

Hmmmmm perhaps from the SLACK/ PATHETIC/ HUMANISTIC/ "how dare we CENSOR stuff" MONEY GRUBBING/ SEX SELLS/ ADULTS ARE ENTITLED TO VIEW WHAT THEY LIKE/ HOW DARE YOU TELL ME WHAT I CAN OR CANNOT READorLOOKAT mindset which pervades not just the ABC but all our major media outlets and worst of all.....US.

EVERY service station is SUBMERGED in degrading filth on open display.
They highlight 'SEALED SECTIONS' for added titilation...

SHAME !

yes.. I REPEAT SHAMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE .....on all of us. for not doing MORE to rid ourselves of this attitude which allows this.

Its the old "how many children have to die before we get boom gates at this level crossing" thing.

May I have a little 'Bible Bash' now ? can ? ..good.. here it is.

ROMANS 1

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.

Yep..sounds pretty up2date2me

Place people on the ABC who will FIX this.

He Ari, in regard to our old faithfull ABC/aunty your decree concerning the "frothy" news stories goes:

"There is no great positive externality generated by the broadcast of these sorts of programs: they add nothing to our democracy or society that wouldn’t be present if commercial broadcasters were to broadcast the material."

I'm not sure about this. I.e. lets take the story of Britney Spears and how she wants the media to "leave her alone". If the ABC could be bothered they might consider cross referencing it to something more pressing about the media generally; like the story of Dianna and what affect the media had on her life. The distinction between high and low brow "entertainment" is possibly blurred in this case. The ramifications of cross referencing as part of the ABC's ethos in the aforementioned context might even re-invigorate interest British politics and how the "Mother" country affects Australia (if at all). ABC may even go so far as to jumpstart a whole debate on Australia and the Republic issue... You never really know where the story might lead you. Its really a matter of how the ABC, our old faithfull, wants to represent these issues, not to produce a kind of benign frivolity, but rather something to stimulate intellectual debate. Which ofcourse would then be subject to state provisions and so forth.

Does it really matter how the news is generated? The "Shallow End" can always become a conduit to something deeper...

Well now that Keith Windshuttle is on the ABC board it can be the all-singing, all-dancing something-for-everyone who hates Aborigines and Australian historians.

Better Windshuttle, than the Rainier-clone windbags, we've had to endure up till now

Horus, do you count Albrechtsen, Brunton and Skala as "Rainier-clone windbags"? I think Windschuttle will fit right in (Right being the operative word).

I agree with the articles perspective but disagree with the conclusions that have been drawn

This article riles against ABC coverage of popular culture but misses the essential distinction between the ABC and the commercial coverage; the ABC coverage provides non-commercially biased analysis of popular culture.

Celebrity News such as The Shallow End – You may have guessed that this is somewhat satirical.
Light weight TV shows such as Kath and Kim - Again, social satire
Music videos shows such as Rage – Public access to non-commercially driven music with an emphasis on Australia.

You might not want to accept these thing as part of Australian Culture, but they are and thus need analysis which is not provided by the commercial sector.

I would also like to note that, as the author who has their own blog knows, blogs cost virtually nothing.