Fans of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation are quick to respond to criticism of the organisation by smugly retorting that the ABC is “trusted” : the polls say so.

Last month’s Roy Morgan survey seriously questions this supposed trust, with the news that the ABC has gone down from number 10 to number 19 in the ranks of most trusted brands. Was being number 10 all that good to start with? They were number 5 a couple of years ago.

Social scientist, Dr. Ross Honeywell says that the ABC “risks falling out of the top 20 most trusted brands completely”.

An IPA article by Evan Mulholland suggests that the loss of trust in the ABC could stem from “media sagas” where the “focus of controversy” has been the ABC itself. As an example - there was a massive decline in the trust rankings of the organisation in April 2020, when the High Court unanimously threw out charges against Cardinal George Pell; charges the ABC had called for.

The attacks by 4 Corners on Christian Porter and Alan Tudge almost plunged the ABC into “negative territory”.

Roy Morgan says that their results haven’t come from the “usual suspects” (conservatives), but from the “vast majority”, with comments like, ‘not impartial’; ‘leaning too far to the left’; ‘lack of balance’, and ‘twisting the truth’ being common responses.

The Morrison government “is running out of excuses not to take on the ABC”, writes Evan Mulholland.

Those with an ounce of integrity have known about this yonks !

individual

Well, there are clearly not enough people with integrity, including the ABC's main target, the gutless Coalition, to do anything about it.

Defund the ABC.

the gutless Coalition,
ttbn,
The corrupt & vindictive retaliation that'd ensue would put the country into a spin & death roll.
Sadly, we'll have to wait until some ABC journalists start reporting on their colleagues & management before action can be taken by ANY Govt here.
People asked for the ABC to be defunded also happened during Labor Govts so, I guess you'd call them gutless also ?

individual,

What the political class has got away with during Covid shows that they could shut down the ABC tomorrow. Even Labor would be comfortable with the fact that a small - and apparently getting smaller - minority wants to cling to the ABC.

CM

I prefer a shutdown. Get it over and done with. There is SBS for 'diversity' and non-mainstream weirdos, and their entertainment programs, particularly drama, are several hundred percent better than the ABC's and the commercial's.

ttbn,
I'm not disagreeing with you but one has to look at this realistically & to defund the ABC (which would be the moral thing to do) would be the surest election loser on the market.
ABC staff are Public servants & as such they're Labor's backbone plus the public service union would stir up such an unmanageable mess that would take decades to sort out.
All we can hope for is for more people to see Labor as what it really is & help the Coalition to stand up against that problem.

Yes ttbn, I'm with individual, your point is correct, but the trust is all in the past tense.

I was amazed to find my lady, who would not hear even a single word of doubt that the global warming theory was wrong 5 years ago, watching some rubbish on morning ABC TV. Now wised up to the scam, I asked her why she was watching the stuff.

It pays to know what the enemy are up to was the answer.

ttbn- Yes I'm happy with a shutdown. I'm not actually against state sponsored media in a sense but the ABC seems to have become completely corrupt

..the ABC seems to have become completely corrupt.
Canem malum,
I found ABC Radio is a lot worse than ABCTV. Only a few days ago I heard one of the Australian Chinese commentators say about Jeff Bezos & William Shatner as "rich white man" indulging ...!
I have yet to hear him comment on "rich Arabs or Asians" indulging in having fleets of private jets, extraordinary lavish homes & lifestyles etc.
The ABC should not tolerate such blatant hypocrisy ! That old woman in charge should be removed instantly along withe her board of cronies.

While there will always a reason for private, money-making, employing, private media, there is no reason now for taxpayer funded media. The old one about serving the bush no longer applies - internet, satellite etc., and FM radio stations can be set up in someone's spare room.

What passes for news most of the time doesn't touch the average viewer or listener, who can can pick what he or she us interested in from the internet. Social media fulfils any need for sharing.

The only losers from the overdue death of the ABC would be, in my opinion, the hard-headed (some would say boneheaded) Leftists, who need to be told what to think, and who will always try to defend the indefensible; and those people who watch it, listen to it, so that that they can complain about the bias.

The ABC has the only add free channels and as such should be kept, reform is what’s needed not annihalation.

Is Mise,

The last time I watched the ABC, they were still advertising themselves. Reforms? What reforms do you suggest?

The ABC is regularly in breach of its charter. Governments do nothing - except continue giving them $1.1 billion of taxpayers' money each year. The bleating about the cost being only a few cents per person is nonsense. The billion dollars could be put to much better use.

The ABC is an an anachronism and sheltered workshop for Leftist activists posing as journalists.

On suggestion I have heard is that the ABC be made a subscription service.
They would have to look at how they do or don't attract viewers.

ttbn,
True they do advertise themselves, or to put it another way, they tell what they are offering.
Compare to the commercial ‘60 Minutes” which has about 38 minutes of non advertising content on average.
The ABC’s Gardening Australia Le a very good program as are many of their dramas, all not interrupted by adds.

Bazz,

I don't think too many would pay to watch it. They pay now, whether they use it or not, because they have no choice. I don't think there would be enough voluntary subscribers to keep it going.

Is Mise,

What about the reforms?

What a pile of tripe.

This was a survey of 'brands' and there is little wonder that those with the biggest advertising budgets were always going to feature in the top 10.

Even Harvey bloody Norman which ripped of taxpayers to the tune of 22 million in jobkeeper payments edged itself into the top 20 for the first time.

No other news agency came within a bulls roar of the ABC though.

Those who want to rip away scrutiny of our politicians and big multinationals are calling for the defunding of this important institution. Most just dribble out Murdoch fed talking points, an organisation which is determined to see the ABC be privatised, broken up or turned into a subscription model. And the typical OLO sheep are here bleating out those messages.What a pile of tripe.

This was a survey of 'brands' and there is little wonder that those with the biggest advertising budgets were always going to feature in the top 10.

Even Harvey bloody Norman which ripped of taxpayers to the tune of 22 million in jobkeeper payments edged itself into the top 20 for the first time.

No other news agency came within a bulls roar of the ABC though.

Those who want to rip away scrutiny of our politicians and big multinationals are calling for the defunding of this important institution. Most just dribble out Murdoch fed talking points, an organisation which is determined to see the ABC be privatised, broken up or turned into a subscription model. And the typical OLO sheep are here bleating out those messages.

SteeleRedux, frustrated as usual and buzzing around like a blowie caught in a bottle, is now starting to repeat himself.

We can have private news agencies and we do that can be rcognised to represent diverse views. We do not need a publicly funded broadcaster that is not the voice of the Government to the people. Of course its flavour will change as the people change the government. But currently it is anti- Australian and anti Government. For instance it should be reporting views without an agenda, but they have an agenda they are pushing. for instance: On Climate Change it should be presenting both sides of the argument but they are committed to one side and demonise those that disagree.

I might point out the BBC is a subscription service still I believe.
They do not seem to have much problem attracting viewers.
I acknowledge that they have been accused of being lefty biased.

Dear Josephus,

Oh come on mate.

At some stage equal time to holocaust deniers, or tobacco executives claiming smoking doesn't kill, or James Hardie executive claiming asbestos is safe, has to end.

Now that the Murdoch press has finally jumped the shark and stopped throwing shade on the climate change that most of the sane world knows is happening is really is game over.

We most certainly “need a publicly funded broadcaster that is not the voice of the Government 'for' the people.”

What we don't need is a foreign owned multi national setting the political agenda for this country. That is most certainly as anti- Australian  as it gets.

ttbn,
The ABC could be more even handed in its presentation of views, that’d be a good start.
But generally they are so far ahead of the commercial channels that we never turn the commercials on.

To Individual- Yes the head of the ABC "Ita" has an interesting background- nominated by Scott Morrison- raised Catholic- doesn't seem to be a lefty per se- but seems to have become softer with the ABC- some don't like her- I've heard she can be hard to work for- I get the impression that she has a good work ethic- perhaps like "Nuclear Wintour" on valium- their hair seems to be similar. There was a scandal regarding her father-journalist Charles Oswald Buttrose- but she was named after her Maternal Grandmother- Ita Clare Rodgers (Rosenthal). It seems the Rosenthal surname (Rose Valley) has been in publishing related businesses for a while- and has been disproportionately influential.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ita_Buttrose
http://selectsurnames.com/rosenthal/

Despite all this the ABC should go.

Maybe with different hiring policies a new broadcaster could be created but sadly the HR profession too appears to be corrupted. I can emphathise with Is Mise's view that in the country side there isn't much else- though many don't watch the telly much now- a dying medium perhaps- like the unions perhaps filled with communists.

Is Mise

Yes. That's one of the main problems with the ABC. It is not even handed. It has never been even handed. It will never be even handed voluntarily. No government seems capable of insisting that it be even handed in exchange for its billion dollars of taxpayer money. So, no hope of reform there.

It is your opinion that the ABC is "far ahead" of commercial TV. About one third ( and falling) of Australians agree with you. But, that is no recommendation. Criticism of crappy commercial TV , which lives or dies on its own efforts and revenue, does not excuse the publicly funded ABC.

Bazz

You say that, "They do not seem to have much problem attracting viewers".

Sorry, Bazz, but they do. Most Australians never switch on the ABC. Even prior to this damning report, ABC aficionados have made up only about 30% of the Australian population

the only add free channels
Is Mise,
Not really because the insanely repetitive promos are no different to ads ! They still disrupt viewing.

Too right, individual. And what could be more narcissistic than advertising themselves! At least the commercial's annoying ads are paid for by private business, and not the government, with our money.

ttbn, my comment refereed to the BBC.

When my son started work at the ABC he was told by a friend;
"If you vote Liberal don't let on about it if you want a career here."
That was many years ago and there has been no change.
As he saw if you are not with them you are out, literally.
They have a acceptance of all except Liberal voters.
That is why the ABC is so biased.

Bazz,

Sorry. A bit early in the morning for me.

I quite believe that Liberal voters or anyone not a lefty wouldn't be welcome at the ABC. They don't employ a single non-lefty. There was one sort-of conservative on ABC radio - Duffy was his name, I think - but he is long gone

Steele R is so out of date on subject matter he believes the independent media topics are. "At some stage equal time to holocaust deniers, or tobacco executives claiming smoking doesn't kill, or James Hardie executive claiming asbestos is safe, has to end".

It is so obvious he does not research what are the topics in the current news. At least you can keep up to date on topics by watching research done and presented on UTube, which shows a balance rather than the Marxist agenda of the ABC. The ABC are currently promoting racial difference to cause social division like the Communist BLM in USA. The ABC are presenting the fear mongering of the end of the world by Climate catastrophe claiming it is settled science rather than the facts of scientific papers and its economic costs.

Josephus, yes I have noticed a trend at the ABC recently.
I noticed very much so very late last night listening to RN.
The program, can't remember what it was about but it was noticibly racist.
I fell asleep and missed the rest.

it was noticibly racist.
Bazz,
That's been going on for a very long time but recently, it started to get rather blatant !
On one hand they bleat about stamping out racism & on the other hand they do their best to promote it at every turn !
That alone warrants severe cutting of funding to the ABC. Listening to it one can be forgiven to think of it as the Aboriginal Broadcasting Club.

There are two sides to every story. The ABC only ever reports on what suits them at the time consequently several years now and turned off. Was an assett with no advertising but my massive tax funds could certainly be put to better use. Maybe I should turn on again just to check them out.

Talking about 'racism' and aboriginality, I watched on Chanel 7 last night a story, which, according to the blurb, could 'bring down a government'.

A young aboriginal offender was shot, and died, resisting arrest in a NT township. The young police officer was initially cleared of any offence, but the politicians got onto it, and he was charged with murder, after a lot of hallabaloo from the community.

Several officers, including an AC, have resigned from NT police over this matter.

You won't see that on the taxpayers' ABC.

Actually you did see it on the "taxpayer's ABC."

In 2019 - when the incident happened:

http://abc.net.au/2019-11-10/nt-police-shoot-man-in-yuendumu/11690124

Trust in the ABC is not waning. It is one of the most trusted
news sources.

However for some people because the ABC devotes
air time to issues that are largely ignored by other media
be it religion, Feminism, Indigenous issues, Muslim, and other minorities' interests
in doing so the ABC is at odds with these people's beliefs about
Australia for whom Australia is still white, European, Christian,
and of course male.

In their minds this is bias. But is it bias or a reflection of
the modern reality of Australia, warts and all.

There are folk whose political beliefs are so far to the right
that just about all of Australia, and most of the world is to
the left, and any media that reflects this reality is necessarily
left-wing and biased.

On the whole Australia's mix of public service and commercial media
serves our social entertainment and political needs well.
Diverse, accurate and informed media is a cornerstone of our
democratic process because choice only means choice when we
know the alternatives.

When media content is driven only by entertainment values and
profitability, not to mention the influence of large advertisers,
alternative voices are not encouraged.

Public service broadcasting ABC and SBS is vital to providing
alternative ideas and understandings. Without alternative ideas
or political parties we don't have democracy.

cont'd ...

Apologies for leaving out a word in the link.

Here's the link again:

http://abc.net.au/news/2019-11-10/nt-police-shoot-man-in-yuendumu/11690124

Foxy,

Still stalking and pontificating on everything.

"Actually you did (NOT) see it on the "taxpayer's ABC." I do NOT watch any current affairs/documentaries on the ABC. And, your reference is to an online text report, not TV.

But you don’t care about that, of course, not being interested in facts, truth or anything but Marxist ideology.

You are one of "the hard-headed (some would say boneheaded) Leftists, who need to be told what to think, and who will always try to defend the indefensible;" I referred to in my post 23/10.

Even though the well-known, reliable and professional Roy Morgan organisation (unlike you) has found that the ABC has dropped from number 5 to number 19 in trust, you still howl that "Trust in the ABC is not waning. It is one of the most trusted news sources".

If that's not ignorant, bigoted, ideological nonsense, I'll eat all the hats on my hatstand.

You are a very silly and naive woman, Foxy, whom I have decided to ignore, along with your Green boyfriend. But, in this instance, your failings were just too outrageous to let go.

Foxy,
That ABC report you linked to didn't mention the apparently political murder charge that (along with strong evidence that the police officer was acting in self defence) was the focus of Seven's report.

It is, I reckon, the kind of thing you could see on 4 Corners or hear about on Background Briefing. But because of Budget cuts, the ABC isn't making as many episodes of those as they used to.

______________________________________________________________________

ttbn,
Isn't the ABC still Australia's most trusted news source? If not, what is?

Did Roy Morgan publish information showing trust in the ABC has actually slipped, rather than just the rankings (which could just show that other brands had become better at marketing themselves as trustworthy)?

ttbn,

You watched something on channel 7 last night and I
provided a link to the original event that happened in
2019 - and because you did not see it on the ABC -
I'm the one providing misinformation?

And then you go on to hurl insults at me. Okkkay - it's
all my fault - I get it.

Boy, I certainly must have rattled your cage.

Seriously though - you need to broaden your viewing habits
and reading more than just right-wing stuff like "The Spectator."
Also drop your obsession with Marxists - you're beginning to
sound like your pal - Canem Malum. (undoubtedly he'll stop by with
some "kudos" for you before long).

The facts however differ from what you're presenting. And by the
way responding to someone's comments in a discussion is not
stalking. Also providing facts which don't agree with your
views also does not qualify as "misinformation."

The ABC news has covered Kumanjay Walker's fatal shooting in
Yuenoumu, west of Alice Springs in November 2019. The News
channel has covered this story multiple times.

As for surveys? Surveys consistently show a high level of
public trust in the ABC. The facts remain that the ABC's
content has a huge reach across multiple platforms and
services. The ABC's output is not just TV but encompasses ABC
News online, which has been the Number 1 digital news website
for 12 months, and ABC Radio, which is also the number 1
national network.

The ABC News channel reached 6.4 million viewers in March and
ABC Kids is the number 1 channel for children in daytime,
followed by another ABC channel, ABC ME.

Through its COVID coverage the ABC was recognized in the record
audience numbers. 74% of Australia's adult population agreed -
"The ABC is the most reliable place for information during an
emergency."

In 2020 - Australians turned to the ABC in record numbers -
through bush-fires and the COVID crisis the ABC has been
the trusted source of news and information.

cont'd ...

cont'd ...

ttbn,

As for surveys? The ABC has commissioned surveys
also,
including those from companies such as Roy Morgan and
Essential Media. They clearly state that:

"The ABC is perceived as a valuable service to the
Australian community by 79% of Australians. Who also
believe that a healthy ABC is essential for Australia's
future."

So blow that out of your rear-end!

Foxy,

The only cage you are rattling is the one you are inside.

What some of you are aware, but not all, the ABC regional radio is
very popular outside major cities. One reason is historical.
Prewar it would have been was that the ABC got 10 or 50 Kwatt licences
for many of their transmitters in many country areas.
This gave many country town commercials a significant disadvantage.
As a result after 50 years the country people became welded on.
It really is/was as simple as that.

ttbn,

Deny all you want sweet pea, but your previous post
speaks for itself. I pissed you off - and out came
the insults .. Yay!

To silly and naive, add childish, immature and beyond redemption. It's genuinely only spoiled children who carry on the way you do, and they generally grow up; you haven’t, and obviously never will.

ttbn,

I've stated many times that I have no control over
what you think of me. You keep saying that you are going
to ignore me yet you are the one who continually keep
coming back with personal attacks and insults instead
of attacking the issues - you attack me. I get the
hostility that you have against me - and that you need to
vent your spleen - but you really have to take responsibility
for your own actions and consequently my reactions.

Name calling is childish - and you seem so good at it - despite
the fact that you don't really know me. Yet in your eyes - it's
all my fault - and I'm the childish one. You know so little
and you know it so fluently.

On this forum - your negativity is consistent. Which indicates
you have deep seated problems - especially with people whose
views are different to yours and whop dare to correct the nonsense
you post. (I should have said "crap" but that would be rude,
but right).

If they gave you an enema you'd fit into a matchbox.

Anyhooo - no matter what anyone says - you'll continue to be the
same old sausage - fizzing and sputtering in your own grease.

I'll leave you to it sweet pea. Keep venting your spleen if it
gives your life more joy. It sounds like you need it.

"I've stated many times that I have no control over
what you think of me."

Yes. You have said that many, many times.

You have no control over yourself. You go on and on, determined to have last say, until most posters give up, accepting that you are a narcissist, lacking self-awareness and social skills, and give you up as a bad job.

I suppose it is cruel of me to make sport of someone like you; and OLO is about expressing opinions, not questioning your bizarre behaviour, which is never going to change.

ttbn,

Thanks for proving my point.

I rest my case.

The only thing proved is how sad you are. I promise never to bother you again.

ttbn,

You've promised before and did not keep it.
And you won't be able to this time either.

You always look for reasons to hate - which is
evidence of a character flaw.

But although I don't know what you are like in
real life ( must be a joy to be around) but on this
forum what you're probably mad at is the fact that
you're not included in anything, ever.

This resentment explains your bullying and troll like behaviour
plus the fact that you're slow in the uptake and mighty
suspicious about anything new to you.

Just more sour grapes and gripping from the old privileged white men who make up the IPA and bleet about it in The Catallaxy Files. I would love to see commercial television match the prestige and trust the ABC has. With more Walkley Awards for excellence in journalism than any other network - one of its children's shows winning an international Emmy Award (and being downloaded literally millions of times)- the careers of dozens of entertainers launched on ABC - the dozens of programs picked up latter by the commercial networks, or even a cursory glance at the vital role of ABC radio in the National Party's treasured 'regions' anyone gripping about the 'irrelevance' of the ABC is only demonstrating their own irrelevance.

I just finished listening to an IPA (funded by members and donors) podcast giving a caning to the ABC, with references to all the ways the rogue public broadcaster is abusing the terms of its charter.

The nicest thing about them was said by Tony Abbott (whom they have grossly misrepresented and abused). He said that ABC reporters can’t tell the difference between news and opinion. I don't agree with Abbott. They know the difference, alright.

As ABC ex-board member, Janet Albrechtsen says, the ABC snubs Australians, snubs taxpayers, and snubs the real cultural diversity of the country. They only tolerate the occasional conservative views so that they can mock them.

There is no doubt that Australians are sick of appalling programs like Q&A. In March this year, viewers were down to 213,000. In 2012, the it had an average audience of 600,000. Since then, the audience has topped a mere 300,000 only once.

Four Corners is described as nothing more than a "political gossip factory", tarnishing the careers of anyone who disagrees politically. Their horrible, sordid attack on Christian Porter is but one example. No evidence. Nothing but slime and slander, and legally ambiguous.

On the current pandemic, there has been no commentator more consistently wrong on Covid than Dr. Norman Swan, described by his ABC employer (he hasn't practised medicine for decades, and has no specialist knowledge) as an "expert". Not one of his wild predictions came true, but it was him that the ABC used to urge more lockdowns, removal of freedoms, jobs and incomes, none of which would affect taxpayer supported ABC employees.

"Norman Swan has nothing but opinions", as one commentator said.

For all but a minority of Leftist ideologues and sheep, trust in the ABC is definitely waning; and the time must come when the government has to do something about it.

Aries54,

Given your attitude to white men (not white women, I note), is it a reasonable guess that you are not a white man? No problem if you are a person of colour, of course; but it would be interesting to know if you are a self-hating anti-white racist, or just a run-of-the mill racist of a different hue to us old white blokes that you hold in contempt.

Dear ttbn,

The IPA does indeed have its fair share of privileged old white women too (Gina for example), but the men definitely outweigh the women on their sponsored blog.

And please feel free to exercise your bias and perceptions while judging me.

Anyone defending the ABC has no integrity themselves !

The ABC is certainly funded by taxpayers but the (so-called) "free-to-air" media is funded entirely by advertising.

Advertising is in turn funded via a levy on all good advertised so the fact is the rest of the media is actually funded entirely by consumers.

Not everybody is a taxpayer but we are all unavoidable consumers.

The ABC costs about $800million per year - about half of what is costs Channel 9 alone to go to air and the cost of the rest of the media is far greater than the ABC - but without the scrutiny.

Therefore, not only am I paying the wages of Leigh Sales & Co but I'm also paying the exorbitant wages of all the Bolts and Jones to tell me what a waste it is to fund the ABC yet they remain free to spew their own versions of bias and lies at will.

Hypocrisy?

Aries54,

Are you going to answer my question on whether you are a non-white person, which makes you comfortable criticising white people, which in turn makes you are a racist for judging people by the colour of their skin? Or, are you a white self-hater, ashamed of his own race because you want to be 'in' with a small clique of lunatics who have brainwashed you?

I'm not judging you, just asking how you justify this "old privileged white men" business. If you are going to make such slurs, you really should be able to explain why. I suspect that you are just going along with the mob and parroting what you have heard, particularly as you have declined to answer the question.


rache,

There is no hypocrisy. You just don't get it.

The ABC actually gets $1.1 billion annually, and while not everyone pays income tax, everyone does pay a myriad of taxes, including the GST on most purchases. Buying goods, which you claim have an advertising cost added to them (how much is that, by the way) is discretionary - as opposed to the cost of the ABC, whether we use it or not; and two thirds of us do not use it.

You don’t have to agree with me. You can love the ABC to bits. But you don't have to come up with illogical, irrelevant BS to do so.

Deat ttbn

Oh, the frustration you must be suffering not being able to pigeon hole me and conveniently write me off. For your information I am not someone '...just going along with the mob and parroting what you have heard ...' The 2 greatest compliments I ever received were when a student said to me "You aren't like all the other teachers here. They just tell us stuff. You expect us to think." And a professor at university said after I had asked him a question "We have a thinker among us."

You ask how do I justify this 'old privileged white men' business? From the evidence ttbn, from the evidence. As a casual reader of The Catallaxy Files for several years now, many of the contributors to that blog have outed themselves as just that - old, white, privileged and (mostly) men.

Dear Aidan, Aries54, and rache,

It really is disturbing that at the height of the
coronavirus emergency and on the back of devastating
bushfires, Australia's much awarded and trusted national
broadcaster is again being forced to make major cuts to
staff, services and programs.

It's doing so to offset the latest budget shortfalls as a
result of successive cuts from the Coalition government.
Even the travel budget, which allows journalists and storytellers
to get to places not accessible by others has been cut by 25%
announced in 2018. This has reduced the ABC budget by $84
million over 3 years and has resulted in an ongoing reduction of
$41 million PA from 2021.

This is part of an on going reductions to ABC funding that total
$783 million since 2014. These cuts to the ABC in real terms mean
operational funding will be much more lower in 2021-22 that
they were in 2013.

This is happening at a time when the public really cannot afford
to be getting their news from Facebook or other social media
outlets, the Murdoch press, Sky News, et al. Cutting hundreds
of people who contribute to some of Australia's most reliable
and quality journalism and storytelling and literally saving
lives during bushfires is hopelessly short-sighted.

The latest Digital News Report 2020 clearly showed the ABC is
the media outlet Australians trust the most.

Aries45,

Ye gods! You are a teacher, a source of misinformation, brainwashing without parents’ permission, and the general dumbing down of education that has seen Australia’s global standard plummet. Had I known, I wouldn’t have expected you to be able to come up with sensible answers. You will clearly be passing you politics on race, getting kids to be ashamed of who they are - the whole Marxist shooting match. I have never been a teacher, but I have been married to one for 53 years, and she is horrified by the indoctrination your lot practises these days, and the dummies you turn out.

You tell kids to think for themselves? After you have already poisoned their minds with what you think.

Your “evidence” for insulting white men (you clearly aren’t going to reveal your colour) is based on a single website nobody looks at. There are all sorts of websites, books, magazines etc catering for nutters. You look at one example, and you feel free to badmouth white men. And you have been reading the crap for “several years now”. You might have a personality problem.

I hope that you or someone like you is not brainwashing my great-grandchildren.

A snippet of the current Senate Estimate Committee enquiry into the ABC I watched was far more entertaining than the ABC itself.

A Senator told the ABC representative that he was confused about what the Corporation sees as analysis, news, and opinion. The ABC spokesman was even more confused, ducking and diving, and not really able to answer questions ‘without notice’.

When asked to describe programs he called the 7.30 Report news, as he did AM, PM, and The World Today. This being the case, the Senator asked if giving opinions in these ‘news’ programs would be against the ABC guidelines. The ABC person tried to wriggle out with “we have opinions in news stories”, but the Senator explained to him that he was talking about opinions of REPORTERS, mentioning some egregious examples of Sabra Lane on the Liberal government’s handling of vaccines. It was “bungled” she said.

The Senator put to the ABC representative that she was giving her opinion rather than relaying facts as she is supposed to do on a ‘news’ program. Your man didn’t answer, preferring to waffle on about how experienced Lane was, and that she was a “subject specialist”.

There would have been much more tooing and froing, but there was enough seen for the conclusion to be made that both the ABC and the government are both playing games at our expense.

Touche ttbn.

You can't hide your prejudice and bias for a second can you? The classic instant retort of the unimaginative - "...the whole Marxist shooting match..." Love it.

And talk about throwing the IPA blog under a bus. A website "...nobody looks at..." and I've been reading '...the crap...". Such high praise now, from someone who has sung its virtues in the past. Convenient hypocrisy on your part me thinks.

And Foxy

I agree.

Aries54,

The male version of Foxy, whom I have undertaken to leave alone. I shall extend you the same courtesy.

I'll just point out that I know nothing about about Cattallxy Files. Try ipa.org.au, where there are no old men: most of them are my grandson's age. All conservatives, of course.

The last few days I've watching Question time in Parliament - which is factually what is said. However immediatly following we have a rave against the Government on the fact we are facing a Climate catastrophe and the Government is not doing enough to to avert it.

The Glascow conference I hear is serving all plant based foods to the deledates attending. Their answer to the world is to eliminate the gas BBQ and gas cooking and the use of red meats from our diets, so no roasts or steaks and sausages in the weeek end.

Not only that Josephus, but they are installing diesel generators in
case of blackouts !
I would have thought there would be plenty of volunteers from the
attending activists to mount pedal generators and keep the light on
in sympathy with the conference. No ?

No old men at the Institute of Public Affairs?

Really? Gina Rinehart and her donations I guess don't
count. She's female.

However -

At its 70th Birthday gala dinner in 2013 Rupert
Murdoch gave the keynote. News Corp's Andrew Bolt
was MC. Then Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called the
IPA "freedom's discerning friend."
Gina Rinehart, George Pell, George Brandis
and Alan Jones were guests, and many others too
numerous to mention. Not all of them would qualify as
"young," But all staunch supporters of the IPA.

The IPA in the past seemed like harmless cranks but now they
have it seems great influence and are all but writing
government policy. That's not bad in itself. The wealthy are
allowed their clubs, and governments must get their ideas from
somewhere but when the private interest of Big Money
consistently presents as public interest - it is time to worry, Big Time.

When money and "ideas" hold hands - we need to get suspicious
then get cracking and fight for our freedoms to see the strings
and who's pulling them. And of course the ABC will continued to
have cuts and be looked upon as the "enemy." Holding politicians
businesses, and governments accountable is not something that
is going to be encouraged

Josephus and Bazz,

Cop26 will be a flop just like the previous 25 gabfests.

Meanwhile, back to the ABC.

The ABC will probably be the last to report it. Bludging as they do on our taxes, they are not under the same pressure as the commercials to produce.

It took Four Corners 4 weeks to get around to a story on the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, preferring go continue rubbishing Donald Trump - surely old hat by now.

Commercial media employees would have been sacked for that: but the ABC hacks still have their noses in the public trough.

Not sure about ABC staff having their noses in
"the trough" hundreds have lost their jobs as
a result of successive cuts from the Coalition
government. This should concern us all because
these on-going cuts represent an attack by the
federal government on the broadcaster and its
role in democracy and in keeping Australians
safe, informed and entertained.

Ha Foxy, while they spend $200k plus Fringe Benefits tax on an employee's
personal legal expenses ? Come on !
end of post

This whole Net zero business has got out of hand.
Only 50 countries going, and expert opinion is that we cannot change
our energy system that dramatically in 30 years.
While I am not an expert in that area I have had enough industrial
experience to understand what the experts are saying to us who at
least have some relevant knowledge.
Most politicians and public servants and very large numbers of the
public have no such experience and are so handicapped.
When the blackouts start the party in government will cop it !

I suspect that the PM is off to Glasgow knowing full well it will be
the 26th failing conference. He is taking as someone said a magic pudding.
All he is worried about is the next election. Far enough, I think
that he believes the Labour/Greens will legislate it all and that
none of the decisions will will be able to be implemented.
It is now generally accepted, but not always acknowledged that the
wind/solar/batteries has no possibility of success.

Brainwashed schoolkids grow up and vote and that is where we are now.
Ultimately it will sink in to the general public that changes are
necessary but will need one or two hundred years to implement.

Bazz,

It's 30 years away, the current twits, Liberal and Labor will be gone, and they won't be around to pay for their stupidity. It's all a joke; a sick one but still a joke.

tbbn,
I don't know the current cost but in 2019 the annual cost of commercial media advertising in Australia was about $1.7billion, all of which was funded by consumers.

I don't agree with many of the Government departments that spend or waste my tax dollars but the ABC consistently ranks as the most trustworthy news source. Ten minutes of listening to the ignorant foam-flecked rantings of Sky after Dark presenters is all I can stand before reaching for the remote or just laughing at their blatant bias.

You always have the choice of turning off the ABC and continue to get off over the rantings of commercial media or whatever else aligns with your personal prejudices and hatreds (of which you seem to have in abundance).

Foxy,
The Liberal Party is the political wing of the IPA. It used to be an off-shoot of the party but now it calls the shots.

their blatant bias.
rache,
You wouldn't know what bias was unless you listened/watched ABC !

Hi rache,

I support the ABC because it devotes air time to issues
that are largely ignored by the media and in doing so it
paints a picture of an Australia that is at odds with
some people's beliefs about this country. In their minds
this is bias, but is it bias or a reflection of the modern
reality of Australia, warts and all, often at odds with
entertainment and profitability.

Then there's the politicians and other community and
business leaders (like Gina Rinehart, et al) who want to
control messages about themselves and their doings.
They're the ones who believe that who pays the piper
picks the tunes.

We also have those in the community who feel that the media
should provide "entertainment" hence the popularity of
"reality" programs.

And of course we have the hostility of the Murdoch media
to public service broadcasting.

Finally there are folks whose political beliefs are so far
to the right that just about ALL of Australia (and most of the
world is to the left) and any media that reflects this
reality in their view is necessarily left-wing and biased.

"Money makes the world go around," this old adage is so
true in politics - so it should be no surprise that the IPA
with their donations to the Liberal Party call ths shots.
But that's anothe4r reason for supporting our national
broadcaster and fight for our freedoms to see the strings
and who's pulling them.

rache,

Thanks for actually addressing the question I asked. That rarely happens around here, with people not responding to questions at all, or not answering, but continuing to run off at the mouth, trying to humiliate the questioner to hide their ignorance.

You don’t say where you get your figure from, but I'm sure you didn't just make it up. I would just like to get back to discretionary spending as opposed to no choice ABC.

I have never seen anything I regularly buy advertised. I have never bought anything based on advertising. Sure, I'm not a big spender, but we all have the power to decide how we will spend our money, unless it's the billion dollars annually that politicians have decided to give the ABC.

I would also point out that it's not small businesses supplying the goods we need who advertise, but big businesses pushing stuff that we do not really need who can afford to advertise, which is pretty expensive.

Big Businesses have huge advertising budgets, yes. They might factor them into their selling prices, yes. But, does that have anything to do with taxpayers bankrolling what is a one-sided propaganda machine that most Australians do not avail themselves of. No.

I used to watch the ABC. But I was 21 years old before TV came to the country town where I lived, and there was only one commercial station, which was crap. I'm far from what is called "progressive", but I have moved with the times, can use technology, and no longer need an anachronism like taxpayer funded media. I have a choice. So do you, but I simply do not understand why you choose to believe that the ABC "consistently ranks as the most trustworthy" when it has been proved that it does not.

Cont...

... cont

Nor do I understand how you can say to me: "You always have the choice of turning off the ABC and continue to get off over the rantings of commercial media or whatever else aligns with your personal prejudices and hatreds (of which you seem to have in abundance), when:

I have turned off the ABC. Surely I've made that clear.
I don't "get off" on what you call "rantings".
I have "personal prejudices", so do you, very obviously. Preferences is a better word.
I don't hate. Perhaps you just feel hated by people you disagree with?

Hi rache,

There's a psychological term for consistently blaming others.
It's a defence mechanism in which the ego defends
itself against unconscious mechanisms or qualities
(both positive and negative) by denying their
existence in themselves and attributing them to others.

People's posting records speak for themselves and we have
our resident posters who will always blame others for
their own actions. It's never their fault - but yours,
which is typical of how bullies behave.

One of the amusing things for me that has been brought out by OLO over the past couple of decades or so is the firm conviction by some posters that other people have 'prejudices' while they, the accusers, just have opinions. And those pontificating about the 'bad' behaviour of others are really writing their own mini autobiographies.

All one has to do is compare the posting records.
They speak for themselves and say more about those
posting than anything else.

If the ABC disappeared no one would be worse off.

shadow minister,

Democracy would be poorer.

shadowminister,

I would go further and say that we would be much better off: not just because of the billion dollars each year, but we could get back to the two party system, where politicians have to convince us which side we vote for without interference from an extreme Leftist organisation that abuses us using our own money.

I don't think that the Institute of Public Affairs
qualifies as a "Left-Wing" institution. Yet they are the
ones calling the shots with the Liberal Party.

And again at the height of the coronavirus emergency and
on the back of devastating bushfires Australia's much
awarded and trusted national broadcaster has been forces
to make major cuts to staff, services and programs. It is
doing so to offset the latest budget shortfalls as a
result of successive cuts from the Coalition government.

And the sad thing is that these are on-going cuts which
represent an attack by the federal government on the
broadcasster, its role in democracy and in keeping
Australians safe, informed and entertained.
This is hopelessly short-sighted!

The latest Digital News Report clearly shows the ABC is
the media outlet Australians trust the most.

Foxy,

Democracy would be poorer if a politically biased state-owned news organisation disappears?

AHA ! Has the government sold the ABC to Facebook ?
Facebook has announced a change of name to META.
They also have adopted the Lissajous trademark figure of the ABC.

I can't spell the word Lissajous which is what that figure is.
I think that spelling is wrong.
Anyway they will be in good company.

You have the spelling right, Bazz. It's a Bowditch Curve, which is what the ABC symbol is.

shadow minister,

Democracy will be poorer because at a time when the
public really can't afford to be getting their news
from Facebook or other social media outlets, (the
Murdoch Press, Sky News, et al). And cutting some of
Australia's most reliable and quality journalism and
storytelling and literally savings lives during bushfires,
is hopelessly short-sighted.

Foxy,

The problem with the ABC is precisely because its reporting is neither reliable nor of high quality.

It has substituted facts for an opinion which it frequently gets wrong. Its only redeeming feature is its once a decade role in emergency response which could easily be replaced with a national warning system for a tiny fraction of the cost.

I see that all the ABC execs awarded themselves fat bonuses.