ABC’s Gaza coverage ‘professional’
The ABC’s Ombudsman Fiona Cameron has cleared the national broadcaster in her 12-month report, finding the ABC’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza war was “professional, wide-ranging and reflective of newsworthy events”.
More than 6,500 complaints were submitted to the ABC over 2023, with the majority relating to its Israel-Gaza coverage. Almost 2,000 complaints were submitted in relation to a controversial episode of Q+A, which featured Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni alongside former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma, Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts, Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council chair Mark Leibler, and UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.
Of the thousands of complaint issues, 92 were found to be concerning a breach of ABC editorial standards. These include a report on a town hall meeting in Alice Springs over youth crime, and another on an episode of triple j in which guest presenter Miss Kaninna expressed her views on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Herald Sun forced to get with the times
The Herald Sun has been dragged out of the 1960s following a Press Council complaint over a story that used the outdated and generally offensive term “Aborigine” in a headline to describe First Nations peoples.
The Herald Sun ran an article about Victorian First Peoples’ Assembly chief executive Andy Gargett stepping down on January 31, with the print headline: “Aborigine assembly chief to quit”.
A complaint, seen by Media Briefs, was submitted to the Press Council, describing the use of the term as “grossly unprofessional and improper conduct”.
“The term is gratuitous, unnecessary, unwarranted, and recognised as offensive by most sectors of government, the public sector, private sector and other groups,” it read.
According to the memo, the executive director of the Press Council did not refer the complaint for further consideration, but in doing so sought a response from the Herald Sun. The memo stated that Herald Sun editor Sam Weir had “undertaken to use the terms ‘Indigenous or Aboriginal people’ in future in lieu of the term ‘Aborigine’.”
Vice soldiers on in Australia
Youth media outlet Vice Media announced this week it would cease publishing content on its site amid hundreds of layoffs. It comes after the millennial-focused outlet, which was founded in 1994, filed for bankruptcy in May.
Vice’s Australian arm joined the Nine-owned Pedestrian Group in 2021 as part of a deal that saw Pedestrian also launch Refinery29, an entertainment site aimed at young women.
One Pedestrian employee told Media Briefs that despite the turmoil of Vice in the USA, Vice Australia intends to continue publishing and that Vice’s value for Pedestrian extends beyond the website.
Pedestrian Group CEO Matt Rowley was contacted for comment but did not respond in time for publication.
Moves
- Former Sydney Morning Herald reporter Laura Chung has left the masthead, joining Agence France-Presse as a correspondent covering the Pacific Islands.
- Seven West launched The Nightly this week, a free digital weeknight newspaper and website. The venture’s editor-in-chief is West Australian editor Anthony De Ceglie, best known to your correspondent for also getting in a confected newsroom biff with wrestler Austin Theory this week. The Nightly‘s editor is Sarah-Jane Tasker and the publication features a host of high-profile names including Chris Dore, formerly of The Australian, and Kristin Shorten, Wenlei Ma, David Koch, Mark Riley, Leigh Matthews and Justin Langer.