A statement by the ABC’s political editor in a TV news report that Tony Abbott was “the most destructive politician of his generation” breached the ABC code for impartiality, the broadcasting watchdog has ruled.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority found that Andrew Probyn’s piece to camera on a 7pm news bulletin last October was “problematic” and “incongruent” with the rest of his news report.
“Although the statement was very brief, its impact was heightened by the fact that it was delivered by the ABC’s political editor in the report’s only piece to camera,” the Acma investigation found. “It was not in keeping with the ABC’s requirement to present news with due impartiality. Accordingly, the ABC breached Standard 4.1 of the Code.”
It is the second time since 2011 the ABC has breached its code.
In Probyn’s report on the former prime minister’s speech to the Global Warming Policy Foundation thinktank, he said: “Tony Abbott, already the most destructive politician of his generation, now intends waging war on what he calls ‘environmental theology’.
“If this tells us anything, it’s that Malcolm Turnbull can’t do anything to appease Tony Abbott on climate action, which may even embolden cabinet to pursue and deliver the energy policy it wants.”
A former political reporter for the West Australian, Probyn had just replaced Chris Uhlmann, who resigned to join the Nine network when Laurie Oakes retired.
The ABC’s own investigation found the story was impartial and in keeping with its editorial standards.
“Abbott’s speech, which was made as the government are finalising their new energy policy, was therefore highly newsworthy, in the public interest and appropriate for further contextualisation and analysis,” the ABC told the Acma.
“We have also referred to the Macquarie dictionary which provides the following definition for ‘destructive’: “tending to overthrow, disprove, or discredit”. It is the case that Mr Abbott over his long political career has succeeded in overthrowing his political and ideological opponents, and in his speech to the GWPF he sought to discredit or disprove the consensus on climate science. In the highly competitive context of federal politics, “destructive” is not necessarily a pejorative descriptor.”
Acma disagreed and said the ordinary reasonable viewer “would have understood this statement to be a comment on Mr Abbott’s political career generally, rather than a comment specific to his involvement with climate change policy”.
“Contrary to the ABC’s submissions that ‘destructive’ is not necessarily a pejorative descriptor, the ACMA considers that the ordinary reasonable viewer would have understood it in those terms.”
The ABC said Probyn had made a professional judgment expected in news reporting, as opposed to giving his opinion.
