ABC ‘truth bombs’ from Ita Buttrose and Peter van Onselen

Apparently, “calling out” ABC journalists, in particular, by labelling the practice of reporting the facts as “biased”, is becoming increasingly fashionable.

Also de rigueur is the long-time Right-wing tradition of muddying the waters by insisting something is the opposite of what it is or presenting “both sides” on indisputable facts, such as climate change — a scientific reality for which there are not “two sides”, any more than there are two sides to gravity.

KEEP RIGHT ON BOTH SIDES

Of course, it doesn’t help when ABC management “counsels” journalists for speaking the truth about subjects such as the genocide we are witnessing in Gaza or stating the obvious about Australia being a racist country. Or when ex-bosses pipe up about the importance of “both sides”.

On Monday (29 July), former ABC chair Ita Buttrose shared her thoughts with Patricia Karvelas on Radio National.

Buttrose’s “unbiased” views included her belief in the existence of an “unconscious bias” at the ABC (read, left-leaning bias), the failure of some interviewers to report “both sides of arguments” and her position on News Corp:

“I think quite frankly, you’re all too sensitive about News Corp. Let them do what they want to do — it doesn’t really matter.”

Buttrose then reminisced about the good old days (at the Women’s Weekly, of course) and the “vehement arguments” she had with then-boss Kerry Packer about the national broadcaster:

“He didn’t like the ABC, either.”

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HANDS OFF NEWS CORP

To sum up Ita’s profound musings, everyone should just leave News Corp alone to continue on its merry way distorting the narrative within the media landscape it already dominates, so it can finish the job of destroying the public broadcaster and finally completely dismantle what’s left of our democracy.

Meanwhile, Peter van Onselen (PvO) wholeheartedly agreed in his Daily Mail piece, subtly entitled, 'Ita Buttrose's truth-bomb is plain common sense... but, of course, it's a bridge too far for the ABC'.

In van Onselen's view:

'There is no better evidence of the left wing bias that has taken over the ABC's political coverage than the always critical commentary about the Coalition that the political correspondent for the 7.30 television program, Laura Tingle, partakes in.’

Yep, Laura is the problem, according to the Daily Mail political editor.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also seized the opportunity to pile on by claiming the ABC has "been hijacked" and demanding ABC chair Kim Williams stand up to journalists like Laura Tingle.

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FIND ANOTHER PROFESSION

But our favourite excerpt is this sage advice from PvO:

‘If those who hold others to account for a living don't like themselves also being held to account for their commentary and analysis they should find another profession.’

For a short time, it may have been hard to decide whether Peter van Onselen was a full-on Right-wing cheerleader or just a right-leaning fence sitter, so adept was he at presenting “both sides”.

That was all settled pretty quickly, though, when the whole Christian Porter historical rape allegation surfaced.

At the time, van Onselen continued to opine on the allegations against his mate, then-Attorney-General Porter — despite the obvious conflict of interest, with statements such as this (shared on Insiders):

“At the macro-level, I couldn't be happier … that women are coming forward [about sexual abuse]…

At the micro-level though, if it's someone you know and if they claim that they're innocent — boy it's a difficult issue.”

PvO then went on to publish the dossier of Porter’s alleged victim and attempted to smear her reputation by highlighting her mental health struggles with the following:

‘Her life and death are a tragedy. Especially for her family, who have expressed concerns that, perhaps due to mental illness that included a bipolar disorder, she may have imagined the rape.’

A quick trip down memory lane also reveals a not-at-all over-oversensitive van Onselen, in 2021, suing someone for upsetting his sensibilities in a social media post, along with those of his friend and then-attorney general Christian Porter and former Liberal-National MP Andrew Laming. In a big week for bruised egos, all three men sent defamation notices to the disabled, child sexual abuse survivor, Professor Gemma Carey, in a joint email from their law firm.

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THE 'RIGHT' SIDE

These days, former Project host and The Australian columnist, van Onselen, has found a comfortable home at the Daily Mail, where he no longer bothers making a pretence about which side his bread might be buttered on. (Hint, it’s only on one side.)

In this week’s "unbiased" offering, van Onselen waxed lyrical about his version of what it means to provide “both sides” in journalism. Essentially, in PvO speak, it means knocking yourself out to come up with two sides on scientific topics such as climate change or talking up the “charm” of Donald Trump.

On things such as political leaders, however, like Opposition Leader Dutton, there is clearly only one side — the side of the News Corp-led Right-wing establishment media.

No need, apparently, to point out Dutton’s obvious lies, fantastical policies that will never come to fruition or Trumpian – yes, I dared use Laura Tingle’s term – dog whistling.

Indeed as Buttrose advised, everyone should stop trying to report the truth or stand up to News Corp (et el) and just:

"...Let them do what they want to do — it doesn’t really matter.”

David Anderson denies ABC cowered to another NewsCorp pile-on but can’t deny NewsCorp did pile-on Laura Tingle as Sarah Hanson-Young warns Anderson NewsCorp’s tactics are to “suit their business model” & calls on ABC to “stop platforming” & “blacklist” “NewsCorp’s mouthpieces”💥 pic.twitter.com/Oks2AVE8Fj
— stranger (@strangerous10) May 30, 2024