Australian (ASX) Stock Market Forum

Is the ABC left, right or centre?

Do you feel the ABC has a political bias?

  • yes, to the left

    Votes: 17 47.2%

  • yes, to the right

    Votes: 1 2.8%

  • no, balanced in general

    Votes: 7 19.4%

  • both, depending on the reporter/moderator/compere - as with any other news source really

    Votes: 10 27.8%

  • other (plus comments)

    Votes: 1 2.8%
  • Total voters
    36
  • Poll closed .
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2020hindsight

2020hindsight

Joined
28 May 2006
Posts
9,985
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Having just watched another brilliant "Q&A" show in ABC , with politicians, authors and commentators from both left and right, I find that once again I feel extremely indebted to the mighty Aunty.

Australia without Aunty just wouldn't be the same imo.

But we often hear accusations that it leans to the political left.

What do ASF members think about Aunty?

I guess I should have asked "would you miss her if she went?" :eek:

PS I would say it's the best damned 8 cents (12c?) I spent today thas for sure - but I would reveal a bias if I did so ;)
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

2020hindsight said:
Having just watched another brilliant "Q&A" show in ABC , with politicians, authors and commentators from both left and right, I find that once again I feel extremely indebted to the mighty Aunty.

Australia without Aunty just wouldn't be the same imo.

But we often hear accusations that it leans to the political left.

What do ASF members think about Aunty?

I guess I should have asked "would you miss her if she went?" :eek:

PS I would say it's the best damned 8 cents (12c?) I spent today thas for sure - but I would reveal a bias if I did so ;)
Click to expand...

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaate LOL

The chattering classes cowards castle I'd call it.

CCCC

Reminds me of the cyrllic for the USSR

gg
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

I remember at one time it was rabidly leftist. I still think the staff are probably of the left, but do a good job of keeping it pretty balanced.

:2twocents
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

In the end the ABC will tow the line of the government that is in at the time.
They are reliant on governments for their funding and their boards are stacked by governments.
Bias is in the eye of the beholder...as they say we all agree with something that we already know,but when we are told something which we do not know we tend to attack the messenger.
Why was there no analysis as to why the ABC ,and all Western Media,got WMD in Iraq so wrong.
The ABC were either too intimidated or too stupid to even raise the question...and the incumbent government,Howard,was riding high at the time.
If the ABC had opposed the WMD scenario we would have had a huge campaign by the government and its captive media against the ABC.
In the end the ABC has about as much credibility as the British Bullsh"t Corporation.
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

I think that they do have a bit of left leaning, which counter balances the general right leaning of the commercial stations and talkback radio, but overall are fairly balanced and would not imo deliberately push a party line - i.e. if there is mud to find they will expose it regardless of whether it is left, right or with the ABC itself.

I think the journalists at the ABC, who I doubt are doing it for the money, would be defining themselves by their independence and integrity, and would not like to be associated with a political bias.

The Howard govt certainly seemed to have issues with what they perceived as a lack of balance in the ABC and 'encouraged' them (via funding threats) to be more balanced in their coverage if I recall correctly.

I think the ABC does provide one of the few venues for proper in depth investigative journalism and shows like Four Corners and their ilk are unique and invaluable.

I'm happy with where the 8c is going.
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

Having just watched another brilliant "Q&A" show in ABC , with politicians, authors and commentators from both left and right, I find that once again I feel extremely indebted to the mighty Aunty.

Australia without Aunty just wouldn't be the same imo.
Click to expand...

Agree absolutely. In particular Mungo McCullum's insightful and incisive coments were wonderful. But also there is is a generally pleasant demeanour pervading these shows with so little of the nastiness and prepared response rhetoric that is so much the hallmark of anything involving politicians on the media these days.

As to whether the ABC is "left"? I have never fully grasped what it means to be "left" in a country like Australia. Probably if you are part of the "intelligentsia" ie intelligent enough to do your own reading/research and have an informed and questioning approach to important issues you would probably be "leftist". By this definition the ABC is "leftist". So what? Is this a problem? Probably is for governments and others trying to manipulate things to their advantage. But for the rest of us? I don't think so.
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

I think Aunty is centre. You only have to watch the weekly political current affairs show, Hollowman. What's that you say? It's not real, bugger, had me fooled.
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

I wonder if the people voting that the ABC is 'leftist' think that commercial TV/radio/newspapers are generally right leaning? Or do they think they are centrist, cause you just can't have too much preaching to the converted?
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

robert toms said:
In the end the ABC will tow the line of the government that is in at the time.
Click to expand...
I completely disagree and think you are insulting their journalists who are on the whole of a high quality.

Why was there no analysis as to why the ABC ,and all Western Media,got WMD in Iraq so wrong.
The ABC were either too intimidated or too stupid to even raise the question...and the incumbent government,Howard,was riding high at the time.
Click to expand...
This comment demonstrates how little you watched/listened to ABC at the time. There was plenty of questioning on this.


If the ABC had opposed the WMD scenario we would have had a huge campaign by the government and its captive media against the ABC.
In the end the ABC has about as much credibility as the British Bullsh"t Corporation.
Click to expand...
So you'd say the commercial media offers more credibility?

2020, I agree wholeheartedly with your appreciation of the ABC. I'd happily pay much more than the 8c. I rarely watch TV, except for the 7.30 Report and a few others, but find ABC Radio offers a wonderful variety of information and entertainment.

As far as political bias is concerned, depends on the programme. Phillip Adams, and a few other programmes on Radio National are very left wing, but then there is Counterpoint which started out with a specific right bias , possibly to counter all the accusations of a general left leaning for the ABC.

Then on the Local Radio network I've never had the impression of any bias in either direction. In Tony Delroy's "Nightlife" programme, e.g. where there is talkback every night, often on political subjects, despite listening for many years I would still have no idea which way Delroy would vote.

There is some fine journalism on the ABC. Just compare, e.g. say "60 Minutes" with its crappy sob story sentimentality every week, with "Four Corners" or "The 7.30 Report"!
 
Hello,

Landline, Late Line Business, Sunday Business show, Gardening Australia, and News Radio. Happy for some of my tax to be used for these programmes.

During the Hawke Keating years the ABC came under fire for negative comments against the government, the same criticism was made by the Howard Government.

I think the ABC often acts as an opposition , especially when we have a strong government and weak opposition. Would not be surprised if before the end of Mr Rudd’s Government there are not claims of bias, against it.

Had to laugh the about the reference made to the BCC and the suggestion that it is on the side of the left, it has recently been subject to very strong criticism from the British government, particularly during the Blair years. I know it was hard to tell ,but Mr Blair was a Labour Prime Minister and presumably a bit on the left side.



Regards
 
The right wing fanatical everyone is a commo if you do not agree with our opinion brigade attack on the ABC is just rubbish.

As for balance FFS........

The problem for the world is flat and painted black and white dimwits is that the ABC report and raise questions about social issues that make various governments squirm.

Just like the local paper here in the West that Labor attack regularly for being bias, sound familiar?

Its got nothing to do with bias left or right, ask difficult questions and you quickly make enemies.

As for the Howard years of rule well looks like Costello is going to lay bare Howard's and his gang's total lack of credibility

End of rant, boy that coffee I just had has real zing in it
 
Julia,I see that you are a believer.
None of the Australian media opposed the government line in Australia during WMD...indeed none of News journalists world-wide had the courage to question this.
There were two journalists that I know of with the ABC that had real fits about people even bringing the plight of David Hicks onto forums.
Real tantrums they had.
If they had the same tantrums about a person like Alexander Downer...who bragged about making the case for war...then we can say they are trying to be unbiased.
Do you understand what bias is...demonising one and not the other?

About integrity...it was more than their jobs were worth...the ABC truly towed the government line.
(incidentally after one of them had the tantrum a fellow journalist tried to smooth it over by saying that the ABC tries to be even-handed as is in their charter etc...too late damage done)
 
I listen to the ABC more than any other,however I do not like to be treated with contempt by any journalists.
One example that I remember,among many was when Peter Cundall ,ABC garden man,was being interviewed about his life.
He was soldier with the British army in Palestine after the second world war.When he attempted to say that he was amazed how the Jews treated and regarded the Palestinians as animals...the journalist talked over the top of him and tried to drown him out,and quickly moved on.
Are these journalists self-vetting or acting under instructions.
I have subsequently heard the wife of a British ambassador to Israel say exactly the same thing....she was not cut off.
Why do the ABC take news stories straight from the US without qualifying them...we got the "chavez is a madman" routine without any qualification,before the US tried to arrange a Venezuelan coup...the contrived unrest on the streets of Panama before the US invasion, without qualification etc.Qualification "We got these stories straight from NBC ,and cannot verify the contents"
The ABC may be the best that we have...but surely we can do better
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

Nashezz said:
I wonder if the people voting that the ABC is 'leftist' think that commercial TV/radio/newspapers are generally right leaning? Or do they think they are centrist, cause you just can't have too much preaching to the converted?
Click to expand...

Nash, mate, I mostly listen to ABC radio, listen a lot, radio national, local and classic fm, and watch ABC tv just for the news and comrade O'Brien on the 7.30 report.

I find commercial tv in Australia facile, fascist and fubar.
I rarely watch it. Only programme I watch is Border Security. Its on 7 or 9. The kids set it up for me on Monday nights.

I have had Austar (Foxtel for you city folk) forever, and it gives better tv than the commercial ones.

The point you need to understand is that the ABC is for everyone, and if you argue that because the commercial channels are right wing, then it is ok for the ABC to be left wing , then mate you should maybe join the NSW Labor Party.

If you genuinely believe that 7 9 and 10 are too right wing, then start a thread and stop the viral infiltration of other threads with these arguments.

gg
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

Nashezz said:
I wonder if the people voting that the ABC is 'leftist' think that commercial TV/radio/newspapers are generally right leaning? Or do they think they are centrist, cause you just can't have too much preaching to the converted?
Click to expand...

When as many journos quit flagship ABC programs to join the Libs as Labour, then they'll be centre. (Not that I particularly like any of them)
 
Re: Is the ABC left right or centre

refined silver said:
When as many journos quit flagship ABC programs to join the Libs as Labour, then they'll be centre. (Not that I particularly like any of them)
Click to expand...

Too right mate.

Its a sterile argument.

The left feel that the ABC is not left leaning.

The centre and the right feel it is left leaning.

Its a Joe Stalin thing. Control the media and you control the people.

Thank god for Rupert Murdoch.

gg
 
Maxine McKew - ex ABC and also Bulletin magazine (right? left?) - now Labour MP
http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com...wont_allow_a_political_novice_to_beat_him/asc

Prue Goward - ex ABC and Federal Sex Discrimation Commissioner (now there's a leftist activity - a leftist quango no less lol - if ever I've seen one ;)) - now NSW Liberal MP
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/28/1059244556494.html
:2twocents
At a speech last week to a women's employment conference, she (Prue) laid into the "unattractive face" of the men's movement, complaining of men working very long hours "apparently by choice". She recommended the parliamentary inquiry into joint custody should explore the question of whether "men should have to put in equal parenting time while the marriage is intact" if they want to be more involved after separation. There might be fewer divorces if married men spent more time with children, she suggested.
Click to expand...
 

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