The ABC offers a ‘deep dive’ exercise to remind its journalists not to show bias when reporting on the Aboriginal vote to parliament – because it bans the words ‘grog’ and ‘booze’
- ABC reminds all journalists to be impartial
- Stories on The Voice must not show any bias
- The employees undergo an intensive training course
ABC journalists will undergo training to remind them of their responsibility to be impartial when reporting on the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
An email sent to staff on Monday indicated that ABC journalists were about to “embark on one of the most difficult and important stories of recent times.”
The “deep dive” training session for journalists will be used to discuss “some complex editorial policy issues” and instruct reporters not to favor one view of voice over any other.
The email he received AustralianIt reinforced the “standards of impartiality” that the ABC committee expected of its journalists.
ABC journalists will undergo training to remind them of their responsibility to be impartial when reporting on the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Senator Lydia Thorpe (above) quit the Green Party over her opposition to the vote
He states that “no large area of thought or belief within a community is intentionally excluded or disproportionately represented”.
Employees do not inappropriately favor one perspective over another.
“The ABC Committee takes no editorial stance other than its commitment to basic democratic principles including the rule of law, freedom of speech and religion, parliamentary democracy and equal opportunity.”
The email said that journalists should adhere to “National Radio’s broader commitment to inclusion and diversity.”
The integrity guidelines were necessary to “avoid unwarranted use of stereotypical or discriminatory content that could reasonably be construed as condoning or encouraging bias”.
An ABC spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia there was nothing unusual about the training session, which will be led by editorial policy director Mark Maley and editorial policy advisor Bridget Caldwell-Bright, an Indigenous woman.
The ABC has already banned the use of “grog” when reporting on alcohol restrictions in the Northern Territory. Police is filmed in Alice Springs
“The ABC conducts editorial drills regularly to ensure that we cover major news and events in line with our editorial policies and charter commitments,” the spokeswoman said.
Earlier this month, ABC apologized for a radio report that described a community meeting in crime-stricken Alice Springs as having “white supremacist” elements.
The city of Outback has been in the national spotlight amid reports of hundreds of children roaming the streets at night, mounting property damage and alcohol-fueled violence.
A temporary ban on alcoholic beverages has been reinstated in the Northern Territory to prevent it from being sold in city camps and remote communities in the wake of the recent crisis.
An email sent to staff on Monday indicated that ABC journalists were about to “embark on one of the most difficult and critical stories of recent times.”
Mali previously banned the use of the word “grog” when reporting on alcohol restrictions in Central Australia, ruling it was “inappropriate slang” and warning that the word could be “stereotypical”.
“I am referring to ‘alcohol’ and not ‘alcohols’ and ‘booze’ or any similar slang on news, current affairs or interview programmes,” he wrote in another memo to staff.
The issue of restrictions on access to alcohol in the Northern Territory and elsewhere is highly controversial and newsworthy.
“It is very important that ABC is seen to report on these issues in an accurate and impartial manner and not inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes.”
