The ABC’s chairman has issued a scathing critique of the national broadcaster’s “prioritisation” of news, urging journalists to focus on hard news rather than lifestyle stories.
Kim Williams criticised the order of stories on the ABC website during a speech to Radio National staff late last month.
Leaked audio of the meeting, obtained by the The Sydney Morning Heraldrevealed that the president wants to take a more active role in the organisation’s news department than his predecessor, Ita Buttrose, who left the national broadcaster in March.
“I think people have, in times of public torment, crisis, division, challenges to leadership, the right to be able to access it reliably and immediately, and not suddenly see a lifestyle story being number one, number two or number three,” Williams said of the website’s home page.
Williams used the example of a typical day’s home page.
He noted that there was no mention of a NATO meeting that week, the ongoing turbulence in the French elections or the wars in Gaza or Ukraine in the mainstream news.
“We need to have a more consistent logic around prioritizing stories. And I think that’s not surprising and actually much more responsive to how people expect new services to be delivered,” Williams said.
“I don’t think I have to apologize for thinking that news should be given proper priority. I’m sorry if that’s not satisfactory.”
ABC president Kim Williams (pictured) criticised the prioritisation of lifestyle stories over hard news on the broadcaster’s website.
Williams wants to revamp the homepage of the ABC news website, radio station and marketing
The ABC has begun rolling out a new design to its website to some users, which is intended to help its audience navigate its news section more easily.
It will be fully operational in two weeks, on August 19.
Staff apparently took Williams’ criticism seriously and top stories on the ABC website on Sunday focused on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the Garma Festival, the US election, the unrest in Britain, the Olympics and a report on Russia.
Williams met with Radio National staff at the ABC offices in Sydney and online in late July as part of her effort to revamp the department.
It aims to achieve a reach similar to that of BBC Radio 4 in the UK, which reaches 17 per cent of the population each week, compared with ABC’s Radio National, which reaches just 1.5 per cent of people in Sydney and 1.6 per cent in Melbourne.
The new design of the ABC website (pictured) will be available in two weeks, on August 19.
Station director Dina Rosendorff will lead an overhaul of the station’s marketing and programming and begin a project to change its motto from “thinking big.”
Williams also plans to focus on ABC’s overall marketing strategy to make all of its departments appear more cohesive to their audiences.
“My view on ABC programming is that it should always be distinctive. Why do it if it’s not? ABC programming should be bold. It should be something that really stands out, that you can embrace and be proud of, and we should do that on a very regular basis,” Williams said.
While the proposed plans will require more funding, Williams said he will look to the work of former 1988 chairman David Hill, who was more active in the Cabinet rather than cutting current funding for smaller departments.
“For several decades, there has been very little advocacy from boards of directors for the ABC idea, and that is unfortunate. The boards certainly had reasons for what happened. I am not pointing the finger at anyone in particular, except for the effects,” he said.
Kim Williams’ comments come after former chair Ita Buttrose (pictured) criticised ABC journalists for becoming “too soft” and suggested they resign if they cannot handle criticism.
Williams’ comments come days after her predecessor sparked controversy by criticising journalists at the national broadcaster for being “overly sensitive” and biased.
Ms Buttrose made the explosive claims about Patricia Karvelas National Radio Breakfast show last Monday.
He also claimed that some journalists at the corporation were biased, adding that anyone who is biased or sensitive… ‘They should just give up’ if they can’t handle criticism.
“There’s nothing wrong with presenting both sides of an argument, and I don’t understand the reluctance of some of our interviewers not to do so,” he said.
‘Have both sides of the story, it’s much better for the viewer or listener.