The Voice No campaign blacklists The Guardian over its coverage of Voice to Parliament and vows not to answer any of the publication’s questions.
- Fair Australia will no longer answer Guardian questions
- The campaign is concerned about the links in the post to the sponsor of Yes
- The publication maintains that it has complete editorial control
Australia’s Unofficial campaign opposing Indigenous Voice to Parliament has blacklisted the Guardian media organization, accusing the publication of “being on the payroll of the Yes campaign”.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Fair Australia, the arm of the No campaign associated with the Coalition’s indigenous affairs spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, has vowed not to respond to any further media inquiries from the left-wing publication.
It comes after a report in The Australian last week revealed that The Guardian receives funding from The Balnaves Foundation, which is also part of a group of philanthropists who have pledged $17m to support the Voice ‘Yes’ campaign.
A member of the No campaign said Fair Australia campaigners were outraged by the revelations in the report, and were unnerved after receiving a query from an investigative reporter about another article the Guardian is working on.
Fair Australia has vowed not to respond to any further media inquiries about the post.
Currently, the lead story under the banner ‘supported by the Balnaves Foundation’ is a story about the No campaign, with an image of the main No advocate, Warren Mundine.
It is understood that the activists do not feel they have been misquoted and misrepresented in the independent publication’s coverage of the issue in recent months.
The source said: “We have answered previous questions in good faith, but we have been surprised [the Guardian’s] aggressive bias against Australians who oppose the divisive Voice and stubborn refusal to publish our responses in full’.
The Guardian said it would continue to report “fairly and accurately” on Fair Australia.
A spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Guardian Australia has complete editorial control over all its journalism and remains completely editorially independent, even when funded by philanthropy, as made clear on our website.
“When we partner with a philanthropic funder, we agree on a wide coverage area from the outset, after which all editorial decisions are made exclusively by Guardian editors.
“Philanthropic partners never pitch story ideas to editors, nor do they have access to the editorial process. There are no exceptions to this.
“Fair Australia’s decision to no longer respond to questions from The Guardian will in no way affect our ability to report fairly and accurately. We are committed to reporting fairly and accurately on all aspects of the referendum campaign and will continue to do so. We will continue to offer Fair Australia the opportunity to provide a statement on the stories that concern them.’
The Balnaves Foundation provided the publication with a three-year grant for ‘in-depth reporting and educational activities on indigenous issues’
It comes after a report in The Australian last week revealed that The Guardian receives funding from The Balnaves Foundation, which is also part of a group of philanthropists who have pledged $17m to support Voice.
The Balnaves Foundation awarded the publication a three-year grant for ‘in-depth reporting and educational activities on indigenous issues’.
Another grant also supports coverage of Australian arts.
Currently, the main story under the banner ‘supported by the Balnaves Foundation’ is a story about the No campaign, with an image of the main No advocate, Warren Mundine.
The headline reads: ‘Indigenous Voice No campaign targets religious voters who oppose marriage equality.’
