Turnbull Exposes How Gutless The ABC Has Become
Former PM Malcolm Turnbull exposes how gutless the ABC has become in an interview with a breakfast announcer. In response to questions about his criticism of US President Donald Trump Turnbull hit back at the ABC.
“On Tuesday morning, Mr Turnbull hit back at questions from the ABC about whether his attack on Mr Trump would undermine Australia’s case for an exemption.
“Are you suggesting that we should engage in self-censorship in Australia for fear of offending the huge ego of Donald Trump?” he asked.
“Is that really the state that we’ve got to? Surely we should be free to speak the truth. Or are we going to muzzle ourselves for fear of offending Mr Trump?” ‘
The truth is that the ABC has been toned down via conservative management directives imposed by those at the top. Longtime watchers and listeners of the ABC would be aware of this, as the absence of outspoken presenters in the Kerry O’Brien mould is keenly felt. The challenging intelligence of ABC current affair reporters and hosts are no longer front and centre for the network. Playing it safe is the MO these days after sustained lobbying by the LNP Coalition and budget cuts when they were in power for a decade prior to the Albanese government.
Malcolm Turnbull Turning up The Heat On Trump
Malcolm Turnbull is turning up the heat on Trump in the absence of any commentary coming from the government. I did notice that the WA Premier called JD Vance a knob and this may well have contributed to a better than expected result in the recent state election there. Most Australians think that Trump is too extreme and a danger to world peace and economic security. PM Anthony Albanese has a ‘no comment on Trump’ policy but he may have to review this, I think, in light of the crap job Donald Trump is doing in the US. The Ukraine reversal in favour of Putin is a bridge too far for most conservatives around the place. The popularity of Zelenskyy makes the US pull out in Ukraine a betrayal of a disgusting nature in most people’s book. The ABC has, when reporting on Donald Trump, trodden a docile line in search of impartiality. However, when Adolf Hitler’s forces were rolling over Europe I don’t think the BBC would have been worrying about being benignly objective in their reporting. There comes times when things have to be called out for what they are.
The ABC Has Been Gutted By Conservatives
Softly, softly may be the political approach of the Albanese federal government in their approach to international affairs but I don’t think we need the ABC to carry on in such a manner. Australia is a predominantly right wing media landscape with Murdoch’s News Corp controlling most of the media. Nine Fairfax and Seven West are largely conservative corporate media voices as well. We do not have a major progressive voice here downunder and the ABC used to play a bit part in fulfilling this missing piece of the puzzle. The death of The Drum and the gagging of alternative voices, as in the Latouf dismissal, have seen a muting of the progressive voice here in Australia. The carry on about antisemitism has been a one sided campaign waged to further pro-Zionism views. News Corp platforms like The Australian, Daily Telegraph and Sky News Australia have been relentless in their alarmist messaging about any protesting by pro-Palestinian Australians voicing their views about the genocide occurring in Gaza. Peter Dutton, the LNP Coalition opposition leader has been in lockstep with News Corp over this and drumming up fears in the community with divisive commentary. The beat up phony story about the caravan packed with explosives to terrorise the Australian Jewish community is the perfect example of this. This bogus event or non-event was front page in the Murdoch alarmist press. Dutton was doing his spooky Voldemort impression from the sidelines warning that the heavens were about to fall in. The ABC, in previous times, would have investigated further and courageously stood up to the noise but not anymore. Vale ABC, we grieve for your misplaced fearlessness – once a lion and now a mouse.
Robert Sudha Hamilton is the author of America Matters: Pre-apocalyptic Posts & Essays in the Shadow of Trump.
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