ABC Managing Director Russell Balding has referred Senator Alston’s 68 complaints about the AM Program to the Independent Complaints Review Panel.
Balding said due to the enormous public interest in the matter, and in
light of the Minister’s criticism but reluctance to have his complaint
further reviewed, “he referred the matter to the Independent Complaints
Review Panel, under Section 12.6.3 of the ABC Editorial Polices.”
“Although the Minister is clearly dissatisfied with the first review, he has
shown an apparent reluctance to refer the matter further as provided for
within existing legislative provisions. I have referred the matter to the
next stage of the review process,” said Balding.
“I have also initiated this action in order to address the Minister’s stated
concern about the need for external review.
“Notwithstanding the thorough and rigorous examination by Mr Murray Green (a report that I continue to stand by), I believe it is in the public interest
that this matter be further reviewed by a body that is independent and
external to the ABC. Last year the Minister himself endorsed this process
(The Age 27/08/02).
The Independent Complaints Review Panel has been established by the ABC
Board to facilitate an independent external review of complaints.
Members
are appointed by the Board on the basis of their backgrounds in:
journalistic ethics and practice, media operations, electronic media and
program production, complaints handling or other review processes and
assessing public issues.
The current Panellists are:
– Mr Ted Thomas, Convenor, former General Manager of Channel 7, Sydney
– Ms Margaret Jones, Deputy Convenor, journalist, author and member of the
Australian Press Council
– Professor Michael Chesterman, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the
University of NSW, part-time Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform
Commission, part-time judge NSW, teacher and commentator on media law.
– Mr Stepan Kerkyasharian, NSW Ethnic Affairs Commissioner, formerly of SBS
Radio.
– Mr Bob Johnson, formerly Channel 7 News and Current Affairs.
The Minister is also entitled to have his complaint further reviewed by the
Australian Broadcasting Authority.
And in a not-so-serious vein, Triple J breakfast announcer Wil Anderson’s comment on the situation was: “The ABC isn’t biased, Richard Alston’s just saying that ’cause he’s a right-wing pig rooter.”