‘We don’t walk away’ – Australian broadcaster defends publicly funded news

15 September 2009

ABC chief speaks out at Commonwealth Broadcasting Association lecture

The head of Australia’s national broadcaster mounted a vigorous defence of publicly funded news organisations at a major Commonwealth Broadcasting Association lecture last week.

Mark Scott, Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), warned of the dangers of relying on news delivered by companies owned by private shareholders, adding that these organisations were “dumbing down” content.

“In Australia, the funding of public broadcasting is seen [as] a part of the greater public good that is funded through taxation,” he said at the lecture at Australia House in London, UK, on 9 September 2009.

“Not everyone watches or listens to the ABC in Australia, but almost universally, everyone is glad it’s there. There is a sense the ABC provides unique services, distinctive services.”

'Digital age of plenty'

Citing surveys which he said show that 90 per cent of Australians believe that the broadcaster provides a “valuable or very valuable” service, Mr Scott stressed that publicly funded news organisations mattered “more than ever” - even in a “digital age of plenty”.

“We don’t walk away in the face of contracting profits or shareholder skittishness,” he added.

“[Companies owned by private shareholders] care only about the profits – perfectly rational in terms of their investment strategy and their shareholder interests. But this has meant the abandoning of marquee programmes, the dumbing down of prime time current affairs content and the virtual abandonment of international bureaux.”

Attack on the BBC

Mr Scott was responding to an attack on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) earlier this month by James Murdoch, the chief executive of News Corporation, one of the largest privately owned media organisations in the world.

Mr Murdoch had argued that funding for the BBC should be stripped back to allow independent news organisations to better compete with it.

“I can’t let this pass without commenting on James Murdoch’s recent claim that it was ‘essential for the future of independent digital journalism that a fair price can be charged for news’,” Mr Scott said.

'A tragedy for the world'

“In other words, that as commercial news services were now considering charging for their online news, there was no longer a place for a free, public news service provided by the BBC.

“Think about this: the reason it sounds like a bad idea is because it is a bad idea. But strip away the lofty language, and you see that the James Murdoch solution is less about making a contribution to public policy than it is getting rid of the BBC’s services, effectively destroying the BBC as we know it – a tragedy for the UK – a tragedy for the world.”