ABC TV 6 May 2023 at 5PM
The complaint alleges breaches of Standards 2, 4, and 7 in relation to the Coronation Broadcast from 5.00 pm AEST on 6 May 2023.
The complaint relates to a panel discussion program, in part simultaneous to the Coronation program from London, occupying part or all of the screen and dominating the sound transmission.
The panel discussion program was politicised and partisan, highly critical of the role and function of the Crown in relation to indigenous people, and overall favouring the removal of the Crown from the Australian Constitution.
An outline of the alleged breach of each standard follows:
Standard 2. Accuracy
By not presenting, except minimally, reasonably balancing alternative views from those known to be reasonably competent and expert on the role of the Crown in indigenous matters, and on retaining the Crown in the Australian constitutional system, the ABC failed to make reasonable efforts to ensure that material facts were accurate and presented in context, and accordingly, the ABC is in breach of Standard 2.1 (Make reasonable efforts to ensure that material facts are accurate and presented in context.)
Standard 4. Impartiality and diversity of perspectives
By not presenting, except minimally, alternative views from those known to be reasonably competent and expert on the role of the Crown in indigenous matters, and on retaining the Crown in the Australian constitutional system, the ABC failed to gather and present news and information with due impartiality, and accordingly, the ABC is in breach of Standard 4.1. (Gather and present news and information with due impartiality.)
Having regard to many other of its broadcasts, the content of which is well known, the ABC also failed to present a diversity of perspectives on the role of the Crown in indigenous matters, and on retaining the Crown in the Australian constitutional system. The result is that, over time, significant strands of thought, or beliefs within the community were knowingly excluded, or disproportionately represented, and accordingly, the ABC is in breach of Standard 4.2. (Present a diversity of perspectives so that, over time, no significant strand of thought or belief within the community is knowingly excluded or disproportionately represented.)
As a result, the ABC also unduly favoured one perspective over another, and accordingly, the ABC is in breach of Standard 4.5 (Do not unduly favour one perspective over another.)
Standard 7. (Gratuitous) Harm and offence.
While the fundamental broadcast was on the Coronation, the ABC chose to impose and force on viewers a politicised and partisan panel program, highly critical of the role and function of the Crown in relation to indigenous people, and overall favouring the removal of the Crown from the Australian Constitution.
At times the simultaneous imposed programme confusingly occupied a panel and at times the whole screen, overriding the audio of the Coronation programme.
Given the number of opportunities exercised in the past in offering such programs and the abundant opportunities to do so in the future, it was not necessary to impose and force this politicised and partisan panel program onto Australians, thereby disturbing and interfering with the viewing of activities at and immediately preceding the Coronation service. There was no need and no possible editorial justification for this.
As a result, a number of Australians were unnecessarily and gratuitously offended, both through the imposition and forcing of and the hostile nature of the imposed programme, as is testified by the widespread upset and condemnation of the ABC recorded across the nation.
Given opportunities in the past and in the future to offer such a programme as that imposed, its imposition and forcing on viewers wishing to see uninterrupted the various activities surrounding the Coronation cannot be justified by the editorial context and was entirely gratuitous, and accordingly, the ABC is in breach of Standard 7.1. (Content that is likely to cause harm or offence must be justified by the editorial context.)
In addition, the ABC did not adequately fulfill its obligations to make reasonable efforts to provide information about the nature of the content of the imposed and forced programme, through widespread warnings and information to viewers. Most viewers would have reasonably assumed that this was a program showing the Coronation and would have been surprised by the politicised and partisan nature of the program as described above. Accordingly, the ABC is in breach of Standard 7.2 (Where content is likely to cause harm or offence, having regard to the context, make reasonable efforts to provide information about the nature of the content through the use of classification labels or other warnings or advice.).