What has been needed in Australia for a long time are journalists with the power and the willingness to do basic research into news stories and give factual background information to counter the spin-doctors. The ABC seems to be about to do that.
The Idea that the ABC would have a unit to check the facts about stories and report the truth is the most positive sign I have seen that there are people with some power concerned about the lack of factual reporting in Australia.
There are plenty of journalists who want to stand up to Murdoch’s apology for a ‘free’ press in Australia but few of them have the power to be heard. The ABC is probably the only organisation with sufficient clout to stand up to Murdoch.
But it must do so without bias. It must be totally clean, totally transparent and beyond reproach in every way if it is to be scrupulously credible.
Already the opposition are squealing about bias and favouritism at even the suggestion that someone would check the truth. After all they are the only losers if factual reporting becomes a reality.
Joining the dots my summation of what is probably the current situation is that Murdoch tells Abbott what to say. Abbott dutifully does as he told and them Murdoch prints what Abbott has said. Facts inserted into this system seriously undermine the Murdoch dictatorship of the media.
Whoever came up with the new direction of ABC news has been very courageous and deserves the full support of everyone interested in truth in Politics and Main Stream Media.
The recent addition to the Australian media by the on-line copy of The Guardian newspaper may also serve to break the duopoly of News Ltd and Fairfax.
http://www.theguardian.co.uk/australia
It’s like a breath of fresh air.