The ABC’s chairman James Spigelman has announced the national broadcaster will conduct four external audits a year to ensure it’s impartiality is maintained.

During his speech at the National Press Club the Chairman also called on journalists to broaden their connection with the public, suggesting that this may lead to more reporting on electricity prices than gay marriage.

“The allegations of bias are, I believe, more often a function of the topics chosen for reporting, than of the content. Journalists — all of you, not just those at the ABC — tend to have a social and educational background, perhaps particularly in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, that may make them more interested in, say, gay marriage than, say, electricity prices. As a public broadcaster we must endeavour to engage with those sections of our community who are concerned with the latter.

The ABC had been under growing criticism from politicians and private media owners that their coverage favours left wing points of view and that their cr0ss platform expansion onto the internet is making business more difficult for traditional newspapers.

Mr Spigelman rejected the claims of systemic bias but admitted that all media organisations could be biased on occasion. Mr Spigelman also noted that the broadcaster had historically clashed with other media outlets whenever it expanded it’s services highlighting that Keith Packer was opposed to the ABC’s expansion in to news services in the 1930’s.

OIP Staff