The ABC boss has sounded the alarm about the health of democracy around the world, citing US vice-presidential candidate JD Vance's comment about declining trust in institutions as a warning to the Australian media.
In a speech Wednesday night, Kim Williams spoke about the role of journalists at ABC and other media outlets as advocates for truth and civility.
He also lamented the angry tone of the public discourse and pointed to former US President Donald Trump's speech as an example of where the debate had gone off the rails.
“If we take away the truth, we will have a shouting match that creates and directs anger and hatred,” Williams said during Sir John Monash's annual speech in Sydney.
“People shout at each other, claiming that walls can keep enemies out, that drinking bleach can cure the coronavirus, and that everything that goes wrong in our nation, our society, and our lives is someone else's fault and must be addressed.” avenged .
“Decisions based on lies (simply made-up things) are a recipe for political disaster.”
Boosting the media's role as gatekeepers and fact-checkers for the public, the ABC president pointed to JD Vance, Trump's running mate.
In his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, the vice presidential candidate said that only 6% of American voters thought the media was “very trustworthy.”
“This is not the kind of libertarian distrust of government policy that is healthy in any democracy,” Vance wrote in his memoirs.
“This is a deep suspicion towards the very institutions of our society. “This is becoming more common.”
Citing the above passage, Mr. Williams said he wondered to what extent Mr. Vance had changed his views in the eight years since the book was published, but those words remained true.
“At the critical point, you're right: The very institutions of our society are losing the public's trust largely because there is no longer a broad consensus on the facts,” Williams said.
discharge…
Journalists must commit to objectivity
Williams, who took over as chairman of the public broadcaster's board of directors earlier this year, also alerted some of his employees during his speech.
The respected media executive, who has been ABC chairman for five years, said all journalists must recommit to objectivity.
He referred to the experience of another media official, former Washington Post editor-in-chief Martin Barron.
discharge…
“Having grown up in a world rife with social media and identity politics, some of Barron's young journalists have begun to see themselves not as objective reporters but as activists and partisans,” Williams said.
“They were outraged by the stark inequalities in American society, which had been spread by the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, and they wanted to set aside long-held ideas about staying out of the fray and enlist their newspaper in the cause.
He added: “Although the desire to take sides is tempting, I believe that all of us in the media and in cultural institutions in general must resist.”
Williams warned that the consequences of doing otherwise would be dire.
And he added: “When the truth is relative, democracy is in danger.”
“In my opinion, objectivity should not be compromised in any media outlet, especially in a publicly owned organization like the ABC.”
Financial pressures threaten media institutions
Williams said ABC journalists “can do incredible work” and “have proven it time and time again” and wants to “increase capacity for serious journalism” at the taxpayer-funded organization.
But he warned of the financial pressures and the threat they pose to a powerful press.
The ABC boss cited tech giant Meta's decision to end commercial deals with Australian news organizations, worth tens of millions of dollars, as a risk to jobs and the viability of media companies.
“New ideas are needed to restore the commercial health of our corporate newsrooms,” he said.
“I hope they succeed: Nine, Seven, News Corp, the smaller independent players like Schwartz and Crikey.
“They are all vital parts of our democracy.
“The ABC is not opposed to commercial newsrooms, we are allied with them to create a democratic and informed citizenry.”
Williams also criticized the behavior of media mogul Keith Murdoch, father of billionaire News Corp chairman emeritus Rupert Murdoch, describing him as a promoter of “fake news” during the First World War.
He said Murdoch and fellow war correspondent Charles Bean had campaigned to remove General Sir John Monash from battlefield command in Europe, using their correspondence from the front to pressure the government.
“It was complete nonsense – a disinformation campaign that collapsed when Prime Minister Billy Hughes, while touring the front, was told that Monash was respected by everyone who worked with him,” Williams said.
“Penn and Murdoch's stupidity was a great example of the insanity of spreading fake news and making decisions based on bias and ego.”
