Stick To Your ABC

Bob Dumpling — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:05:32 +0000

Anyone who follows the media would know that it’s a great time to be working at the ABC. While the wolf is at the door for many commercial and community outfits, our government funded ABC can sleep relatively soundly at night. Nothing highlights this better than Managing Director Mark Scott, who proudly tells the rest of the media they need to focus on quality journalism, stay ahead of the pack and other heart warming motherhood statements.

This is all very well coming from the public broadcaster with $800 mil coming in from Treasury. I have no problem with the ABC fulfilling its charter. What bugs me is the ABC running around doing things (with public money) where there is no imperative to do it.

I hate to say it but as Kim Williams repeated in Crikey; “… in the digital age we need to be careful to ensure that public broadcasters like the ABC don’t merely replicate what the private sector is now doing or inadvertently crowd out market-driven creativity and innovation.”

And what is this replication that shits me? The inane, pop-culture of the malnourished, sub-70 IQ celebrity kind. Essentially why is the ABC wasting time and resources on infantile dross like this: http://blogs.abc.net.au/articulate/.

Or (and this is far worse) this: http://blogs.abc.net.au/theshallowend/.

I read the ABC Charter all the time and still can’t locate the section where it says it is required to fill the gap not taken up by commercial interests to inform and report every hot celebs current crisis or full colour documentation of the current fashion disaster unfolding at some drug-infested awards night or event opening.

Surely the funds being sent in the direction of the Vacuous Celebrities Awareness Department of the ABC would be far better administered by employing a few more journalists or funding some of the core services that are the reason for the ABCs existence?

Groupthink » celebrities

Stick To Your ABC