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ABC Pours Fuel on Radio National's Fire

by Darce Cassidy
 

Darce Cassidy is a former Radio National broadcaster, and a former senior executive with the ABC

Presenter of highly acclaimed RN program The Religion Report, Stephen Crittenden, has been suspended by ABC management following his on-air comments last week regarding the axing of his program.

The ABC has announced an inquiry, but not into the decision to wind up nine programs - the inquiry will be into Stephen's comments! He has, of course, been instructed by ABC management not to make any further statements.

There is a link on Crikey's site to an MP3 of Crittenden's remarks.

Radio National is not the ABC’s highest rating network, but it is the most valued by its listeners, who have been outraged by the loss of these programs.

It is not often that all major political parties agree, but last week both the Government and the Opposition supported a motion by Greens leader Bob Brown calling on ABC management to explain the reasons for its decision.

The motion reads as follows:

I move that the Senate:

(i) Notes ABC Radio National's decision to axe the Religion Report, Media Report and the Sports Factor;

(ii) Notes that the Religion Report is one of the most important programs on the ABC with a rapidly growing international audience;

(iii) Notes that this program broke the Peter Hollingworth scandal, has applied critical analysis of the Exclusive Brethren, Anglican, Catholic and Muslim religions amongst others and provided insightful commentary of various religions over many years;

(iv) Calls on ABC management to publicly reveal all formal and informal criticisms made against this program over recent years; and

(v) Calls on ABC management to immediately make public the reasons for this decision.


The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, has announced a two month public consultation on the future of Australia's national broadcasters, the ABC and SBS. Comments from the public are welcome. Details are on the Department's site.

Please let both the government and ABC management know your views.

julija bassil

Posted by julija bassil 10/21/2008

I believe that the actions of the ABC Management in this instance are tantamount to censorship. It is great to see that all sides of politics seem to be acting in concert in opposing this outrageous decision and the even more disgusting and insulting manner in which Mr Crittenden had been treated. I hope that the staff at the ABC stike over this matter. The ABC is the last bastion in the Australian media which provides independent and unbiased reporting. Woe betide us if this community service is eroded and all our decision-making has to be based on the twadle that the commercial stations provide.

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