By Anthony Klan

The Institute of Public Affairs is seeking to harm the ABC's reputation, while questions linger over its own operations and purpose, writes Anthony Klan.

WELL-HEELED secretive lobby group the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), which seeks to influence Australia’s public debate, sway government policy – and is running an aggressive campaign against the nation’s most trusted news outlet – is refusing to say who actually funds it.

The IPA is spending substantial sums of money – funds it is refusing to disclose the source of – in a long-standing, clinical and systematic campaign attacking Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC.

Yet the IPA and its Executive Director John Roskam – who is due to appear on ABC Q&A program – are steadfastly refusing to even disclose who actually funds the highly vocal operation. 

That is, who is ultimately calling the shots against Australia’s most trusted news source.

The IPA’s anti-ABC campaign includes outlandish claims, such as the ABC is “structurally and geographically biased against mainstream Australia”, is an “echo chamber disconnected from the mainstream” and has “obsessions” such as around climate change.

It produces anti-ABC “news” style articles and videos – and most recently has produced a five-part “documentary podcast” – all attacking the ABC’s procedures and its ethics.

Yet the IPA has refused to say whether it, as publisher of all the material, considers itself an adherent – in any way – to the basic ethical frameworks that underpin Australian journalism.

Further, Roskam has failed to provide the name of a single employee or contributor, behind the barrage of anti-ABC “news” items, who considers themselves to be an adherent to Australian journalism’s ethical guidelines.

Yet when we approached Mulholland asking if he – the person savagely attacking Australia’s most trusted media outlet – considered himself a “journalist”, or adherent to the Australian Journalist Code of Ethics, he steadfastly refused to comment.

Questions put to Mulholland over the past two days have gone unanswered.

The IPA’s attacks on the ABC are particularly remarkable given polls consistently show that the ABC is the most trusted news source in the country.

A poll in March last year found 72% of Australians agreed the ABC was 'Australia’s most trusted news source' and a massive 84% agreed the ABC 'is a valuable source of news to the Australian community'.

ABC newsrooms are widely known among professional journalists to be some of, if not the most, ethical in the country.

Read more:

https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/the-ipa-rolls-out-ugly-campaign-against-the-abc,15830

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The Morrison government will restore ABC funding to 2018 levels, when Malcolm Turnbull imposed an $84m indexation pause, with the public broadcaster to be given $3.3bn for the next three years.

The communications minister, Paul Fletcher, has also announced SBS will receive $953.7m, including an additional $37.5m in ongoing funding to support its long-term sustainability.

Fletcher’s announcements follow a consultation process that commenced with the release of the government’s media reform green paper in November 2020.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/feb/07/abc-welcomes-funding-certainty-as-morrison-government-responds-to-media-reform-paper

READ FROM TOP.

Is this an election ploy? One would suspect so.... It cost really little for the government to finance the ABC (and SBS) properly... But the ScoMo government attack on the ABC and previous budgets cuts were pitiful attempts at showing "who's boss"... But it is my understanding (from around the traps) that many "independent" candidates in Liberal seats for the next elections, are all in favour of financing the ABC to proper levels... AND THEY ARE GAINING TRACTION, especially on this issue... ScoMo could see his Liberal (CONservative) base cut in half — and say loose a seat like Wentworth... again. 

If you remember, ScoMo argued (he technically lied) that "the ABC budget had not been cut", but he now blames Turnbull for THE CUTS/FREEZE... We can see some back-pedalling here by the ScoMo train about to be derailed... and HOW MUCH CAN WE TRUST THAT THE ABC BUDGET WILL BE RESTORED AND PROPERLY FUNDED SHOULD SCOMO WIN ANOTHER MIRACLE?... Pay attention: "ABC funding restored to 2018 levels..." Ain't this a trick of vernacular gymnastics?.... ABC/SBS BUDGETS SHOULD BE INCREASED TO 2022 BUDGET LEVEL NEEDS, PLUS THE MONEY STOLEN FROM THE ABC BY freezing indexation SHOULD BE RETURNED. 

My guess is that SCOMO WOULD do a lying Tony Abbott on the subject and smile like an idiot, while not honouring his words... because he's done it before...

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