Few hopeful signs in Asia Pacific broadcast review

The Federal Government has quietly published the report of its review of Australian broadcasting services in Asia and the Pacific. The Government agreed to the review two years ago, raising hopes of a revitalisation of Australian media services to our neighbours, largely provided by the ABC until budget cuts reduced content and the closure of short wave radio transmitters took away the long established means by which it was delivered. Our friends at Supporters of Australian Broadcasting in Asia...
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ABC leaders speaking out

   ABC managing director David Anderson has strongly defended the ABC and its role as an independent public broadcaster in a wide-ranging speech delivered at La Trobe University in Melbourne. Pointing to a recent BBC survey across 11 countries, in which participants were asked to rate the importance of TV and video on demand services to local audiences, Mr Anderson noted that “the ABC topped the list with 84 per cent of Australians saying that the ABC is important to the nation”. You can read t...
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Jill Emberson – a fighter for social justice until the end

Jill Emberson was a hugely talented ABC journalist/broadcaster, and a tenacious fighter for social justice. She was particularly drawn to stories and issues relating to the Pacific, women, Indigenous and First Nations people.   As she fought her own gruelling four-year battle with ovarian cancer, it came as no surprise to those who knew Jill that she became a fearless advocate for raising both awareness and funding resources for research into the disease, in the hope that no other woman would h...
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No Google ad dollars for the ABC

Quentin Dempster discusses potential risks of the ABC entering into precedent-setting commercial relationships with online providers. Will it, he asks, make it easier for any hostile future federal government to demand more commerciality, not less, and soften up the ABC for partial or whole privatisation? ABC Should not take ad dollars from Google or Facebook By Quentin Dempster/ 6 March 2021 The ABC is now a leader in the Australian online news industry, but there is an obvious risk of ...
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Vale Stuart Revill

VALE STUART REVILL – FORMER ABC DEPUTY MD ABC Alumni mourns the passing of Stuart Revill – who held many senior positions with the national broadcaster. Stuart worked as a correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald before he joined the ABC in 1966. He became ABC North America manager in 1971, and served as Manager Europe from 1976. He did a stint as chairman of Visnews from 1979-1984. He was deputy managing director of the ABC from 1984-1992, before serving as Secretary General of the then Co...
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Media crackdown puts freedom of speech in jeopardy

A new kind of censorship sweeping Malaysia is threatening journalists, critics, whistle-blowers and online news sites.  The Muhyiddin Yassin government, which came to power in March this year, has made it clear that it will not tolerate any criticism or dissent. The new strategy is to delegitimise and criminalise those who are seen as exposing, investigating or questioning anything the government is doing. It’s recent crackdowns on the media and freedom of speech are akin to actions taken by au...
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