Last week, the ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions announced that there would be no retrial of Bruce Lehrmann, because it would pose a “significant and unacceptable risk to the life of the complainant”, Brittany Higgins.
It’s a classic example of the dilemma that confronts our courts in the trial of alleged sexual offenders. The accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence, until proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt. He or she is also entitled to decline to give evidence – the “right ...
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The Ten Rules of Reporting
Few people are as well qualified to give practical advice about journalistic practice as former ABC Editorial Director, and now Alumni Board member, Alan Sunderland. We asked author and Professor of Communications Matthew Ricketson to review Alan’s new book The Ten Rules of Reporting: Journalism for the Community (Simon & Schuster, 2022).BOOK REVIEW
The Ten Rules of Reporting: Journalism for the Community by Alan Sunderland
Reviewed by Matthew Ricketson / 3 December 2022
Taking a cue from...
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New Book Showcases ABC Radio’s History
When you’ve been broadcasting internationally for more than 80 years, there’s a lot to celebrate. The newly released official history of Radio Australia, Australia Calling by Dr Phil Kafcaloudes, traces the remarkable story of one of the national broadcaster’s flagship services. Beginning as a wartime anti-propaganda service, RA has endured many ups and downs but continues to play an important role today in Australia’s commitment to regional democracy, especially in the Pacific. This review is ...
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States of Neglect
Last Sunday, for the first time since 2014, the 7pm News on the main ABC channel ran for only 30 minutes. ABC Alumni director Alan Sunderland, a former senior manager in the News division, argues that this is “the final surrender in a long ABC retreat” from holding powerful state governments to account. “Something needs to be done,” he writes, “and now is the time to look again at the problem”. However, in a response received by the Alumni, the ABC's Director of News, Analysis and Investigation...
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We Need an All Party Declaration of Support for the ABC, Says Former MD Geoffrey Whitehead
In a world where support for fully government-funded, independent public broadcasters is declining, Australia is fortunate to have a new federal government that recognises the importance of the ABC. But, says former ABC Managing Director Geoffrey Whitehead, now is the time to consolidate the ABC’s role permanently by enshrining the national broadcaster, through an all-party Declaration, as an institution that’s integral to our democracy and to which all citizens have a right.The ABC: time for a...
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ABC’s New Ombudsman: What Will Change?
Can the ABC improve its complaints handling system? And what are the main challenges facing the new Ombudsman, Fiona Cameron, as she settles into her new job at the public broadcaster? ABC Alumni director Alan Sunderland – who has more experience than most in this area – gives his insights into what lies ahead. Can we do better?
By Alan Sunderland
16 October 2022
It’s now been almost a month since the ABC’s first ever Ombudsman, Fiona Cameron, started in the new role, so it’s time we looked mor...
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From Relief Typist to the ABC MD’s Personal Secretary
One of the most memorable recollections in our recent story about pioneering radio technician Stan Bancroft was his role in organising and co-ordinating the live broadcast of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing in July 1969. Another staffer at the time was Elaine Cooke, who was typing ABC radio science program transcripts as a ‘relief typist’ and vividly recalls the momentous day in July 1969 when astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. It was the beginning of a 32-year career that led Elaine to...
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Vale John Tulloh – Internationally-Renowned News Leader
ABC Alumni is deeply saddened by the death of our esteemed colleague John Tulloh, on Saturday 20 August at the age of 82. John was a distinguished journalist and international news editor, revered by broadcasters across the world. As the much-loved leader of ABC’s foreign correspondents from 1985 until his retirement in 2004, he guided his team with wisdom, expertise and extraordinary care and compassion. Here, four of his closest friends and colleagues pay tribute to a man whose contribution t...
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Stan Bancroft – Pioneering ABC Tech Genius
The ABC’s history is usually dominated by tales of management and on-air personalities, but nothing would happen without the national broadcaster’s extraordinary technical staff. Legendary among them is Stan Bancroft, who was tinkering with radios as a young boy in the 1920s and went on to become a PMG technician, where he jumped at the chance to work on a new radio station established by the fledgling Australian Broadcasting Commission. Stan worked at the ABC for some four decades until his re...
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How to Persuade a Prince
Thirty years ago, long before HRH Prince Charles’s interest in organic gardening and farming became widely accepted, Sharon Carleton travelled to the UK for a profile about his brilliant (and eccentric) horticultural adviser, Miriam Rothschild (later Dame Miriam). In the process, she scored a rare interview with the Prince himself. Continuing our ABC 90th Anniversary series, Sharon recalls the program she made for Radio National’s internationally renowned The Science Show.By Sharon Carleton / 3...
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