Stamping out bias at the ABC

It is only reasonable that as the public broadcaster using public money, the ABC sets high standards for itself. Many of the guidelines that govern the way we broadcast are covered in a set of editorial policies. These policies were last published in 2002, and updated incrementally in July 2004, February 2005 and June 2005. Now they have been written anew, and stand as the most significant public statement of values made by an ABC board in more than 21 years.

Today I have begun a program to brief staff on the changes and to move towards implementation in March next year. Let me outline a few highlights. There is a requirement for impartiality at the content of program level. Each news and current affairs story and program must be impartial. Now for opinion programs or programs of topical and factual content, individual items of content can take a particular perspective, but the ABC must be able to demonstrate that it has provided audiences with a range of different perspectives on the subject under consideration on each platform, be it radio, television or online. On contentious matters, we need to hear the full range of voices. The ABC has to be the place for the contest of all ideas. Across the range of ABC content, audiences must not be able to reasonably conclude that the ABC has taken an editorial stand on matters of contention and public debate.

We have taken another look at fairness and what it means to be impartial. Impartiality is a long-held expectation of our news coverage. Our news stories and news analysis are to be presented without favour, even though without fear or favour might sometimes upset some people in the community. Being a responsible public broadcaster is not synonymous with universal public popularity. As we assess the output of each of our platforms - for example, ABC TV, Radio National or 774 ABC Melbourne - there is now the expectation that there is platform impartiality, that there is a demonstrated plurality of opinion and perspective.

This will have particular impact on our documentary production and acquisitions as well as content that is clearly designated opinion. We want passion and conviction. But passion and conviction that come from the widest range of perspectives on the things that matter for all Australians. The new category of opinion will be content presented from a partisan point of view about a matter of public contention. This content will be signposted as opinion and the impartiality test will be - over a period of time - has the ABC presented a plurality of views?

Good audit and risk management is a key to healthy organisations and I believe that the establishment of such a function to monitor editorial health at the ABC is an important step. The director of editorial policies will report to me in my role as editor in chief of the ABC. This executive will have the ability to undertake independent audits on ABC programs and the coverage of issues covered by the ABC across its different divisions of news and current affairs, TV, radio and new media and digital services. The person in this position will be able to provide independent advice on how effectively we are implementing our editorial policies and whether they need further iteration or review.

The director of editorial policies will undertake research and be able to commission research, to provide better insight into whether we are meeting our own expectations. And when staff are dealing with a difficult decision in light of interpreting editorial policies or I am concerned about a matter before broadcast or publication, the director of editorial policies will be able to provide independent advice.

Now, I suspect there will be some who may roll their eyes and suggest this is yet another layer of bureaucracy. Others will fear it is an anchor on courageous and independent journalism. On the first, let me say, it is no more bureaucratic for the ABC to have an editorial audit and risk function than it is for Woolworths or Westpac to have a financial audit and risk function providing independent assurance that we are getting it right.

I have refused to be drawn in numerous interviews as to whether I think there has been or is bias at the ABC. I suspect the truth is that we are by no means as bad as our critics might suggest and not as blameless as our defenders might wish.

It is fair to say there is something of a disjunction between the critics' and the public view of bias and the ABC. Of those 170,000 contacts the ABC receives from the public every year, just half of 1 per cent are complaints about political bias. Ninety per cent of the Australian public believes it provides a valuable service. When it comes to complaints out of Canberra, it is important to remember that this Government has been the strongest critic of the ABC - since the last government.

Under our new editorial policies, we will be looking for further diversity of voices ensuring the ABC is the town square where debate can flourish and different voices heard. I have encouraged the director of television to work with the Media Watch team to review their format and content next year to ensure there is more opportunity for debate and discussion around contentious and important issues. It is a popular program, has a loyal following and, I hope, a long future.

And next year Jeff McMullen will host a new televised discussion program for us, A Difference of Opinion, which will ensure that on contentious issues of the day there is opportunity for the full range of opinions and perspectives to be heard.

Over time, I hope we are getting more sophisticated about how we view the matter of bias. Where there actually is bias in an individual story, it is often easy to detect. But at times there are matters of tone - how a story is framed, issues to do with language and inflection that can convey a message beyond words.

All who worked on these policies: our policy staff, our program makers, our executive and our board - saw in their rewriting a unique opportunity to strengthen the ABC and seized it. We have a proud tradition. We are a much loved and admired organisation in the community. And we believe that our best days are ahead of us; that we can be a great public broadcaster in a digital age.

Mark Scott is managing director of the ABC. This is an edited extract of his speech to the Sydney Institute last night.