The ABC′s ‘badge of difference’

Subject: Memo from John Cameron

It seems repetitive memos have little effect on some staff, when it comes to promoting a high standard in the basics of broadcast journalism.

Since the latest entreaty (circulated to all News/Caff staff in early March) there has been a continuing and widespread disregard for the style guidelines

Since the latest entreaty (circulated to all News/Caff staff in early March) there has been a continuing and widespread disregard for the style guidelines.

As pointed out previously, the guidelines must be treated as directives, not suggestions.

If you disagree with any of the points raised, challenge them - don't ignore them.

Please understand that from now on, continued transgressions or mistakes will lead to counselling and formal documentation. This, in turn, can have a major impact on career progression and, eventually, ongoing employment status.

It seems this may be the only effective way to get the message through.

Thanks

John Cameron, Director
News and Current Affairs

A memo issued by the ABC's director of news and current affairs, John Cameron, to his staff earlier this month, pleading for an improvement in "style" has found its way to the Crikey bunker. Here are a few highlights:

The following is yet another plea on grammar, style, content and other bits and pieces that help make the ABC the best show in town, when we try. This memo is, as usual, directed at all News/Caff staff across all programs, in all states and territories and elsewhere. The rules are not optional - they are mandatory.

Some staff continue to ignore or - somehow - remain ignorant of the guidelines, despite the numerous memos and the recently rewritten "Style" book.

We leave ourselves open to reasonable criticism when we place Opposition comment ahead of Government reaction on occasions. Specifically, at least one state newsroom (in the main drive-time bulletin) ran our correspondent's report on the Bashir sentencing (on the afternoon it broke), and followed it with the reaction of the Opposition Foreign Affairs spokesman. The Foreign Minister was relegated to third place. Downer had been run in an earlier bulletin, while Rudd had not - but most of our audience do not appreciate the niceties of that dubious logic. And neither they should. Let's keep our news values in perspective.

"The HOWARD Government" Okay occasionally, but overused. Sometimes it seems we're trying to make some sort of unspecified editorial point by including the PM's name. "Government" or "Federal Government" are usually best.

There is still some disregard for the style relating to the use of first names only, both in general news copy and, occasionally, during interviews on national programs. This is rarely a negotiable rule. ABC News and Current Affairs is not on first name terms with some people and not others. The safest rule, even with "softer" subject matters, is to be openly even-handed at all times. That means using honorifics, or last names alone (where appropriate), or first name and surname together - but (almost) never the first name alone.

Please remember that written/newspaper style has little relevance or application in the broadcast business.

The final word goes to the word "our". The last mention of this point, in a similar memo, drew some media flak, when we said we should not refer to Australian troops as "our" troops. But the rule remains. It is not our dollar, our Prime Minister, our opposition leader, our premier, our tourism industry, or our sportsman/woman or team. The ABC does not own any of them. We should remain unattached and dispassionate in the language we use.

With regard to much of the above, we may be swimming against a shallow tide of the tabloid and vacuous in the wider media. But the fact we don't have commercial or political alignments - and that our editorial values are not driven by ratings -- is our badge of difference, and our big advantage.