Just as dogmatic are the waves of arguments I receive in the mailbag and through social media on a daily basis. There are complaints the ABC has swung to the right and that our programs are full of right-wing commentators. The appearance of Peter Reith as a guest or someone who works with the Institute of Public Affairs unleashes a new flurry of criticism and abuse.
At times I am genuinely nonplussed. Are we captive of the Right or captive of the Left? In my view, neither.
Albrechtsen is terrific television talent and I am glad she has been invited to sit on the Insiders panel just as she has appeared many times on Q&A. Insiders plays an important role in public debate in Australia, tapping into the thinking of those who study politics closely every day. There is debate, sometimes heated, and a multitude of views aired. But I always find it a little strange the way some such as Albrechtsen view the panel. Unless someone is clearly identified as a big "C" conservative commentator, then they are clearly counted as being from the left of politics.
The panel includes some of the most outstanding political correspondents in the nation: Phil Coorey, Annabel Crabb, George Megalogenis, Lenore Taylor, Mark Kenny, Malcolm Farr. They are employed by News Limited and Fairfax, broadsheets and tabloids, and by media outlets across the country. And their task is to provide analysis on the events of the week. Which they do, carrying no ideological badge and pushing no line.
If you subscribe to the view that everyone who doesn't line up with you on the gamut of ideological issues is your ideological polar opposite, then you may feel a little isolated watching Insiders. As Doug Cameron remarked at a recent Senate estimates hearing, Insiders panels all looked well to the Right to him.
When I started at the ABC, I noticed an interesting trend after a feisty interview by Kerry O'Brien on The 7.30 Report. A swag of phone calls would arrive at the ABC switchboard, half complaining about the tough and disrespectful nature of the questioning and the other half upset that O'Brien had gone too easy. It is a tradition continued this year by Leigh Sales, who won a Walkley award for her interviews on 7.30.
Some of the criticism about Insiders gets triggered by the observation that its outstanding host, Barrie Cassidy, once worked for Bob Hawke. There are many journalists who once worked in ministerial offices. But they should be judged on their performance, not on their resume. I think Cassidy does an outstanding job as host of Insiders. Not everyone will agree with all his remarks, but I believe he works in a way that embodies journalistic standards of fairness, balance and impartiality.
In this new media era of multi-channelling and multi-platforms, the ABC is home to more voices and more debate than ever.
Our editorial policies are not about pulling out a stopwatch or doing a head count of guests. They are based on ensuring we put to air a strong plurality of views and that the weight of evidence is followed.
Multi means the audience is treated to a range of opinions and voices. If you listen to, watch or read material produced by the ABC, you will encounter people you disagree with, arguments you will reject and opinions that enrage. That is a great thing for a public broadcaster to do. It is about being the town square, allowing our audience to think and reflect, to consider and come to its own conclusions. The creation of News 24, for example, has allowed more politicians across the country, of all persuasions, to air their views on complex issues.
Media in the US has deteriorated to the point where everyone can retreat into an electronic echo chamber and see and listen to broadcasters echoing only a particular ideological view; an opportunity to reinforce preconceived ideas and to lock out perspectives that challenge. Signs of that approach are evident in Australia, but it won't be the path of the ABC.
I know that in the early days of Insiders, Albrechtsen was on the list of potential guests, but she couldn't be enticed to Sunday morning on the couch. I hope she says yes this time. All views are welcome.
Mark Scott is the managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
