2GB and Alan Jones broke broadcast rules with climate change claims, says media watchdog
Media watchdog the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found Radio 2GB and its breakfast host Alan Jones breached broadcasting rules over statements he made about the rate of global warming in 2013.
The decision comes after a Federal Court fight between the ACMA and 2GB licensee Macquarie Radio, in which the court dismissed claims the media watchdog had exceeded its power in launching investigations into statements made by shockjock Jones.
In a statement this morning the ACMA trumpeted the win, saying: “The ACMA expects that the licensee (indeed all commercial radio licensees) will be guided by the Federal Court’s endorsement of the ACMA’s views on what is an ‘adequate and appropriate’ correction ‘in all the circumstances’.”
The decision is likely to strengthen the ACMA’s hand in forcing suitable corrections after a broadcaster is found in breach of the Codes of Practice.
The ACMA investigation found that 2GB did not use reasonable efforts to ensure that factual statements made by Jones were reasonably supportable as being accurate and also that a purported correction later in the program by Jones was not adequate and appropriate in all the circumstances and so did not “cure” the breach.
The original segment was aired on September 24, 2013, on the Alan Jones Breakfast Show and, while the investigation report was finalised last year, publication was delayed after Macquarie Radio challenged in the Federal Court the ACMA’s power to investigate and its actual findings.
Jones made claims in the segment about climate change using what had already been found to be incorrect reports in The Australian as a source.
The Australian had repeated a story, first covered by the UK’s Mail on Sunday, claiming the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had drastically overestimated the extent of global warming and exaggerated rising temperatures. But the report was found to be incorrect, with several newspapers forced to issue retractions and a ruling made against The Australian by The Press Council.
Comment on the breach is being sought from Macquarie Radio.
Nic Christensen
Nic Christensen is a former employee of Macquarie Radio
Gosh. No wonder Alan has got it wrong.
In evidence at the Cash-for-Comment hearings he said on oath that he didn’t know what was in his contracts; didn’t read them, had no idea of his responsibilities under them.
Of course he is a poor reader. If a couple of million dollars won’t provoke him to read then the odd scientific paper has no chance.
Yeah, better to wing it.
Someone careless in small things will be careless in big things.
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So what? Tell someone who cares.
These ACMA Nannies – who the hell invited them to become National Censor of Opinions They Disagree With?
Jones and 2GB are private entities. They pay a licence fee to use airwaves in any way they choose. If you don’t like it, change stations or turn off your radio.
It’s time to cut funding to these Left-leaning nanny State, unelected bodies of anonymous nobodies who try to censor public discourse, while they remain unaccountable.
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Mike, you’re right (Right).
Best leave it to Tony Abbott to tell us what’s right (Right).
Still, it’s hard NOT to be left-wing when Toto is taking his coalition so far to the Right we’re all Left behind.
You’re SO RIGHT (but NOT RIGHT when you describe how 2GB can use the airwaves “any way they choose”. You need to get correct information, right?)
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We need a royal commissson
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Let this be a lesson (it won’t be) to the shock jocks who rely on error-ridden News Corp papers, usually the tabloids, as their primary source of material.
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At least Alan got it right about the wind farms that are causing mental illness and lung cancer. He also spoke the truth about how the carbon tax increased homelessness and meth addiction.
Anyway, intelligent people don’t turn to Alan for facts about climate change – the smart people listen to Lord Monckton.
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The IPCC don’t have a great record of accurate information on “global warming” taking into account fudged “peer review papers” (climate gate) and their recent acknowledgement that the earth has not been warming for approximately 17 years.
Ban Ki-moon made this ridiculous statement in 2009.
“Climate change is the pre-eminent geopolitical and economic issue of the 21th century. It rewrites the global equation for development, peace and security. The ones who claim that addressing global warming comes at too high of a price are wrong. The opposite is true, we will pay an unacceptable price if we don’t act now. Not sealing the deal in Copenhagen would be morally inexcusable, economically short sighted and politically unwise. Climate change will increase pressure on water, food and land. It will reverse years of development gains and exacerbate poverty, as well as destabilize fragile states and topple governments. Now is the moment to act, the world’s leading scientists warn that we have less than 10 years to avoid the worst cast scenarios,” said Ban Ki-moon.
well, it’s 2015 so we’ve got 4 years before “climate change” sends us all into a state of geopolitical and economical despair.
if the APC are hunting down Alan Jones because 2GB did not use reasonable efforts to ensure that factual statements made by Jones were reasonably supportable as being accurate, then who is overseeing the statements of the United Nations and Ban Ki-moon?
No One. The UN are untouchable.
They started the myth of global warming as a threat to the human race in the 70’s as a way of working toward a One world Government by creating a Global Threat.
Look at who opposes global warming and who supports it – the supporters are employed by governments or are in the renewable energy business and benefit financially. Al Gore is the epitome of hypocrisy for financial gain.The opposers have nothing to gain financially but know the truth that global warming is a myth to control countries and make big money.
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It would be wonderful if you were right David Lawrence, unfortunatly you are not.
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Rarely listen to the rasping Alan Jones, but I can’t say I feel sorry for him as he always seems to be critical of often decent people when I hear him.. Perhaps he’s been around too long.
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Good lord. What in the name of hod is going on down under. ?What a waste of the taxpayers mpney to persue a gagging order.
What are you peopke goind to do next? BURN THE DENIERS OF climate change nonsense at the stake?.
I am so fortunate being as far away from Australia where evidently the inmates have taken over the asylum.
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