ABC boss Mark Scott set to go out swinging taking aim at News Corp and Peter Costello
Outgoing ABC managing director Mark Scott appears to be starting a valedictory lap as he enters his last six months in the role by taking aim at opponents of the public broadcaster.
Just days after the ABC board named Google executive Michelle Guthrie as his replacement, Scott has challenged both former treasurer Peter Costello over an attack on ABC spending, and The Australian over criticism his successor is not qualified to be in charge of editorial.
Scott today accused The Australian of hypocrisy, tweeting: “The Australian’s editorial is outraged the next CEO of the ABC is not a journalist. Meanwhile at News Corp…” and linking to a story about the appointment of Peter Tonagh CEO of News Corp Australia, who does not have editorial experience.
He also penned a response to former treasurer Costello in which he defends his legacy and argued in favour of the ABC’s expanding capabilities in the digital space.
“The ABC is a digital public broadcaster because the law says it must be – it is in the ABC charter. And the ABC’s most important stakeholder and owner, the Australian public, have demanded it be digital to remain relevant to audiences today and in the future,” he wrote.
“If you want to be a contemporary media organisation, you have to have a digital strategy that allows you to deliver across multiple channels to different audiences on different devices.”
Costello had questioned some of the recent programming decisions on youth focused multichannel ABC2 writing: “A fortnight ago ABC TV programmed a whole week for voyeurs on its ABC2 channel. There was a program called Australians on Porn and a BBC documentary, Twilight of the Porn Stars. There was Websex: what’s the harm?
“There was a three-part, three-night series, Strippers, filmed in various Scottish lap-dancing clubs. To show a bit of cultural diversity, there was an Australian who showed what it was like to work in an Australian brothel and a program on a very British brothel.
“Nor is the ABC sexist because there was another program called Male Hookers Uncovered and one on transgender called Ladyboys.”
Scott today fired back noting it catered to a variety of audiences.
“Mr Costello may find some programming that is not to his taste and sensibility sometimes – at times, so do I,” he wrote.
“Not everything is for everyone. I suspect he is not a great listener to triple j – but on Australia Day millions of younger Australians will party and listen to the hottest 100 countdown. And they will not even blink at the language warnings … Overwhelmingly the Australian public believes the ABC does a good job in the service of the community.
“This year has given many great examples on television, radio, online and mobile.
“The vast majority of Australians are thankful they have a strong, robust, independent public broadcaster in the ABC, delivering in new ways for the digital era. There will always be some who want to weaken it, harm it, shrink it – and ultimate see if fade away. The Australian public know better.”
The stoush comes in the same week Guthrie has faced questions about her ability to serve as editor-in-chief of the ABC, a role which comes alongside the managing director title, and where she signalled a willingness to explore new avenues for the monetisation of content.
Related content: Why commercial media shouldn’t fear a Googler at the helm of the ABC
Nic Christensen
Good on him.
Scott deserves credit. He’s turned around a broadcaster and put it on a path to being a modern media business.
Same can’t be said for Holt St.
No one under the age of 30 gives a toss about what it produces. Readership numbers and brand tracking reflect a business & brand in trouble. Yet it continues to piss away time and money pursuing its own decline as a form of pride and morbid joy.
I think Scott will get the last laugh.
This will be an entertaining farewell parade.
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Terrific stuff. Go Scott! A well funded public broadcaster is more important than ever.
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Rupert and his puppets at the LNP are clearly waging a war on the ABC.
I hope all Aussies are smart enough to see this.
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Scott was a long way from being perfect, but he did his best to look after the interests of the ABC and for that he should be praised.
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Yes, expect the media will be full of argument on the ABC in the lead up and after the changeover.
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The Australian spews bile. It aims to divide and speak to the worst elements of our society and for what? If the market was truly able to decide, the paper would have stopped publishing by now. It’s owner though won’t let go. That’s the only reason it survives. It’s become a home for the journalists that Fairfax and the ABC can’t and won’t hire.
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It is all too easy to attack The Australian, however it is wrong to claim the paper does not have some good journalists. It does. It has many who could get a job any newsroom in the country. What it lacks, is standards of editorial control. If it operated as well as the ABC does, it would have a much bigger circulation and far more influence. We are lucky to have the ABC and unlucky The Australian can not match it for quallity.
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Typical left wing sop from those who are blind to the damage the ABC is doing to our national media, and indeed our nation.
I attended a function earlier this year featuring Scott as the guest speaker.
The impression I left with was of a man so certain he’s right about everything, that he wouldn’t consider anyone else’s views – let alone the notion he might have been anything but perfect in his role.
Privatise the ABC.
Now, recommence your attack on commercial media/group love in. Try to work in a climate change or Islamaphobia reference to your abuse too, if possible.
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Scott was a left leaning CEO, who allowed his personal political bias to direct the ABC to the left, it lost its balance, it is now no more than a media outlet for the left. He has destroyed the credibility of the ABC in half the nation’s eyes. His legacy is one of bias, leaving the ABC open to criticism and a serious possibility of further reduced funding.
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@Wonka – Mark Scott is a former Liberal staffer who was appointed by a Liberal Prime Minister and strongly Liberal connected Chairman. Are you sure about your comment?
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If ever you needed evidence that Mark Scott’s departure is the best thing ever to happen to the ABC, here it is!
He was a completely inappropriate choice then and now.
Now the ABC can start the long journey of going back to complying with its charter, and obeying it’s legal obligations.
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Lindsay, I stand corrected. There are a number of good journalists at the Australian, sadly if it is a matter of editorial control, than we are as a nation all the poorer for it. In terms of Scott, I’m not sure how many of you have worked in a the public sector in a senior role that has had to face up to Senate Estimates scrutiny, the man has done well to finish still standing. His contribution has been outstanding. What is going to be even more interesting is the difference that Michelle Guthrie will make.
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Gawd. Independent – yes independent – investigation after investigation has proven the ABC unbiased. Some people just won’t let go….
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There have been many people asserting the ABC is left leaning and many inquiries into political bias in the corporation. Given none have discovered this mythical bias, it is amazing there are still people out there who are prepared to claim they can see it. Maybe they are right and it has been captured by a bunyip and is being kept prisoner in its lair. No wonder it is out of sight.
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The ABC’s charter also says that it must be unbiased as well, not that Mark Scott will ever recall that section.
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It’s not so much deliberate “bias” as blind ideology. As an example, the ABC SA 7pm News lead story a couple of nights ago was the state funeral of former premier John Bannon. Every other news outlet got their political history correct – that Bannon was SA’s longest-serving Labor premier, but the first line of Leah McLennan’s story was “He was South Australia’s longest-serving premier …”. Obviously she has never heard of the Liberal party or Tom Playford.
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Wonka says Scott has ‘destroyed the credibility of the ABC in half the nation’s eyes.’ Well that’s simply wrong. Surveys continuously show the ABC is overwhelmingly trusted and respected by the vast majority of Australians.
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The faux debate lets everyone down. The problem with the ABC us rigour and quality. It is not a merit based organisation and it lacks strong leadership on quality. Scotts real failure is the abc did not stir up more passions and did not deliver anything striking in content. He was always the wrong choice. It appears this board has repeated the failure in choosing a person who wants to start out with chatter about things that won’t happen but sound good to a few.
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Earth to Planet Robbo. Earth to Planet Wonka.
Our fault detection system had detected some serious malfunctions. Please return to base for immediate rectification.
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Bahaha! Mark Scott, “leftie”? To expand on what Josh stated earlier:
“Scott, a one-time school teacher, worked in Liberal Party state politics as an education adviser to then NSW Opposition leader Nick Greiner and press secretary to education spokesman Terry Metherell in the 1990’s to whom he was later policy adviser in government.” Not to mention he was hand-picked for the role by that notable left-wing extremist, John Howard.
https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/fairfax-exec-mark-scott-head-abc © Radioinfo.com.au
As for the yawn-inducing claims of ABC bias, the network has been exonerated twice in recent times by independent audits, but I guess a thousand times wouldn’t be enough for the kool-aid drinkers in this comment thread. I know you won’t believe it otherwise, so I’ve included a link from Murdoch’s mouthpiece: even they couldn’t spin it any other way. http://www.theaustralian.com.a.....6852398864
Seriously kiddies, go to bed with a mirror and wake up to yourselves.
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