ABC deliberately leaves News Ltd journalists off announcement of ABC Retail boss
An internal ABC email accidentally forwarded to Mumbrella suggests the broadcaster decided not to include News Limited journalists on a press announcement because it did not want to “draw attention” to an appointment within its commercial arm ABC Retail.
In the email chain the ABC’s head corporate communications Sally Cray provides staff with the emails of a number of consumer affairs and media journalists at Fairfax Media, the ABC, Mumbrella and Crikey.
The email addressed to ABC head of corporate marketing Lisa Hrsec, specifically mentions News Limited, with Cray writing:
“I would just leave new ltd (sic) off the list, it’s not something we need to draw attention too.”
The ABC insists that the exchange was an innocent one, and that the decision to ignore News Limited was because its titles would not be interested.
The announcement, which followed later that afternoon, was that the acting head of ABC Retail Regina Hoekstra had been made permanent in the role. She took on the job on a temporary basis last year following the abrupt departure of Alun Noll.
ABC Retail is part of ABC Commercial which has a remit to make a financial contribution to the ABC. ABC Retail includes ABC Shops, ABC Shop Online and ABC Centres.
News Limited titles have at times been critics of the ABC’s commercial activities, although there is no suggestion that this was a factor in the decision not to include News Limited journalists in the announcement.
The thread contains a discussion between ABC publicist Catherine Van and Hrsec about the list of journalists for the announcement.
“For your convenience, I’ve copied in all the relevant email addresses (for retail trade pubs and general media list – including those contacts sent through from Sally Cray) in the blind copy bar of this email – Kate has checked through the list of contacts and you may want to do a final review,” writes Van.
“Let me know if you’d like me to send out via my email or if it’s better coming from yours.”
When contacted by Mumbrella , Cray said there was nothing sinister in the email chain. She said: “It’s really boring, unfortunately (the announcement) is the fact that we’ve just made permanent the new head of retail,” said Cray.
“It’s not interesting to them, that’s why I left them off. I just said leave News Limited off the list because I don’t have any interaction with their consumer affairs writers, other than the one time when we had to recall an ABC doll.”
“Other than that I don’t have anything to do with (News Limited’s consumer affairs journalists).”
Nic Christensen
Wow, a head of communications who can’t even spell “TO”. Wonderful skills there!
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Shocking.
That the head of corporate communications would use “too” instead of “to”.
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I’m not buying that explanation…
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Mistakes do happen. Oh well, pity their head of Communications can’t spell. Maybe they’re a mistake!
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They should just tell the truth.
“News Ltd perpetually attack our organisation, they can take a flying leap.”
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Nothing is hidden in digital media these days
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ABC publicist Catherine Van just got a crash course in how the BCC line works. By putting in the media contacts in an internal email “for your convenience”:
1. the recipients wouldn’t see the addresses in the BCC line, which defeats the purpose;
2. those listed in the BCC line would receive an email that they shouldn’t have.
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