ABC " News " Cuts !

For most of the earlier years of the twentieth century the most listened to new service in Australia was provided by the ABC.  In paricular, the midday news and the seven o'clock evening news was a regular news feature on every commercial radio station across the depth and breadth of Australia.  Those were the days when commercial radio relied on the ABC for what was termed " the National news " !

The arrival of television brought a drastic change and the establishment of rival networks quickly saw competing newsrooms see the value of news gathering in the quest for ratings.  The ABC was accused of having a left wing bias, but as the national broadcaster it reigned supreme as the  most watched news service with national appeal.   People tended to believe what they saw on the ABC.

Now budget cuts are intruding into the ABC's ability to provide a full spectrum of services.  Important in-depth shows like " Australian story " and " Foreign Correspondent " which expand on items covered briefly in the news will be reduced in number and many back office services will be forced to share with SBS.  Staff cuts will reduce the ABC payroll by two hundred and fifty people.

One of the casualties will be the closure of two ABC channels to fit the budget into a new five year plan.  The ABC is about to seriously shrink in size and one of the things that will disappear from air is the much watched flagship 7-45 am news programme.  Across Australia this was where many people got their first look at the world news as they ate breakfast or drove to work in the morning commute.

The fact that the ABC is retreating in news provision is coming at a time when the very authenticity of news in general is under question.  The computer and the internet have opened the door to phenomenons such as Facebook which may be inundated with news items created by banks of computers churning out input disguised as the contributions from Australian citizens.  Much of this originates from foreign government actions designed to enhance the vote for political parties with which they share a common interest.

We are facing what will probably be the greatest change to the Australian business cycle since Federation.   The lockdown to defeat the Coronavirus forced commerce to close and put people out of work and the shape of the recovery that is emerging will be very different.  It is important that the independence of the ABC news gathering remain intact to give an unfiltered view of how public opinion is forming. Otherwise, that view will be shaped by the external influences that create agendas by manipulation through media such as Facebook.

This budget cut back could be the first of many that emasculates the ability of the ABC tio provide a national news service on an Australia wide basis.  That is a unique reality that has served us well over a long period of time !