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July 7, 2008
Via Trevor Cook, the people at ABC Digital Futures have understood the changing relationships between media producers and consumers, where they're reimagining the ABC as a facilitator of participation rather than just a broadcaster. I guess QandA is an attempt to put this into practice with questions from the public via email and the website incorporated into the show.
Cook comments:
The ABC should be congratulated for examining these issues, and examining them, and examining…it’s like you’re in some krudd process… but not much in the way of blurring of consumer and producer around the ABC where the empire remains in firm control
Yeah, what he said. The empire and that notorious board with it's requirement for 'balance', apparently justified on the grounds that the ABC is public media funded by taxpayers.
According to that logic all taxpayers are entitled to see their views reflected in content, so we get Tim Blair and Andrew Bolt. I wonder where they'll get their balancing panellists when they run out of News Ltd columnists? And when, in the name of fairness, will taxpaying neo-Nazis and serial killers get a say?
The ABC has plenty of other uses beyond letting us know what's going on in the world and what we, the taxpaying public, think is going on in the world. It can also be used as a weapon of empire members - ammunition against diverse enemies.
Mercurius describes the curious case of a board member utilising the privilege of a platform in one media outlet to take a shot at another. After declaring the media to be the natural owners of all debates climate change, the author proceeds to denigrate one commentator and praise another in the organisation of which she is a board member. The empire being in firm control in the context of participatory media is the least of its problems.
Commenter Adrian at LP quotes from the ABC Board Protocol:
“1.5 Unless individual Directors receive specific delegations from the Board they must refrain from participating in the day-to-day management of the organisation, making representations or agreements on its behalf, or influencing management as individuals.
2.3 No Director should act in a way likely to bring discredit to the organisation.”
Two clauses of the ABC Board Protocol that make interesting reading in light of the above.
Perhaps Ms Albrechtsen is daring the government to dismiss her?
She won't be dismissed. The political ramifications of that are way too predictable. Perhaps instead she is pointing out that protocols are for lesser mortals - the kind of lumpen proles you find thinking they're entitled to participate in public debate beyond the News Ltd stratosphere.
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Lyn,
the Insiders presumes that the journos or columnists have an expert opinion on the issues of politics because they report political news. Their opinions matter more than those of bloggers who comment on politics as opposed to reporting.