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ABC Media Watch host CONDEMNS his own network over the Alice Springs report on “white supremacy” and says it has “eroded years of goodwill and trust”
- ABC called the Alice Springs meeting a ‘white supremacist fest’
- He later made a humiliating apology after much backlash.
- Paul Barry has now criticized his network for its reporting.
ABC Media Watch host Paul Barry criticized his own network for describing a crisis meeting in Alice Springs as a “white supremacist fest.”
The network issued a humiliating apology earlier this week, admitting it had provided ‘incomplete’ coverage of the Save Alice Springs reunion.
Now, Barry accused the public broadcaster of “eroding years of goodwill and trust” that he had fostered in the Northern Territory.
He also said that the report lacked balance and “should never have been put on the air.”
The public broadcaster issued a humiliating apology admitting it provided “incomplete” coverage of the Save Alice Springs meeting.
Appearing on Media Watch, Mr Barry said: ‘Indeed, the ABC report, which was broadcast across AM and News Radio, was seriously off balance.
‘There was no attempt to explain what the meeting was about or probe the views of the majority.
“And having seen it in its entirety and spoken to the journalists who accompanied it, we believe that the story should never have aired.
Local ABC reporters were also angry. They say the story has sparked a backlash against the ABC in the New Testament and eroded years of trust and goodwill.
Barry was also critical of his network’s apology when it finally came.
“Not the strongest apology, and the story is still going strong, unchanged. And why ABC couldn’t say it on Wednesday is beyond me.
But at least now they have admitted the error. Hopefully they can learn from it.
At the meeting, some 3,000 Alice Springs residents discussed their concerns about the out-of-control wave of juvenile crime sweeping through their community.
Appearing on Media Watch, Mr Barry said: “Indeed, the ABC report, which aired across AM and News Radio, was sorely lacking in balance.”
ABC Indian Affairs correspondent Carly Williams’ live television broadcast of the meeting said many people had left the meeting early and that “one non-Indigenous person” had described the meeting as “a show disgusting white supremacist.”
ABC has apologized after sparking backlash for its coverage of an Alice Springs crisis meeting that was described as a “white supremacist fest.”
ABC was accused of bias after interviewing people who criticized the gathering as ‘racist’, with one calling it ‘scary’ and a ‘white supremacist fest’ despite the fact that indigenous leaders were also present at the gathering. .
The public broadcaster faced the threat of an official investigation for its coverage that aired on its flagship current affairs program AM and in another television report.
ABC issued a statement Saturday apologizing to its audience.
“We recognize that a report on AM was incomplete and did not adequately cover the full context of the meeting or the range of perspectives expressed in it,” it said.
“ABC News apologizes to the public for providing an incomplete picture of the event in this case.”
The public broadcaster went on to say that it had “accurately reported” the views of “some people who attended the community meeting.”
“However, this report should have included a broader range of perspectives expressed at the meeting, and more information about what was discussed, to provide additional context,” the statement read.
“Following this report, ABC News published additional coverage of the issue that included a broader range of perspectives and contexts.”
ABC stood by its journalists saying that it had extensively covered the current issues of substance abuse and public violence in the area.