Miss Kaninna: ABC in chaos as indigenous star goes on wild radio rant – forcing the broadcaster to take immediate action
A Triple J segment describing the war between Israel and Gaza as a 'genocide' has been condemned by the national broadcaster's own watchdog.
Fiona Cameron, the ABC ombudsman, ruled that the November 24 episode of the Hip Hop Show, guest-hosted by Indigenous musician Miss Kaninna, had breached the national broadcaster's impartiality standards.
Ms Cameron's report said Ms Kaninna's comments on the Middle East conflict were “not properly impartial” and would not have been broadcast if senior management had been informed.
During the program, the host played a 2009 single by anti-Zionist rapper Lowkey titled “Long Live Palestine,” followed by a tirade in which she recited a popular pro-Palestine chant: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free ' .
The ombudsman's office received 10 complaints about the program claiming Ms Kaninna's comments were 'offensive and impartial'.
Triple J has come under fire after a guest host on the Hip Hop Show, indigenous musician Miss Kaninna (pictured), described the Israel-Gaza war as a 'genocide'
“Somehow, if you listen to that song that brother is talking about, you would think he wrote it yesterday,” Miss Kaninna told listeners.
“Twelve years later, the genocide, oppression and continued hatred of the Palestinian people in their indigenous territories is wild.”
Miss Kaninna, who was nominated for Triple J's Unearthed artist of the year three weeks earlier, then asked the audience 'when is anything going to change? When do we wake up?'
“As a sovereign Aboriginal woman, I stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters of Palestine,” she continued.
'From the river to the sea. Palestine will be free.'
Ms Cameron's report, released on Wednesday, noted that while the comments were phrased as her own views and a show of solidarity, they breached the ABC's current affairs rules.
“The ABC Standards require that all news and information be presented with due impartiality and take into account the nature of the content, the likely expectations of the audience and the controversy of the subject,” the report said.
“In this context, the comments were not appropriately impartial.”
Ms Kaninna concluded her short rant by reciting a popular pro-Palestine chant: 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' (pictured shows the phrase on a sign at a pro-Palestine protest)
The ABC Ombudsman received ten complaints about the program and ruled the comments breached the broadcaster's rules on presenting news impartially (pictured, Ms Kaninna)
The report placed blame on the program's producer, as Ms Kaninna was an 'outside contributor' and most likely unaware of the broadcaster's rules on impartiality.
Ms Cameron said the producer had not followed the correct editorial process by being the sole decision maker in shooting the segment.
The report referred to ABC standards which state that the producer should have notified a senior manager of the segment that was 'likely to cause controversy'.
“Had this step been taken, the material would not have made it into the air in the form it did,” Ms Cameron's report reads.
As a result of the ombudsman's investigation, Triple J has accepted that the segment breached the ABC's standards.
Some of that adoption includes employees who have not grown the segment, with senior management being 'disciplined' and the program removed from online platforms.
The channel has also agreed to drop future guest hosts from its lineup and train staff on the “importance of upward redirection for controversial or contentious topics.”
The ombudsman noted that an on-air acknowledgment of the infringement during subsequent episodes of the program “would have been desirable.”