Critical Times

Looks like new ABC Board members Keith Windschuttle (alleged to be an academic and historian but in fact associated with the Quadrant magazine that has received finance from the CIA) and Peter Hurley of the Australian Hotels Association and other right-wing members already on the Board like Michael Kroger are making their presence felt in swinging the ABC to an extreme right-wing political position.

This trend is already being reflected in news coverage in general and in some special news programs. The ABC’s reportage of East Timor events was particularly dishonest and one-sided. They have also joined the media band-wagon on the North Korean missile firings. There is nothing half-hearted about their demonisation of North Korea just as they demonised Mari Alkatiri.

The decision of Howard Government Minister, Helen Coonan to abolish the position on the ABC Board of a staff representative is hardly surprising but yet another reason for concern. ABC staff went ahead and elected a representative anyway, Quentin Dempster, but, of course, he was unable to take his seat.

And now the Board is to have a new Managing Director, Mark Scott, from the John Fairfax stable. Wow, what a line up!

The new Board met last Thursday and on Thursday evening, Chris Masters who has written a book on Alan Jones, called Jonestown, was told that ABC Enterprises had decided not to publish the book.

It just goes to show how reactionary the ABC Board has become. But thanks anyway for your stupidity. Some other publishers will snap it up and the publicity will surely increase the sales of the book. Everyone knows what a good job Chris Masters does on research and the book is likely to be a beauty in telling the truth about the viperish, rude and extremely right-wing broadcaster.

Perhaps the next person to get the nod for a seat on the board is Alan Jones himself.

Craig Greer
Adelaide