ABC to be called to give evidence

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will hear evidence from the ABC, major media organisations and social media companies, in a dedicated block of hearings expected to begin on June 29.

The development was welcomed by the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), which has long raised concerns about anti-Israel bias at the ABC and the failure of social media platforms to curb antisemitic content.

AIJAC executive director Colin Rubenstein said distorted reporting could have profound consequences. “When reporting is distorted, context is omitted, or antisemitic narratives are amplified and allowed to spread unchecked, the consequences can be profound, and even lead to violence,” he said.

Rubenstein said social media companies also had to answer for their failure to address abuse, conspiracy theories and incitement, and that he hoped the Commission’s work would lead to reforms that strengthened accountability and restored public confidence in media institutions.

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Michele Goldman said, “It is vital that the Royal Commission will hear from journalists and media outlets covering issues affecting the Jewish community as they hold unique insight into the prevalence and spread of antisemitism. Their experiences, including whether they themselves have faced abuse for their reporting, are essential.

“The media plays a vital role in shaping the public narrative, and journalists are trusted to verify facts, present all sides accurately and cut through misinformation,” she said.

“Hearing from the media will help the Commission understand how incidents have been documented and communicated to the public. Their testimony is critical to building an evidence-based account of the environment the Jewish community has been navigating.”

A spokesperson for the Commission told Sky News that the hearing block would focus on institutions and industries identified in numerous submissions as areas of particular concern, including social media and the harm caused by online antisemitism.

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson and her Coalition colleagues Michaelia Cash and Angie Bell called on the Commission last month to examine Australia’s arts institutions and public broadcasters, including the ABC and Creative Australia. The Coalition cited sustained concern over the ABC’s Middle East coverage and noted both the ABC and SBS had declined to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

Former ABC board director Joe Gersh told The AJN the refusal to adopt IHRA reflected the ABC’s “institutional bias”. “As I’ve said consistently since October 7, 2023, the ABC is not part of the solution to antisemitism, because it is indeed part of the problem,” he said.

Last week around 80 people demonstrated outside the ABC building in Melbourne over its Middle East coverage.

Caulfield Hebrew Congregation’s Rabbi Daniel Rabin, who was in attendance, told The AJN that accuracy mattered. “If you’re going to report about Israel, make sure you do it accurately, because the narrative leads back to us,” he said.