ABC’s Israel fail fuels misinformation

Long problematic in its reporting on Israel, since October 7, 2023, the national taxpayer-funded broadcaster’s coverage of the war in Gaza has seen Aunty only get worse.

In the first weeks or the war, the ABC gleefully spread the libel that Israel bombed a hospital, killing 500, only for the truth to be revealed that in reality a Palestinian terror rocket killed a few dozen in a car park.

This was only the beginning of a disturbing pattern of presenting testimonies from Gaza – where many are either active in Hamas, sympathetic to it or afraid of it – without any fact checking, or giving an open microphone to so-called “experts” who are openly hostile to the Jewish state.

The ABC’s latest folly was running UN official Tom Fletcher’s absurd prediction late last month that 14,000 babies would die of starvation in 48 hours.

Yet, predictably, the claim was untrue and wildly out of context. The problem is that while many would have seen the initial allegation, far fewer would have seen the clarification the ABC sheepishly issued last week.

And therein lies the problem. What people read and see helps to shape their attitudes and opinions. And at a time of unprecedented antisemitism, our national broadcaster is feeding the fire.

Hopes that former News Corp chairman Kim Williams’ arrival might lead to change at Harris Street have unfortunately proven futile.

The ABC continues to engage in skewed journalism and omit facts and context when it comes to reporting on Israel. It continues to air Hamas propaganda unchallenged and to paint Israel as guilty until proven innocent. It continues to fail to challenge slanders by interviewees against Israel and Zionism. It stacks its Q&A panels with anti-Israel voices. It continues to use content from the Qatari Muslim Brotherhood mouthpiece Al Jazeera.

The ABC’s own charter calls for it to be neutral. Yet it fails to do so time and time again, while its own internal complaints process continues to make excuses for it and fails to hold it to account.

And it does all this on our dime. Every Australian taxpayer pays for it.

It is long past time for the federal government to take action to rein in this behemoth.