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Q & A sought Assange question

The ABC today confirms it sought out WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to ask PM Julia Gillard a video question on Q & A.

A surprising admission from the ABC today confirms that it sought out WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to ask PM Julia Gillard a video question on last night’s Q & A.

Assange asked Gillard whether her government had given information on Wikileaks staff and associates to foreign governments, a claim she denied.

The decision to offer a Assange a question was made by the program’s executive director Peter McEvoy, reports The Australian. ABC’s Communications Director Michael Millett said the initial contact was made about a week ago through Assange’s people.

“The ABC had no role in the making of the video and had no knowledge of what the question was,” he told The Australian.

Presumably he means no prior knowledge of what question Assange would deliver. No live television show would put a question to air that it hadn’t screened -especially when the PM is on the receiving end.

“Every question to every panelist on Q & A is delivered without advance notice,” McEvoy told Crikey. “Ms Gillard is the prime minister of Australia. I think she’s more than capable of answering difficult and confronting questions off the cuff.”

But the admission will now raise questions about the editorial independence of the show, and whether the ABC should have been pro-active in seeking out a critic of the Prime Minister. Editorially, did it balance the show by giving equal time to a Gillard supporter?

This contrasts with the video question last year from David Hicks put to former PM John Howard. The ABC said it played no role in the soliciting or production of the Hicks video.

The PM’s office is not expected to make a complaint.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jobTJ4sd3D8[/youtube]

Source: The Australian, Crikey

17 Responses

  1. @ Kenny – so you want a socialist leader who lies through her teeth, and performs like a puppet to Bob Brown, or a Rhodes scholar who has more skill in his little finger to lead this left-wing country? ABC should be closed down – plain and simple!

  2. @garry –
    “And just for the record, I have no political preference.”

    – give me a break! You wouldn’t be any more a Gillard fan than a Abbott fan? I don’t think so.

  3. The PM said she didn’t know. No doubt more important issues than Assange, but of course Australia shares information on international criminals, Australian and otherwise. WikiLeaks is a receiver of stolen goods – i.e. government files.
    At least she answered. Can’t wait for Tony Abbott’s appearance. Will he just sit there and nod? Change his mind every ten minutes on climate change as he did yesterday? “Ah, um, well, you know, I mean to say, look, hmmm, yes, well…..”!

  4. A real gotch’a effort from the national broadcaster,real tabloid stuff.As others have said,she did answer the question…tough luck I you didn’t like the answer.

  5. @ Josh and Armchair Analyst
    She did answer the question, perhaps you just didn’t like the answer, or perhaps you just don’t like Julia Gillard. And Josh, you call Julia socialist and left wing, yet suggest Bill Shorten as an appropriate replacement. Do you not think that Bill Shorten as a former Union leader is not socialist and left wing. He wouldn’t have a hope in hell of becoming leader of the party, let alone leader of the country. And just for the record, I have no political preference.

  6. Gillard and Assange – both gigantic wastes of space. Can’t believe my tax dollars go to funding the left wing propaganda machine that is the ABC.

  7. I think those of you saying that Gillard didn’t answer the question are being unfair. She said that while she didn’t have any knowledge relating specifically to the sharing of information about people associated with WikiLeaks, Australia does share information on its citizens with other countries as appropriate.

  8. I have to say the audience was heavily stacked last night. I know they ask for the persons affiliation, but I think you will find a lot of porky pies.

    The questions were tame and one was from an ABC employee!!!

  9. I’m not surprised. I fully expected that the ABC would seek the question. Does anyone really think that Assange knows QandA exists, let alone that the PM was scheduled to appear? Puh-leeze….

  10. The ABC seems to have some balls after all. I loved every minute of that part of Q and A. It did not surprise me that she didnt answer the question. This current generation of Politicians have become very good at avoiding difficult questions. Its times like these that makes me wonder why we have these people running this country (although its not them running it is it?) which has so much potential yet its squandered every year because of our gutless politicians who dont have the guts to imply policies which the nation needs and policies which will work the carbon tax will not. We are heading for Hades.

  11. How good was this – a complete setup (just like the Hicks’ question to Howard), and Gillard showed her usual political motherisms and failed to answer. I can’t wait to Assange dishes out mass dirt on Gillard and her socialist friends. Like most people (factually evident in polls) – Gillard is on her way out, and the sooner Bill Shorten takes over from this left wing lot, the better!

  12. Craig – She denied it. If Assange has anything to support his accusation then release it. His question was framed as an accusation to get a bit more publicity for himself.

  13. Did Julia handle it well? Or did she stare silently with the ‘shakes of fury’ like Tony Abbott did when Mark Reilly confronted him? Or will she whinge about being ambushed as Tony did?

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