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ABC investigating lack of coverage on Muslim comments

ABC acknowledges it didn't did a good enough job in covering controversial Muslim comments.

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ABC has acknowledged criticism that its major news and current affairs programs failed to report comments by Muslim leader Keysar Trad,

Trad, who is the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, last week told SKY News’ The Bolt Report, “Before you even consider using your hand, before you consider any act of violence, have you checked box number one which is counselling have you checked box number two. So what does counselling entail, well maybe next time you should bring her a bunch of flowers, maybe next time you should bring her a box of chocolates, maybe next time you should take her out for dinner.”

Yesterday ABC head of editorial policy Alan Sunderland told a Senate Hearing committee, “I don’t think we did a good enough job.

“It wasn’t good enough, it wasn’t extensive enough.”

His comments followed Media Watch raising the lack of coverage, on Monday night.

Host Paul Barry noted, “…the Fairfax metro papers and The Guardian appear to have ignored it completely. As did almost the entire ABC, where it was not on the 7 o’clock News. Not on 7.30. Not on Lateline. Not on The Drum.

“And not on the big radio current affairs shows, AM, PM, The World Today and RN Breakfast.”

The comments were covered by News.com.au, Daily Mail, Herald Sun, Studio 10 and A Current Affair.

Sunderland said it was covered by ABC Radio, and was pleased Media Watch raised it but conceded the criticism was a “fair cop.”

“I don’t think we covered it well or extensively enough,” he said.

ABC is investigating its wide miss.

Trad later apologised for statements conceding he was “clumsy” in a television interview.

2 Responses

  1. This decision by the ABC tomdeliberately not report in this matter only gives those right wing extremists validation when they say the ABC is too left wing .its not good enough ABC balanced and unbiased you need to be.
    Mind you Fairfax and the guardian newspaper did not report on this very story either .go figure.perhaps their left wing as well..

  2. At least the ABC has acknowledged they have made a mistake. Now they need to ensure that they are not aligned with either the left or right wing press. They must ensure that any such comments by any high profile influential figure are widely reported regardless of what newscorp, fairfax, guardian, daily mail do. In an era when Rosie Batty has been aussie of the year, when all of us want to make domestic violence against (mainly) women by men, a thing of the past…..this Trad bloke disgraces himself with comments and attitude that comes from a previous century. Raise your game ABC and keep it there

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