ABC bias? What bias!

In today’s Media section in The Australian soon-to-be ABC chairman, Turnbull appointee Justin Milne, sees nothing that needs fixing:

But Mr Milne, who replaces James Spigelman in the $167,000-a-year job and commences his five-year term on April 1, praises ABC news and current affairs.

“By and large I think it does a magnificent job,” he said. “Roughly speaking, 50 per cent of the audience will think it is biased to the left and 50 per cent will think it’s biased to the right and it has ever been thus. The skill and test of the journalists and editors and staff at the ABC is to try to continually find that line down the middle.”

He made it clear it would not be his responsibility to be overseer of the corporation’s editorial output, saying he watches Q&A only “occasionally”.

“I think Q&A serves a purpose and it clearly stirs people up and creates an audience, which is part of the job of being a media organisation,” he said.

“But I won’t be sitting there with a score sheet. I think it’s the job of the board to ensure the ABC continues to provide the service that the Australian people want it to provide and that is to provide an unbiased view of politics and current affairs and the zeitgeist, and so that is certainly part of the board’s responsibilities.”

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

For those with a subscription, The Australian‘s interview with Milne can be read in full via the link below.

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