Aunty's poor record on bias
Media, Telecommunications and IT Unit | Michael Warby
The Australian 17th May, 1999
Letter to the Editor:
If bias is unmeasurable, as Hugh Mackay and Stephen Braun claim (Opinion 13/5), then media organisations such as the ABC cannot be held accountable---they can be as biased as they like because it is 'all in the eye of the beholder'.
The Institute of Public Affairs' election study found that news coverage shifted in interesting ways. Nine's coverage became more favourable to the Coalition after Kerry Packer endorsed John Howard while the ABC's coverage became much more balanced after their coverage became the subject of controversy.
TV News coverage is supposed to be a stand alone product, so should be subject to stand alone scrutiny. As for measuring bias, the IPA's study found the ABC's TV News coverage of the waterfront dispute systematically left certain matters out in ways whose effect was to put the MUA in a more favourable light and Patrick and the Government in a less favourable one. Clear evidence of bias.