Email to Marcus Cheek ABC Media Watch

Below is a series of emails sent by Women Speak Tasmania to Marcus Cheek, in our efforts to make him aware of bias reporting on the ABC


Dear Marcus,

I would like to draw your attention to the recent program on ABC Media Watch with Paul Barry criticising the ABC for its lack of coverage on the closure of the Tavistock Gender Clinic in the UK and the ramifications for gender clinics in Australia – including Tasmania.

https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/tavis/14020382?fbclid=IwAR37MKnvO6a89AiLtqc2V0szLtx4Dk_yyjAYSDFYJvAJoq-ZWiRoEUkage0

Today I put out the Women Speak Tasmania Media Release attached,  regarding these issues and the implications for the Tasmanian Gender Service and the responsibility of the Tasmanian Children’s Commissioner to ensure that minors are receiving the best possible care from the Tasmanian Gender Service. These are very important issues that the community have a right to be informed about by our national public broadcaster. Especially by ABC News Hobart.

You will see from the MR that I have included contact details for Dr Phillip Morris, President of the National Association of Practising Psychiatrists and also a copy of the letter he recently wrote to Tasmania’s Chief Psychiatrist regarding treatment guidelines for minors with gender dysphoria and the proposed anti conversion legislation now in the pipeline for Tasmania.

WST and Dr Phillip Morris’ views on these issues are most certainly in the public interest and the ABC in Hobart needs to be impartial in reporting on these issues.   This has not been the case in the past as the ABC has consistently, aside from a couple of short interviews,  failed to cover all views on the debate over gender law reforms in Tasmania. In particular, failed to interview Dr Phillip Morris after repeated requests from me to reporters to do so.  Further, regrettably, when the ABC had the opportunity to interview high profile legal and medical experts earlier this year when the Coalition for Biological Reality held its first national forum in Hobart on 26 February,  ABC Hobart failed to provide any coverage at all.

It is in the public interest that the ABC’s relationship with ACON’s Pride in Diversity program has effectively amounted to editorial policy capture of the ABC as has been researched and exposed in detail here: ACON exposed.com

Can you explain to me how ABC Hobart intend to respond to Paul Barry’s criticisms of your role as Editor at ABC Hobart, and your failure to ensure reportage on what is gearing up to be the worst medical scandal in recent history, a scandal that has direct implications for our community and the services provided by the Tasmanian Gender Service?

I look forward to being contacted by one of your reporters and also for Dr Phillip Morris to be interviewed as well.

Regards

Isla MacGregor

Women Speak Tasmania


Dear Marcus,

Could you please reply to my email of the 18th August, 2022.

I would like some assurances from you and ABC Tasmania that in future you will give equal and fair reportage to both sides of the gender debate particularly with regard to debate on anti conversion laws. The ABC will be well aware of the complexity of this debate after having watched Paulk Barry’s Media Watch segment and how important it is that all sides of the debate are covered.

Again, I would ask you to ensure that the ABC Tasmania reach out to the President of the National Association of Practising Psychiatrists – NAPP – Dr Phillip Morris to interview him about the NAPP Guidelines for the treatment of gender dysphoria in minors and the importance these guidelines have to the debate on anti conversion laws.

You could also interview Dr Dianna Kenny, an expert in this field, available for interview on request.

Regards

Isla MacGregor


Reply from Marcus Cheek 10th Nov 2022

Dear Isla,

Thank you for your email.

The ABC’s editorial policies require balanced and impartial coverage of news stories.

That doesn’t mean giving equal weight to every perspective, every time – but it does mean we need to present a variety of views.

While I can assure you that, over time, ABC Hobart will provide balanced coverage of the gender debate in Tasmania, I cannot provide any guarantee that we will speak to particular individuals – that decision rests with our reporters and editorial supervisors and will be dictated by the requirements of individual stories.

Should you not be happy with our response, please use the link below:

http://www.abc.net.au/contact/complain.htm

Regards,

Marcus Cheek