Correspondence to the ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron

Below is a series of emails to Fiona Cameron, where WST comments about the ABC biased reporting on gender identity law reforms.


Dear Fiona,

Complaint:  ABC Tasmania biased reportage on gender identity law reforms

I am writing to you to further my complaint already sent to ABC Hobart Manager Marcus Cheek and what I consider to be a very unsatisfactory reply. See below.

The Tasmanain Government is currently considering implementing anti conversion therapy laws in Tasmania. The ABC in Tasmania has presented the issue of conversion therapy laws as an anti conversion laws V pro conversion laws issue. This is not the case, it is far more complex.

Over the past year I have made repeated attempts requesting journalists at the ABC in Hobart contact two of Australia’s top experts:

* 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.

* Dr Dianna Kenny, a Sydney based psychologist, author and expert in the area of treating young people with gender dysphoria.

On no occassion during this onging debate has ABC Tasmania made any attempt to contact for interview these experts. 

I have been working on these issues for over 5 years now and understand the importance of these public interest issues having had a background in whistleblower advocacy over many years in Australia.

Next week on Wednesday 23 November in Hobart,  the Free Speech Alliance Australia, of which I am a member, is hosting a forum at Parliament House in Hobart – Conversion Therapy Laws – risks and harms?

This forum provides ABC Hobart the opportunity to give coverage to Australian experts speaking to some of the critical international and cutting edge developments in the treament of young people with gender dysphoria.

Without fair and impartial reportage on these issues by the ABC, the Tasmanian community are being denied the right to know information that could prevent long term harms to young people struggling with gender dysphoria.   The issue of child gender medicine is now being described by many health experts as a major medical scandal.

According to ABC Hobart Manager Marcus Cheek, reporters and Editorial Supervisors have apparently chosen not to interview Dr Morris and Dr Kenny but rather have chosen to interview the ACL, a lobby group that is not in a position to speak from a health professional position. Yet, by interviewing the ACL on these issues, the ABC is further promoting this absurd notion that the debate on anti conversion laws is simply and pro and anti matter.

Women Speak Tasmania is a secular organisation that has been working on gender identity law reforms over many years.  Over a year ago we sent the ABC and other Tasmanian media the attached Contact for Comment list which provided the ABC the opportunity to contact experts in various fields that concern gender identity law refroms.  Not once has any of these people been contacted for comment, but the ACL has?

It raises the question whether the ABC intentionally want to polarise this debate into a a religious lobby v progressive debate? Is ABC Hobart so disinterested in facts and evidence?

Thanks to Paul Barry and some in his team at Media Watch, the Australian public are now aware of the editorial policy capture of the ABC by the ACON AWEI scheme. I would like to submit my complaint to you as further evidence backing Paul’s call for the ABC to review their relationship with ACON.

I would like some assurances from you as Internal Ombudswoman, that especially given Dr Dianna Kenny is speaking in person at the forum next week, that the ABC, already having covered on radio the fact the forum is being held, contact Dr Dianna Kenny for interview.

Last week the ABC interviewed Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor about anti conversion laws.  During the interview she said that the Premier Jeremy Rockcliff should ensure the forum is pulled As the organiser of the forum I contacted the ABC after I heard this interview and sent them the Invitation to give them some facts to report on.  I received no contact from the ABC on our forum. Why would the ABC not want to interview someone from the Free Speech Alliance Australia about their very first forum, one that oddly enough a Green parliamentarian has called to have banned? Is free speech not an issue for the ABC in Tasmania?

I look forward to your response at your earliest convenience.

Regards

Isla MacGregor


Fiona Cameron reply Nov 16, 2022

Dear Ms MacGregor,

Thank you for your email.  Unfortunately, I can forecast that you will be as disappointed in my response as you have been with ABC News Tasmania.  In brief, it is not my role to commit or guarantee that the ABC interview any particular expert or report on any particular subject matter.  The ABC operates with independence as its fundamental value.  The role of the Ombudsman’s Office is to review complaints about content that may breach ABC editorial standards and to potentially resolve such complaints.  Your complaint does not go to any specific content published or broadcast by the ABC. However, should you wish to make a specific complaint, I invite you to provide further details by return email or by using the form here: http://www.abc.net.au/contact/complain.htm

The matters that you have raised are sensitive, complex and can really only ever be interrogated on a case-by-case basis.  Some of these issues were explored in this broadcast Josh Scheps on ABC Radio Sydney.

ABC News will continue to cover these important issues on a newsworthy basis, over time. In fact, I have taken the liberty of forwarding your email to the ABC News and current affairs Editorial Manager so that your advice can be given due consideration as relevant.

Yours sincerely,

Fiona Cameron

ABC Ombudsman