ABC News Online draws ‘vast majority’ of complaints over 3 years: ombudsman

The “vast majority” of audience complaints made to the ABC over the past three years were related to its online news division, according to the ABC ombudsman’s first half-yearly report.

The report which was released on Tuesday morning found that over three years until the end of 2022, total complaints received averaged 23,767, some 85% of which related to general matters of personal taste and preference, and the remaining 15% related to content stacked up against the ABC’s editorial standards.

ABC ombudsman Fiona Cameron, who was appointed in September last year, said in her report — the first public report about complaint handling since she commenced in the role — that the online news division drew most of those complaints, nearly half of which were related to factual accuracy and were “easy to resolve or dispel”.

“The vast majority of these complaints come from News Online, which, of course, is prolific in publishing and reformatting articles from across the network. News Online is readily accessible and regularly shared across social networks,” Cameron wrote.

The online news division drew 2474 complaints, 956 of which were investigated; 368 were resolved, and 33 were found to have fallen afoul of the ABC’s editorial policies.

“Complaints relating to themes can be difficult to isolate as they relate to a variety of different ABC programs, but invariably complaint themes include bias and factual accuracy relating to different political parties, conflicts in the Middle East and in the last three years, COVID-19,” Cameron wrote.

On matters related to the pandemic, the ABC received about 2000 content complaints between 2020 until the end of 2022. The complaints related to “a very wide range” of ABC programs and platforms, couched in concerns over accuracy and allegations that the ABC was “biased towards or against” official health advice.

Over the same three years, the ABC’s 7pm bulletins attracted the second-largest volume of complaints at 673, followed by 7.30 at 643, News Breakfast at 579, and finally Q+A at 439.

Since her appointment, Cameron has had to carry out a number of significant investigations. Among the most recent was a probe into complaints made about the ABC’s coverage of the coronation of King Charles III, which Cameron cleared of charges it had breached editorial standards, finding only that it may have been “jarring” for viewers.

In other investigations, Cameron has also investigated a Media Watch segment critical of a series published by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age called “Red Alert”, which the editors of both papers said was “highly biased” and failed to give right of reply. Cameron gave the segment the all-clear.

She also investigated the ABC’s controversial coverage of an Alice Springs town hall, which became the subject of a Senate estimates hearing early this year after it was charged with offering audience members an incomplete recount of the event. The report, which was first published as an AM audio package, was found by Cameron to have breached accuracy and impartiality standards.

In the main, 70% of the ABC’s complaints over the three-year reporting period fell into categories of balance, which accounted for 5%, bias 37%, and factual inaccuracy 28%.

The trend carried over into the first six months of 2023. ABC News Online, for that short period, again drew the largest portion of audience complaints, of which there were 394; 72% related to inaccuracies or allegations of bias.

News Online was followed by 7.30, which in the first six months of this year has drawn 137 complaints, including 51 related to an interview with the Russian ambassador that some viewers felt displayed anti-Russian bias.

The ABC’s coronation coverage drew a total of 1996 written complaints, most of which questioned the decision-making process that led to scheduling a panel discussion over commentary of the event as guests entered the abbey. Of those complaints, 66 were handled by the ombudsman’s office.

“At the core of the establishment of the ombudsman’s office is greater transparency, accountability and visibility and this report endeavours to deliver on all three,” Cameron said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The ABC strives to be adventurous, brave and creative and such principles will solicit strong reactions. Complaints are very much part of this process and are welcomed and encouraged.”

Do you have any complaints about the ABC? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.