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From
ABC News Online
http://www.abc.net
Alston may take ABC
complaint to ABA
Monday, July 21, 2003
The Federal Communications
Minister Richard Alston says he remains concerned that the ABC's coverage of the
Iraq war did not meet journalism standards of accuracy and impartiality.
The national broadcaster
has upheld two of the Federal Government's 68 complaints.
The ABC handed its repsonse
to the Government earlier today.
The Minister made 68 complaints
about biased and anti-American coverage by the current affairs program AM.
The ABC's Complaints Review
Executive upheld two of the minister's complaints, finding one report should have
been better expressed while another was sarcastic in tone and excessive.
ABC managing director
Russell Balding says the inquiry vindicates the AM program and its staff.
But Senator Alston is
still concerned.
"The ABC's own response
seems to be saying 'We don't have to be balanced and impartial', now I don't think
that's a very acceptable situation," he said.
"The ABC seems to have
gone to quite extraordinary lengths to exonerate itself and I don't know that
that is justified by the evidence it itself relies upon. Certainly in the first
few I've looked at it's quite the opposite."
He is now considering
whether to pursue the matter with the Australian Broadcasting Authority.
ENDS
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