The departure of David Armstrong as the managing director of the ABC is not surprising given that he was another management type trying to manage a news organisation and realising at last that weasel words and public relations do not really work when it comes to journalism.
In the past, the ABC has been at the forefront of producing simple, but effective journalism, be it for the small screen or radio. That has meant displeasing a lot of people, especially those on the right side of politics, who tend to apparently believe the fact that when government money supports an organisation, its services can be used for self-aggrandisement.
It is telling that none of the top three managers in the ABC has ever worked as a journalist. Justin Stevens has been a producer, Anderson is a management man, and Kim Williams has no experience in the trade either.
Under Ita Buttrose, the ABC started trying to convert itself to something akin to a streaming service. Given that its content does not stretch very far, this is a somewhat ridiculous exercise. News organisations that try to convert themselves into content providers – remember what happened to Fairfax Media under Fred Hillmer? – tend to go the way of the dodo. As Fairfax did.
The ABC’s latest attempt to try and make itself relevant tells the whole story of what is wrong with the organisation. Audience numbers are falling and the ABC’s reaction has been to go back to its original news music lead-in and redesign its TV sets. This is the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig; the quality of its journalism and journalists has sunk to an alarming low and all these superficial changes will not improve that.
Many good journalists have left in despair as they have been asked to cater to the whims of a management team that knows nothing about journalism, but is more than willing to accept the kudos when they come. What the management is unprepared to do is to stand behind its journalists when increasingly nasty politicians seek to exact revenge for having been shown up.
Journalists, if they are true to their profession, will not look to be praised and lauded for what they do. And they will criticise both sides of politics when they err. They will not pander to anyone and avoid layering praise on every person who sucks up to them.
Alas, the ABC has gone in the opposite direction. Its journalists are more narcissists than anything else. News isn’t sacred, the journalists seek to project themselves rather than the subject of a story. In some news clips and programs, the amount of time that one sees the journalist’s face [from various angles] is often more than the time devoted to the subject of the story.
One classic example is a program called Stuff the British stole. It is about items which Britain carried away from colonies during its days of empire. Yet the promotion for this program does not show any of the items Britain took away; nay, it shows the chubby face of the presenter!
Of recent times, the ABC has found itself incapable of creating any new programs of any substance. The answer has been to create soft, frothy shows that take little effort: quiz programs, and the like. The ABC is also heavy on programs that cater to various groups; one example is a program where autistic people interview celebrities.
The ABC no longer makes any decent news and current affairs programs. Its lone current affairs program, called Insiders, is hosted by one David Spiers, a man who tilts heavily to the right and is very good at avoiding any topics that could cause his side of politics to squirm.
Given the progressive deterioration over the years, it is unlikely that the ABC will improve the quality of both its programs and its journalists. Under Williams, it looks likely that things will continue to slide.