LIKE never before in its 89-year history, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is in the midst of extraordinary turmoil that could have serious and long-term ramifications.
The two most senior leaders of the national broadcaster have gone — one abruptly sacked, the other forced to quit after damning revelations about interference in editorial independence.
Staff are furious at the chaos that has unfolded, at a time when morale is already at dangerous lows due to ongoing savage cuts, baffling decisions and “appallingly bad” communication from management.
“There’s a sense of disbelief here,” one senior ABC journalist told news.com.au.
“We are dumbfounded at the chain of events and how this mess has been handled. I barely have the words to describe how disappointed we are.
“I don’t think we yet know the full extent of the incredible damage that’s been inflicted on the organisation.”
‘APPALLING PIECE OF SABOTAGE’
Reports of leaked emails this week suggested incredible levels of interference by chairman Justin Milne in the work by and employment of individual journalists.
The businessman and personal friend of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull appeared to have made specific requests about staff who should be “let go” to appease the government.
An explosive report suggested Mr Milne ordered political editor Andrew Probyn be fired because of Mr Turnbull’s views, telling former managing director Michelle Guthrie: “You just have to shoot him.”
In another instance, Mr Milne complained about economics correspondent Emma Alberici, demanding Ms Guthrie “get rid of” the award-winning journalist and former Lateline host because the government “hated” her.
Mr Milne is also reported to have attempted to influence decisions about youth comedy show Tonightly and the future employment of its host Tom Ballard, as well as a decision by Triple J to move its annual Hottest 100 countdown from Australia Day.
One senior figure at the ABC said the reports have sent shockwaves through the organisation — especially the claim that the board was aware of the emails last week.
“Everyone is completely shocked by the revelations and also shocked at the extent of the dysfunction at those senior management levels,” they said.
“They knew (about the emails) last week and then still acted on the chairman’s recommendation to sack Michelle. That is very concerning.
“I think people worry about the judgment of the board.”
Veteran journalist and former 7.30 host Kerry O’Brien said the emails were deeply disturbing.
“If that report is accurate, (Mr Milne’s) position is untenable. I’m talking just about the email alone,” O’Brien said in an interview with The Drum.
“I think Justin Milne either knew what he was doing, and (that’s) reprehensible, or he was dangerously naive, and that’s also reprehensible. I just don’t think he has a place to hide.”
O’Brien said Mr Milne’s conduct had “put at risk” viewers’ confidence that they could trust the independence of the ABC’s reporting.
“If that trust is eroded by this process that we are seeing now, then I think it’s not only a tragedy but an appalling piece of sabotage,” he said.
Barrie Cassidy, who has worked at the ABC for almost five decades and hosts the Insiders program, said last night he was shocked by the saga.
“We’re asked constantly to report without fear or favour and the one thing we expect in return is to have our backs covered,” Cassidy said in an appearance on The Project.
“There were (staff) meetings in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and unanimously their decision was that the chairman has put at risk the independence of the ABC.”
A senior producer at the ABC said the rage inside the organisation was palpable.
“There’s a lot of shock and frustration at what’s taken place this week,” the source said.
“We take our independence seriously at the ABC, and that was shown yesterday by the way everyone banded together very quickly to demand an investigation and for the chair to step aside.”
On Thursday, after an emergency meeting by the board that he did not attend, Mr Milne resigned his position.
But there is upset among staff at the time taken to get rid of the “damaging” figure at the head of the organisation.
“The next question is why didn’t the board act when they first heard these allegations last week?” one senior ABC figure told news.com.au.
The revelations about Mr Milne’s perceived interference with editorial independence and reported demands that certain figures unpopular with the government be sacked has shone a light on the board.
Many within the organisation feel the ABC should be led by people familiar with or deeply passionate about journalism and editorial excellence.
“There’s anger and frustration at the board,” a senior producer told news.com.au.
“Lots of staff are suddenly asking: ‘who are these people?’ Many of us have never met them, and none of them seem to have any experience in the industry.
“There’s suddenly a lot of focus on exactly who is at the top of the pyramid.”
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has called for a full government inquiry, focusing on the board and its actions.
The senior ABC figure said the fact no one on the board has media or communications experience “beggars belief” during such a turbulent time for Australian media.
A POLARISING, ‘RUTHLESS’ LEADERSHIP
When she was appointed at the new managing director, taking over from popular predecessor Mark Scott, Ms Guthrie enjoyed a warm welcome from staff.
The former Google executive could bring a strategic digital focus to usher the organisation into its next era, they felt.
But pretty quickly, that optimistic sentiment turned.
“It’s just felt sort of rudderless and the general view universally is that we don’t get what the management direction was,” the senior figure said.
It was apparent to many that Ms Guthrie wasn’t particularly passionate about news and current affairs — for which the ABC has a proud and fiercely defended legacy, the source said.
“Michelle made people feel like she didn’t really love ABC content or watch much of the ABC. She wasn’t visible or present.”
Another senior journalist said: “Every other week there were conversations (among staff) about Guthrie and her disinterest in journalism.
“Her favourite TV show was Gogglebox and she wanted us to do more cheap and light programming like that. She wasn’t big on serious news, so she wasn’t overly invested in what we were doing.
“Then that Four Corners meeting … everyone kind of shuddered in horror, like, what the f**k is she doing here?”
The production meeting in which Ms Guthrie sat and made a number of bizarre suggestions has been widely reported in recent days.
When discussing an episode about children in detention on Nauru, she asked why it didn’t include images of happy kids, news.com.au has been told. After a dumbfounded silence, someone had to tell Ms Guthrie there probably weren’t any happy children in the island camp.
Staff said she also suggested puff profile pieces on leading business figures could be done.
Last night, Cassidy said there was a lack of understanding about journalism at the very top of the ABC’s management.
“It’s unfortunate that we’ve had Michelle Guthrie and Justin Milne in charge at the same time. Neither of them have a real understanding of how it all works,” he said.
At the end of 2016, Ms Guthrie began a series of roadshows to sell her vision for a massive and wide-reaching restructure.
That program involved significant cuts to Radio National, which were not received well. In a tense meeting with staff in Perth, the MD reportedly raised her voice and became aggressive and defensive.
“I hate to break it to you but this is a very small decision for me,” Ms Guthrie told the bureau’s two dozen staff about the budget cuts.
There was an overhaul of radio programming, with drastic changes to breakfast, afternoon and drive line-ups across its local radio network and cuts to current affairs programming.
Journalists across the ABC were reorganised into teams focused on multi-platform reporting on specific topics, rather than for just TV or radio.
There were dozens of job losses and a freeze on full-time hiring. A significant cut to the annual budget by the Federal Government also hurt.
“MEAA recognises today’s audiences interact differently with the ABC and the ABC must move to meet these audiences,” the journalists’ union said.
“However, staff are concerned these changes may make the job of delivering content to ABC audiences more difficult given editorial staff are already overworked.”
‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’
Over the past week, the level of communication from senior leaders to staff about the worsening turmoil has been appalling, insiders have told news.com.au.
But it reflects a pattern of those at the top being incapable of properly informing staff about what’s happening at the ABC.
When news of Ms Guthrie’s sacking broke in The Australian before a bulletin was distributed to employees, some staff felt it drove home the ABC’s problem with communicating to its own.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty while we wait to see what happens next by reading media reports from outside the building,” one producer told news.com.au.
So poor was Ms Guthrie’s communication of the “reimagination” program, staff claim, that those affected by cuts and changes were often likely to get news from people outside their teams.
By the start of this year, an internal employee sentiment survey found a massive slump in happiness, a rise in stress levels and deep concern about the future.
In an email after the survey results were released, Ms Guthrie promised to communicate changes more effectively.
The solution promoted by the managing director was Larry — an overly cheery character portrayed by an actor designed to drive home the ABC’s values.
Managers were encouraged to give employees who had performed well a post card emblazoned with Larry’s cheesy grinning face and the tagline: “Thank you for demonstrating We Are ABC.”
The senior ABC figure told news.com.au the Larry campaign was “tone deaf” and baffling to an exhausted and weary staff.
“You can’t overstate the negative impact that had,” they said.
“When people are losing their jobs — lots of amazing people have gone out the door — and you see a campaign like that, which they’ve spent money on, it’s like … really? That’s a worthwhile expenditure?”
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