ABC boss hoses down criticism of Trump speech coverage

Tess Ikonomou |

The ABC missed out on millions of dollars after failing to cash in on Bluey’s merchandising rights.
The ABC missed out on millions of dollars after failing to cash in on Bluey’s merchandising rights.

The ABC has become much better at owning its mistakes, with the public broadcaster moving past a “defensive mindset”, its managing director says.

Hugh Marks said he welcomed “reasonable criticism” of the ABC, but rejected “opportunistic” attempts to conflate its coverage of Donald Trump with the BBC’s misleading edits of the January 6 riots.

The British broadcaster is in crisis after two senior executives resigned following editing on its current affairs program Panorama of a speech by Mr Trump, making it appear he was urging people to attack the US Capitol in 2021.

The ABC has faced accusations its Four Corners program also edited Mr Trump’s January 6 address.

ABC managing director Hugh Marks addresses the National Press Club
Hugh Marks says the ABC is open to fair criticism and is quick to own its mistakes. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

“The same faults were not consistent on both programs. I didn’t accept that was legitimate criticism,” the media chief said while addressing the National Press Club in Canberra.

Asked if the ABC’s processes for correcting the record were adequate, Mr Marks said progress had been made on a “defensive mindset” within the media outlet due to fear brought on by external pressure being heaped on the organisation over many years.

“That fearfulness drives a counterproductive behaviour, which is we must at all times react to that,” he said.

“We’ve had great discussions since I’ve been at the ABC, and we’ve really got our heads around the importance of owning mistakes quickly.”

Bluey and Bingo at the Logie Awards (file image)
The ABC missed out on millions of dollars after failing to cash in on Bluey’s merchandising rights. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

The media boss also said the popular kids’ show Bluey had been a “lost opportunity” for the ABC.

The public broadcaster has missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars after it failed to negotiate with the BBC on the merchandising rights.

“It’s happened, here is where we are, let’s not make the same mistake again,” Mr Marks said.

“We have the potential to look at different models so that we don’t lose those opportunities, and it’s important for the taxpayer to find them when you can.”

ABC managing director Hugh Marks addresses the National Press Club
Hugh Marks doesn’t want the ABC to make the same mistake again on missing out on extra revenue. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

The Australian series, made by Brisbane animators Ludo Studios, is one of the most streamed shows in the US.

Mr Marks said he’d like to see more children’s content from the ABC.

“It resonates with an audience, it’s important to the progression of children and families and that sense of national identity,” he said.

AAP