The ABC has announced it did not breach its code of practice regarding an expose it ran about Fox News on Four Corners, despite pressure from Murdoch Media.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC’s internal complaints division came to the conclusion that the government-funded broadcaster had not breached its code of practice when reporting on the Murdoch Media-owned Fox News.
If you aren’t up to speed on this saga, this year, ABC aired a two-part series on Four Corners that delved into the alleged biased reporting done by the Murdoch owned conservative news channel Fox News. It was titled, “Fox and the Big Lie.”
The series alleged that the network was guilty of bias reporting during the Donald Trump era.
The episodes included allegations of propaganda and interviews with former staff at Fox News. To put it lightly, it did not paint Fox News in a flattering light.
After the episodes aired, SMH reported that a Fox News spokesperson said: “The episode clearly violates the basic tenets of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s published standards by exhibiting bias and a failure to maintain any level of impartiality in the presentation of news and information.”
The ABC maintained that it asked for the perspective of the conservative network, but it was not given. ABC also released a statement that said: “News Corp not enjoying scrutiny does not mean the scrutiny is unwarranted.”
Naturally, Murdoch Media was not impressed by the coverage and sent off a 27-page complaint letter to ABC and demanded an external inquiry be conducted.
According, to The Guardian, following the Four Corners episodes News Corp, published over 45 articles criticising the ABC.
Still, The ABC has decided not to back down and seemingly won’t be doing anything further to appease Murdoch.
SMH also reported that according to sources Fox News may seek legal action now that it is clear The ABC won’t be apologising or backtracking on its claims against the network.
