International news including the Israel / Gaza war, Indian politics and Ukraine dominated complaints to the ABC Ombudsman between January and June this year.
Complaints around the Israel / Gaza war represented 24% of all complaints over this period. The majority concerned bias or lack of balance with 35% suggesting content was pro-Israel and 63% concluding pro-Palestine (2% other). Over the 6-months, no breaches of ABC editorial standards were found in the war coverage.
Coverage of India and Indian politics represented 10% of complaints while the Four Corners UK doco Ukraine’s War: The Other Side attracted a further 8% of complaints.
The most complaints (769) were for ABC News Online. 30% were about the Israel / Gaza war with almost one-third of these (67) concerned about the use of the phrase “a show of resilience” but no breach of editorial standards was found.
Across television, radio and online 275 complaints were about the opening of a Hindu temple by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concerns about accuracy.
255 complaints related to the Four Corners UK documentary Ukraine’s War: The Other Side alleging pro-Russia propaganda.
53% of the 7.30 complaints (253) related to a testing interview with the Shadow Energy Minister (considered by the Ombudsman as suitably rigorous and informative), while 11% were claims of anti-Israel bias in an interview with an IDF spokesperson.
General complaints (such as taste, preference and scheduling) were down on 2023 when thre were nearly 2000 complaints about ‘poor coverage’ of the Coronation of King Charles III.
65 of the News Online resolved issues related to complaints that an article about a murdered British transgender teen was harmful and offensive in that it identified her by an incorrect name, thereby ‘deadnaming’ her. This was resolved after ABC removed a reference and apologised.
27 complaints were upheld.
11 related to a fact check of an assertion by Dick Smith that no country has ever been able to run entirely on renewables.
8 were upheld in relation to reports about the NSW State government’s aerial cull of wild horses in the Kosciuszko National Park.
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