Latest news with #JustinStevens
ABC News
20-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Peter Ryan
The ABC is deeply saddened by the death of our great friend and esteemed colleague Peter Ryan. After a distinguished 45-year career in journalism Peter retired from the ABC last month due to ill health. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Peter's family. A tribute to Peter on his retirement can be read here: Listen to The World Today's tribute to Peter Ryan Watch here: After 45 years, business reporter Peter Ryan has called time on his career Peter's many career highlights include being the ABC's Washington Bureau Chief, head of TV news and current affairs in Victoria, Executive Producer of Business Breakfast , founding editor of Lateline Business , which later became The Business, and Business Editor. Since 2016 he has held the role of Senior Business Correspondent. In 2017 Peter won a Walkley Award for his expose on the Commonwealth Bank scandal. His coverage contributed to the calling of the banking Royal Commission and in 2018 he was the National Press Club finance journalist of the year for his coverage of the commission. In 2022 he was recognised with the Order of Australia medal for his significant service to journalism. ABC Director, News Justin Stevens: Peter leaves a significant legacy. Through his mentorship, friendship and professionalism he directly touched the lives of many at the ABC. Through his journalism he had a profound impact on the lives of Australians and our society. It was a privilege to know him and work alongside him. Peter's parting words of advice: Peter Ryan shares his highs and lows from 45 years So what have I learned from 45 years in journalism? This is for younger and older colleagues alike. When I look back at my start on Sydney's Daily Mirror in 1980, as an 18-year-old straight out of school, we were still printing newspapers off hot metal. People were smoking in newsrooms and there was a lot of yelling as deadlines ran down to the wire. My parents were absolutely delighted when I was finally hired by the ABC in 1984. Our TV always seemed to be stuck on Channel 2, we were forced to watch the 7pm news every night and I had to listen to AM and PM in the kitchen. I'd love to be with you all there, but one strong message I have is, never let anyone tell you the good old days were really that good – that's a bit of a myth. I'd like to thank the ABC for taking so many risks with me over the years, giving me my dream of a foreign posting in Washington and then into big editorial roles. But for me in the end it's all about being a reporter out in the real world telling it as it is. I'm always chuffed when I hear people tell me you're able to take complex issues and break them down into three good parts. When someone tells me that, that's more important than a whole lot of awards. A few words of editorial advice. Avoid cynicism – be passionate. A good team can often be a very small team – I've worked in some of the best. Be proactive – come to the table with a great story so no one else comes up with a dud that might waste your time. Work closely with top people – shut up and absorb like a sponge. Maintain a fastidious contact book – some low-profile contacts could soon move into higher powered roles or more importantly work in backrooms where the big decisions are often made. Show up to work early and prove that you're ready to take on the big story of the day. Try to have a Plan B in your back pocket just in case your original brilliant idea doesn't go anywhere and the EP comes walking your way. Finally: Be kind and caring to people who need it. Media contact Sally Jackson, ABC Communications
Sky News AU
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
'Warping the news': Internal documents reveal how ABC News pushes diversity, equity and inclusion quota system
A Freedom of Information investigation has uncovered documents which reveal the extraordinary steps ABC journalists must take to hit 'woke' diversity targets which are altering the structure of stories going to air. The FOI probe has also uncovered documents which show the project is being spearheaded by the ABC's powerful news boss Justin Stevens, with one email suggesting he had accused staff of committing acts of racism in 2022. The DEI push is detailed in a document titled '50:50 Equality Project' which sets out the framework for how journalists collect sensitive racial data and even disability status of voices used in news reports. READ THE EQUALITY PROJECT DOCUMENT IN FULL The ABC has been pushed to achieve diversity of 50 per cent women, 15 per cent cultural and linguistic diversity, 3.4 per cent indigenous and 8 per cent disabled representation. These identity data points are then discussed at weekly editorial meetings. Language used by the authors of the internal policy document paints a picture of the bureaucratic challenges that journalists face when attempting to choose which contacts they can put in a story. To track the details of story subjects, the national broadcaster has implemented a system asking reporters to enter identity data into a centralised application. That sensitive data is then shared with entire teams who have been instructed to hold meetings discussing the findings. The document even provides talking points for how the journalists should use that personal data to trigger conversations. While the ABC stresses journalists should never sacrifice news report quality, critics of the scheme have labelled it woke, and a waste of resourcing. In the last few years as the ABC was ramping up its diversity push, news bosses have overseen a litany of failures, including millions of dollars of taxpayer funds squandered on failed court cases, and major editorial errors. Earlier this year Mr Stevens was forced to apologise to former special forces commando Heston Russell after his newsroom edited fake gunshots into footage, giving the impression the soldier was firing shots at civilians. Mr Russell was also awarded more than $400,000 after successfully suing the ABC for defamation in October, 2023. In April, The Australian War Memorial lodged a formal complaint that separate footage in an ABC Four Corners episode gave a 'false impression' the Last Post was being disrupted by the work of construction. And yesterday, the ABC lost a high-profile unfair dismissal case after illegally sacking former ABC presenter Antoinette Lattouf. The journalist was awarded $70,000 and the ABC is expected to be left with more than $1 million in legal bills, which will ultimately be paid for by the taxpayer. What must ABC journalists do to satisfy DEI targets? The 50:50 policy document tells ABC journalists they can assess the diversity status of potential talent by a combination of personal cues — including 'how they look' and 'how they sound'. 'The ABC must ensure it equitably represents the perspectives and the lived experience people of different genders, ages, sexual orientations, social and geographic backgrounds, and those with disabilities,' the document says. 'This is not about being tokenistic to meet diversity targets – it is about diversifying and expanding our contacts to find excellent new contributors to include in our stories.' Another metric is the amount of 'CALD' (culturally and linguistically diverse) people included in news stories. Staff are instructed to make a 'reasonable assessment' of whether talent is CALD based on 'how they look', 'how they sound', '(if) they openly identify with a particular group or community' and 'their name'. People are considered to be diverse only if they are from non-Anglo-Celtic countries which do not speak English. 'The ABC defines CALD (for workforce calculation purposes) as people who are from countries in which the main language spoken is not English. European languages are included in the calculation of CALD. 'Anglo-Celtic backgrounds (where English is the main language spoken) is not, so we do not count people of Anglo heritage from the UK, NZ, Canada or the US.' In regular daily or weekly editorial meetings, the amount of diversity is then used to 'prompt a discussion about the diversity' of stories. Inside the ABC News boss' email accusing staff of 'racist behaviour' The DEI push is being led by ABC News Director Justin Stevens, a highly paid news executive who says staff have experienced racism at the ABC in an email obtained in full by Sky News. 'Six months ago I emailed you about issues around diversity and inclusion in (ABC) News and talked about the experiences of some of our colleagues with discriminatory, non-inclusive and at times racist behaviour,' he wrote in December, 2022. The email did not detail Mr Stevens' evidence or whether his own staff had committed racist acts but came six months after he publicly apologised to anyone at the ABC who 'has ever experienced racism or bigotry in our workplace'. His apology at the time related to an internal investigation which alleged racist acts had taken place in ABC newsrooms. In the same email, Mr Stevens pushed for everyone to get on board with the new 'Talent Diversity Tracking' initiative. READ JUSTIN STEVENS' ALL STAFF EMAIL ON DEI TRACKING Mr Stevens conceded the changes could be 'awkward and uncomfortable' but would improve the representation of marginalised groups in Australia. 'Talking about these issues can be awkward and uncomfortable – but it's vital we do in order to make the workplace positive for everyone,' he said. 'A key message from our people is that while we're improving the diversity of our workforce. We have a way to go to create a truly inclusive environment for all our people. Every one of us has a role to play in that. Everything we do in this area improves our journalism, making it more accurate and authentic, ensuring we're delivering for all Australians.' Mr Stevens wrote about the ABC's internal diversity tracking system, revealing that 'almost all news teams' had been storing sensitive data as early as 2022. 'Building on the 50:50 project, almost all News teams have now moved to the new talent diversity tracking system, designed to measure the representation of people with disability, women, Indigenous and culturally and linguistic diverse Australians,' he wrote. 'To help continue to increase the diversity of voices and faces in our coverage, the ABC is inviting all Australians to become part of our new Your Voice database. 'Teams across News and R&L will use Your Voice to source and store as many new diverse contacts as possible.' He also revealed that ABC journalists have been 'pilot testing' a new shared contact system known internally as the 'Your Voice' database which allowed journalists to easily find talent and voices for news stories in order to hit their diversity tracking KPIs. 'Already during the pilot testing phase more than 1500 people of many different backgrounds, locations and professional/lived experiences have made themselves available as experts and case studies,' he wrote. 'Every kind of diversity except viewpoint diversity' The ABC's diversity push has been criticised as being simply a woke waste of money, according to Scott Hargreaves, Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs. 'ABC management simply do not get it, warping the news the ABC presents to meet woke DEI goals is completely inconsistent with its Charter. Kim Williams and the Board should shut this down immediately,' he told Sky News. 'DEI is a cancer that eats out organisations from within by distracting it from its actual purpose and tying up staff with pointless tasks. 'The definition of news is what is of interest to the public and what is important. DEI goals for representation have nothing to do with achieving this aim.' Mr Hargreaves said the 'DEI warriors' at the ABC were interested in all kinds of diversity except for viewpoint diversity, which has led the broadcaster to sound like the 'Green-Left Weekly'. 'The ABC is no longer an institution of cultural importance in Australia as it once was. Too often the ABC fails to represent the diverse views of the community,' he said. 'While the ABC's taxpayer funding increases every year, its ratings continue to fall. It demonstrates the deep structural and cultural problems at the taxpayer funded broadcaster. 'Given the declining relevance and audience of the ABC, it is time the federal government review its funding levels and ensure it is commensurate with performance and viewership. Maybe then Australians might see some balance return to the taxpayer funded broadcaster.' 'Not quotas, just representation targets' The ABC's diversity guidelines insisted that these DEI requirements were not 'quotas' but instead were being used to 'effect real change'. This is despite the fact its internal language repeatedly refers to targets, benchmarks, and representation levels that should be measured, reported, and built upon. Sky News contacted the ABC to enquire about the document, and was directed to a report which said the broadcaster has accepted 15 recommendations from an independent review into ABC systems. The recommendations include that the ABC 'commit to being proactively anti-racist', 'create culturally safe support systems' and 'improve diverse representation'. It comes after Sky News revealed that staff were ordered to avoid commonplace phrases such as 'no can do', 'Chinese whispers' and 'gone walkabout' because they can be racially offensive. The advice was part of the new diversity and inclusion measures at the public broadcaster which came out of its internal racism review. The 4000-strong workforce at the ABC was told they must complete the compulsory 75-minute Building an Inclusive Culture training course by the end of the month. In that course was a section on avoiding 'language with racial connotations', with staff advised the following phrases can be offensive to people from 'those races' and provided with 'inclusive alternatives'. Instead of 'Chinese whispers', employees are told to use the term 'misinformation'. Rather than say someone has 'gone walkabout', it's suggested they use the word 'absent'. Staff are also told to avoid the phrase 'no can do' and instead say 'I can't help'. The ABC launched its new Inclusive Team Planning project in July 2024, as a response to an internal racism review prompted by the departure of former Q&A host Stan Grant, who accused the broadcaster of failing to support him in the wake of racial abuse stemming from his coverage of King Charles' coronation. Mr Grant called the issue an 'institutional failure' and the subsequent review found racism was 'systemic' in the ABC's ranks. Of 120 staff interviewed, only one said they had not personally experienced racism and that person was still aware of it happening at the ABC.
Sydney Morning Herald
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘The world has changed': ABC axes political panel show Q+A after 18 years
The ABC has confirmed the axing of its long-running political panel show Q+A. The public broadcaster announced on Wednesday that it would 'discontinue Q+A after an outstanding 18-year run and look to new ways to facilitate discussion and elevate voices from around the country'. The ABC's news director Justin Stevens said in a statement he was 'very proud of Q+A 's great achievements over the years'. 'The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign,' he said. 'Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. 'We always need to keep innovating and renewing, and in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed. It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations. We'll be working on how we can continue to foster engagement of this nature in an innovative way.' Stevens said the ABC would be investing in more documentaries and building on 'high-end programs' such as the political documentaries Killing Season and Nemesis. The broadcaster is also advertising the new position of executive producer, documentaries and specials.
The Age
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘The world has changed': ABC axes political panel show Q+A after 18 years
The ABC has confirmed the axing of its long-running political panel show Q+A. The public broadcaster announced on Wednesday that it would 'discontinue Q+A after an outstanding 18-year run and look to new ways to facilitate discussion and elevate voices from around the country'. The ABC's news director Justin Stevens said in a statement he was 'very proud of Q+A 's great achievements over the years'. 'The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign,' he said. 'Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. 'We always need to keep innovating and renewing, and in the two decades since Q+A began, the world has changed. It's time to rethink how audiences want to interact and to evolve how we can engage with the public to include as many Australians as possible in national conversations. We'll be working on how we can continue to foster engagement of this nature in an innovative way.' Stevens said the ABC would be investing in more documentaries and building on 'high-end programs' such as the political documentaries Killing Season and Nemesis. The broadcaster is also advertising the new position of executive producer, documentaries and specials.
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
ABC confirms Q+A to be axed amid wider changes and scores of redundancies across the broadcaster
The ABC's Q+A program has been cancelled after 18 years, the broadcaster has confirmed, amid wider changes that will result in scores of redundancies across the public broadcaster. The round of changes will fund new programming at the ABC under reforms yet to be announced by the new managing director Hugh Marks. Marks, who joined the ABC in March, is set to unveil his first round of reforms at the public broadcaster, which Guardian Australia understands to include at least 80 redundancies across the ABC. 'Q+A was a groundbreaking program that had made a significant contribution to Australian society,' the ABC director of news, Justin Stevens, said. 'We're very proud of Q+A's great achievements over the years. The team has done a terrific job, including a strong performance during the federal election campaign,' he said. 'Discontinuing the program at this point is no reflection on anyone on the show. Q+A presenter Patricia Karvelas, who will remain at the ABC, said she enjoyed spending time with the audience members who came to Q+A late on a Monday night. 'They have always been the reason for this show and I'm forever grateful to them for coming on national TV and having the courage to ask questions of powerful people,' she said. Stevens said the cancellation of the program would result in redundancies 'and the loss of talented colleagues', but it is unclear how many. The ABC said savings will be invested in another audience participation project, Your Say, which was a success during the election, and news documentaries in the vein of Killing Season and Nemesis, Stevens said. 'We're excited about being able to produce additional high impact, premium news documentary programs to complement the ABC's strong factual slate,' Stevens said Stevens said as well as hosting Afternoon Briefing and the Politics Now podcast, Karvelas would do more Four Corners episodes as time permits. The weekly flagship discussion program was launched in 2007 by veteran executive producer Peter McEvoy and host Tony Jones and was highly influential in its early years, regularly making headlines and setting the news agenda. ABC staff were warned of looming cuts on Tuesday by the journalists' union, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), which told ABC members of colleagues being called into meetings with managers 'regarding a restructure'. One of the divisions to be folded is the Innovation Lab, which was founded in 2018 to test and experiment with new content and technology to prepare the ABC for the future. Headed up by digital content & innovation chief Angela Stengal, the team is believed to be as big as 10 and staff have been offered voluntary redundancy or the chance to go into a redundancy pool to compete for other positions. Radio National staff in Brisbane, Adelaide and Victoria have been called into meetings, according to union sources.
