Published: 25 June 2021
Last updated: 4 March 2024
ECAJ claims ABC chief David Anderson ‘apologised’ for ‘many errors’ in the episode and coverage of Gaza conflict; ABC is ‘deeply disappointed’ at ECAJ’s account of the meeting
THE ABC SAYS the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) ‘misrepresented’ the ABC’s position in a statement it issued about a meeting held this week between the two organisations.
The meeting, held on Monday, was in response to a letter of complaint ECAJ sent to the ABC following the broadcasting of the Q+A program on the Gaza conflict on May 27.
ECAJ’S letter of complaint said the program had “featured an outpouring of undiluted and uncontested falsehoods and vitriol from two panellists … with passive support from two other panellists and only one lone voice, not from the Jewish community, … trying to put the other side of the argument despite repeated interruptions.”
The meeting was attended by ABC managing director David Anderson and his chief of staff Michael Rippon, ECAJ president Jillian Segal, co-CEO Peter Wertheim and ECAJ consultant Vic Alhadeff.
On Wednesday ECAJ released a statement about the meeting, which said “ABC Managing Director David Anderson readily acknowledged that the Q+A program and the ABC’s news and current affairs coverage of the conflict had contained ‘many errors’ for which he apologised.”
The statement added: [Mr Anderson] also acknowledged the validity of the ECAJ’s earlier detailed critique of an ‘Explainer’ document that had been published on the ABC website at the start of hostilities, before being corrected.”
The ABC, in a written response sent to all media on Wednesday evening, said its “position has been misrepresented” by the ECAJ statement.
“In the meeting, the ABC acknowledged that additional context added to articles had improved understanding of the issues and a small number of minor errors, mostly around the nuance in the use of contested terms, had been included following the initial complaints.
“These had already been clarified and the articles are still available to ABC audiences,” the ABC said.
“It is deeply disappointing how the meeting was characterised in the ECAJ statement,” the ABC added.
Its statement also said the ABC has agreed to meet representatives from the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.
The Jewish Independent yesterday asked the ABC whether it specifically rejected ECAJ’s claims that Mr Anderson “apologised” and that he “acknowledged the validity of the ECAJ’s earlier detailed critique of the ‘Explainer’ document".
A spokesman told The Jewish Independent that “we don’t have anything further to add from our statement yesterday”.
