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Where to for the ABC?

Amid a degree of fanfare the MD of the ABC has launched a kind of manifesto for the ABC. It's rather hard to make out what he is really saying - but then again he didn't make much of a mark at Fairfax either. That Gerard Henderson has welcomed what MD Mark Scott has announced - does anyone really care what Henderson thinks? - is a tad troubling.

Writing in Crikey, Margaret Simons says:

"Will it be when the ABC critics are quiet? Hell will freeze over first. Such people need enemies against which to define themselves, and they will continue to construct them whether they exist or not. The ABC, as Australia’s most important cultural institution, will never escape. Managing Director Mark Scott acknowledged as much in his speech at the Sydney Institute last night.

So why on earth does he say that the mere fact that criticism exists is sufficient reason to hand the critics “a massive rod for our own backs. A weapon our critics can beat us with. More grounds for more questions in Senate Estimates. A very high bar.”

If you are interested in the media in Oz generally, and the ABC in particular, read Simons' piece here.

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