The Negligence of the Australian Media

As an American commentator once asked, "where's the outrage"? At a time of significant international events arising out of the September 11 attacks on the United States, the Australian electronic news media has all but shut down.

In the United States, current affairs programs such as ABC's Nightline and PBS's NewsHour With Jim Lehrer broadcast 52 weeks a year. The latter is shown at 5pm on weeknights on SBS, an offering that is one of the very few current affairs programs available in Australia over the holiday period.

A drought of news and news analysis exists on the Australian electronic media throughout much of December, extends throughout January and well into February.

On the ABC, only The 7.30 Report maintains a holiday edition. Foreign Correspondent, Lateline, Insiders and 4 Corners have all finished for the year and won't be back until late January or early February.

On ABC radio, only AM remains on air. The evening PM program is off-air for several weeks. The World Today has finished for the year. Only the NewsRadio network allows the ABC to maintain a semblance of coverage of world events.

The cuts to the ABC budget are apparent in all their savagery at this time of the year. If there is one network that should maintain 365 days a year news and current affairs coverage, it is the national broadcaster.

The commercial networks are no better. Unless one is foolish enough to believe that Today Tonight or A Current Affair offer a real alternative, there is nothing available. Channel 9's Sunday and Business Sunday have gone off air. In desperation, you might look to 60 Minutes, but it has finished, as have Channel 7's Sunday Sunrise and Channel 10's Meet The Press.

All that is left for anyone looking for electronic coverage of international events are the news bulletins on SBS and the ABC.

Cable television offers some relief for the starving news junkie. Sky News offers an amalgam of Channel 7 and 9 news, plus some original programming, combined with broadcasts from the UK and USA.

And therein lies the problem. For people with access to cable television, there is no difficulty getting news from CNN, BBC World, Fox News, Bloomberg, or CNBC. But all of these networks, except the BBC, offer an American perspective on the world.

With the war in Afghanistan reaching a crucial stage, questions about the US's future actions in Iraq, amongst other developments, there has rarely been a time when Australia has been in greater need of detailed coverage of local and international events.

Instead of closing down programs and offering an unrelieved diet of sport, the Australian networks should be offering more of substance to viewers and listeners. The world does not stop because it's summer down under.

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