Welcome to our blog series - Checking the Pulse - providing you with useful and informative ABC Friends News bites. Below you will find links to interesting reads/webinars, online events coming up and ABC TV productions you may enjoy.

Informative Reads

Here's a list of six interesting things to read (or watch) this month.

• On 2 September ABC Friends NSW/ACT held the Stand Up for the ABC webinar with speakers - Kerry O'Brien (ABC Alumni and retired ABC Presenter), Emma Dawson (Per Capita) and Ed Davis (ABC Friends NSW/ACT President). It served as a reminder of just how much we need the careful analysis our public broadcaster provides. In case you missed it the webinar video is available here.
  
  
• The Coalition is considering the AAP's funding request because of mounting concerns over media concentration. Read more here.
  
  
•  See how ABC Friends are urging the Government to prioritise the ABC as we approach the October Budget.
  
  
• ABC presenter Andrew Geoghegan’s gave an emotional speech on his last day at the ABC. He said that "newsrooms across the country are losing vast amounts of experience and that doesn't bode well for a strong and independent media sector, one that needs to be well-funded”. You can see his full speech here.
  
  
• Check out this article in Crikey looking at the recent attempts at the restructurting of the workforce at the ABC.
  
  
• The Guardian has written a piece on ABC Chair Ita Buttrose asking ABC staff to vote on six-month wage freeze which you can look at here.

Upcoming Online Events

This year our SA/NT AGM be held via Zoom on Sunday 18 October. Our AGM email will be sent to financial Members shortly providing details of  RSVP registering and links to papers for reading reference.

Dates to put in your Diary

A Hawke Centre event on Criminalising Journalism, Silencing Whistle-Blowers with guest speaker Quentin Dempster will be held on 19 November. An outline of this webinar presentation can be found here.

We  had  hoped that ABC Adelaide would hold its October Gardeners' Market this year where we usually have an ABC Friends' stall, but unfortunately the Market won’t be held this year due to ongoing Covid 19  precautions and restrictions. 

Interesting ABC Programmes to catch up on

Freeman - 7.30pm 13th September - marks the 29th anniversary of Cathy Freeman and the 2000 Olympics.

The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty - 7.30pm 20th September.

Both programmes are available for on-demand viewing on ABC iview.