Justin Stevens, the Director of ABC News, has announced that the ABC is forming an investigative reporting team within its state-based reporting teams.
Image: ABC
This team’s remit is to break, value-add and elevate stories about state governance, probity and accountability at a state and local level.
It will comprise journalists from metro and regional teams overseen by a lead. The team will work with investigative teams in other areas – the Investigative Reporting Team, the Regional Investigative team and specialist reporters in their locations to collaborate on investigations.
This is great news for audiences across Australia, especially Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Solid impartial investigations are essential for well-functioning democracies.
Stevens announced the decision in a wide-ranging speech to the Melbourne Press Club on 17 September 2024.
In his speech Stevens talked of a crisis of trust in media. The ABC remains by far the most trusted media organisation in this country, he said, “But we never take that for granted. We need to vigorously protect that trust and work every single day to ensure we are worthy of it.”
With one in four Australians now using social media as their main source of information, the public has access to more information than ever before. But, he said, that ecosystem is being overrun by misinformation, disinformation, conspiracy theories and propaganda. The rise of generative AI technology will see the proliferation of deep fakes and bad faith actors, diminishing trust even further.
Increasingly, people won't know what or who to believe, so we need a robust media sector at the top of its collective game.
Echoing comments made by the ABC Chair, Kim Williams, he said the standard of journalistic impartiality remains unchanged at the ABC.
“Every person who signs up to work as a journalist for ABC NEWS, and who receives the privilege of the public trust that comes from working under that respected and hard-won banner, accepts a responsibility in return – to strive at all times for accuracy, objectivity and fairness."
Impartiality isn’t a choice at the ABC, Stevens said. It’s enshrined in the ABC Act, which calls on us to adhere to the recognised standards of “objective journalism”.
The concept of “objective journalism” takes account that everyone has different values, biases and perspectives. But objectivity means we set aside those views and rigorously test information with evidence-based, open-minded and fair journalism.
Cassandra Parkinson
President