The head of X and Donald Trump’s new best friend, Elon Musk, has claimed that the ABC Chair, Kim Williams, is "the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda."
From the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda https://t.co/T9KCf6oNbk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 27, 2024
Elon Musk is wrong. The ABC is nothing like Pravda.
Pravda was the official voice of Soviet communism and the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1918 and 1991. While it began life as an underground workers’ newspaper, after the Russian revolution in 1917 it became the official publication of the Soviet era, and all party members were required to read it.
Pravda was a government mouthpiece, seen by both Soviet citizens and foreigners as a reliable reflection of the Soviet government's positions on various issues.
Elon Musk’s post implies that, because the ABC receives government funding, it is controlled by the state. It’s not the first time he has made such a claim. He simply doesn’t understand the role that public media organisations play in a democracy.
Although the ABC receives government funding, it is editorially independent of Australian governments. The Charter under which it was established states that the Corporation is the provider of an independent national broadcasting service. Its board has a duty to "maintain the independence and integrity of the Corporation".
Stephen McDonell, the China-based journalist for the BBC (and formerly ABC) put it well when he said:
The issue is control. China’s state media is completely controlled by the Communist Party. Is it ever able to publish material critical of the government? No. Does the BBC publish such material? All the time.
In fact, politicians often hate organisations like the ABC or the BBC because they expose government mistakes and corruption. This is not the case with China’s Party-controlled media.
State media are instruments of government propaganda and control. The ABC is an independent media organisation, free from political and commercial interests.
This goes to the heart of what the ABC is. It's why ABC Friends is committed to fighting to retain a truly independent public media organisation.
Cassandra Parkinson
President
ABC Friends