The ABC has dismissed allegations suggesting that its reporting has fueled antisemitism or societal discord. Ahead of their scheduled testimonies at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion on Thursday, both ABC and SBS are set to face inquiries regarding claims of bias and antisemitism in their news coverage.
The focus of the commission will be on the editorial standards and complaint-handling processes of the public broadcasters. In a statement released prior to the hearings, the ABC asserted that its journalism is founded on evidence, fairness, impartiality, and adherence to its Charter commitments.
On Thursday morning, ABC’s editorial director, Gavin Fang, and ombudsman, Fiona Cameron, will represent the organization. They will be followed by SBS’s director of Audio and Language Content, David Thanh Man Tue Hua, director of News and Current Affairs, Amanda Wicks, and ombudsman, Amy Stockwell.
The commission’s current hearings, taking place in Sydney, are examining the prevalence of antisemitism and hate speech across both online platforms and traditional media. In his opening statement last week, counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC emphasized the significant and trusted role that the ABC and SBS play in the Australian media landscape. He stated that the broadcasters are obligated by their statutes and policies to maintain high standards of accuracy, impartiality, and balance.
Lancaster noted that the inquiry would investigate how the broadcasters manage allegations of antisemitism and the effectiveness of their measures. He remarked that it would be important to determine whether there is any clear antisemitic bias in their reporting or editorial policies.
Some of the submissions to the commission have been sharply critical of how the ABC and SBS have covered the Middle East conflict. Lancaster pointed out that there are complaints asserting that the coverage provided by both organizations has been inaccurate or unbalanced concerning story selection and reporting focus.
Although the submissions made to the commission have yet to be publicly released, several witnesses have voiced criticism of the ABC during their testimonies. Léa Levy, who moved to Australia from France in 2015, shared her experiences with antisemitism, stating that during the Gaza conflict, the ABC failed to acknowledge the suffering of Israelis.
Michael Gawenda, a former editor-in-chief of the Age newspaper, accused the ABC and other media outlets of downplaying antisemitism, alleging that they published articles suggesting that the concept of antisemitism was a manufactured idea propagated by powerful interests to suppress criticism of Israel.
In a strong rebuttal issued Wednesday evening, the ABC defended its journalism, stating that it has provided comprehensive coverage of the rise of antisemitism in Australia and has included various perspectives. The broadcaster emphasized that its reporting has consistently highlighted the experiences of Jewish Australians while situating these issues within broader social and political contexts.
The Royal Commission was established following the tragic events of last December when a terrorist attack during a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach resulted in 15 fatalities. Unlike the ABC and SBS, Australia’s commercial networks have not been summoned to provide evidence to the commission.
The commission clarified that it had called upon the ABC and SBS due to concerns raised by members of the Jewish community regarding perceived bias in reporting. Commissioner Virginia Bell remarked last week that the commission’s objective is not to address individual grievances but rather to evaluate the sufficiency of the broadcasters’ mechanisms for handling complaints, particularly those concerning bias in coverage of events in the Middle East related to Israel.
Complaints regarding the ABC’s coverage of the Middle East have surged, particularly following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing conflict in Gaza. The ABC reported a five-year high in complaints during the 2023-24 period, with over 7,000 complaints related to content and editorial standards, nearly half of which were connected to the Israel-Gaza war.
In the 2024-25 year, the ABC’s ombudsman addressed 4,192 complaints, with 26 percent concerning coverage of the Middle East. The broadcaster confirmed that breaches related to five instances of its Middle East coverage had been recorded, including four cases of inaccuracy in news reporting and issues of impartiality related to a segment on the Hip Hop Show. However, the ombudsman found no substantiated complaints of bias regarding ABC News’s Middle East coverage.
The commission is also expected to interrogate the ABC and SBS on their decision not to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which describes antisemitism as a particular perception of Jews that may manifest as hostility towards them.
