King of England
EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is facing a potential lawsuit and internal investigation over its broadcast coverage of King Charles’ coronation.
The broadcaster reportedly received over 1,000 complaints about its “extremely biased” coverage, which focused heavily on the monarchy and colonisation’s impact on Aboriginal Australians and people of colour.
The two-hour special was hosted by Julia Baird and news presenter Jeremy Fernandez and featured a discussion panel consisting of Q&A host Stan Grant, co-chair of the Australian Republic Movement Craig Foster, Liberal MP and monarchist Julian Leeser, and Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman Teela Reid.
Foster called for accountability from the Royal family, claiming that “At the heart of the wound in this nation is the Crown. And yet the Crown have been above reproach.”
The program was aired at 5 pm, just three hours before the Coronation of King Charles III was broadcast in Australia. While most complaints were from viewers expressing their “dissatisfaction” with the coverage, some specifically accused ABC of breaching its editorial guidelines.
The ABC ombudsman’s office will investigate all formal complaints of editorial failings and report its findings to the board, chaired by Ita Buttrose. Liberal MP Julian Leeser, the only monarchist present on the programme, claimed the ABC “got the balance wrong.”
The Australian Monarchist League (AML) threatened legal action over the national broadcaster’s coverage, describing the show as “an extremely biased pre-Coronation programme specifically designed to attack the Constitution and the Crown.”
Melbourne’s 3AW radio broadcaster Neil Mitchell criticized the public broadcaster, stating that ABC management needed to “be accountable” over the coverage which “misread the mood.”
Joe Gersh, a freshly-departed ABC board member, stated that he understood concerns about the timing and tone of the coverage and that “management are dealing with complaints and criticisms.”
The controversy highlights the ongoing debate in Australia around the role of the monarchy and colonisation’s impact on Indigenous Australians and people of colour.
The ABC has been accused of taking a particular stance on these issues in its coverage of the coronation, leading to widespread criticism and potential legal action.
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