Saturday, June 17, 2006
Australia's ABC sinks to a new low...
I can't believe it. Religion Report on Radio Australia, run by government owned ABC, told its listeners that the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste was born in Yemen! Noel Debien on the the program titled "Behind the East Timor crisis" referred to Prime Minister Alkatiri as Yemeni-born. Being of Yemeni-descent is not the same as Yemeni born just as Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta of Portuguese descent is not a Portuguese-born. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri was born in Timor-Leste, not that his nationality is at issue here and it shouldn't.
This is the leader of a country we are talking about and the least that we can do is get our facts right. So is this lausy journalism or what? Or is the Australian ABC just following the anti-Alkatiri bandwagon led by the Liberal Government in Canberra? I reckon this is just plain disregard afforded at small and poor countries like Timor-Leste, where being small and insignificant, no effort should be spared to compile a proper reporting.
You know, I like the ABC and I have been an active supporter of it. But to make this type of mistake which could easily be avoided with the ABC journalists paying a little attention to Timor-Leste's history and politics like they to other countries, makes me wonder how low can professionalism and good journalism on the ABC can sink?
The nation of Timor-Leste deserves an apology from the ABC. ABC must apologise and rectify its mistake now!
Shame on you, the producers of Religion Report! Shame on you, Toni Hassan and Sue Clarke.
If you agree with this, you can contact ABC's Radio National here. Or use the contact details below if you are in Australia:
Contact The Religion Report
Phone: (02) 8333 2831
Fax: (02) 8333 2830
Postal address:
The Religion Report
C/- ABC Radio Religion
GPO Box 9994
Sydney 2001 NSW
This is the leader of a country we are talking about and the least that we can do is get our facts right. So is this lausy journalism or what? Or is the Australian ABC just following the anti-Alkatiri bandwagon led by the Liberal Government in Canberra? I reckon this is just plain disregard afforded at small and poor countries like Timor-Leste, where being small and insignificant, no effort should be spared to compile a proper reporting.
You know, I like the ABC and I have been an active supporter of it. But to make this type of mistake which could easily be avoided with the ABC journalists paying a little attention to Timor-Leste's history and politics like they to other countries, makes me wonder how low can professionalism and good journalism on the ABC can sink?
The nation of Timor-Leste deserves an apology from the ABC. ABC must apologise and rectify its mistake now!
Shame on you, the producers of Religion Report! Shame on you, Toni Hassan and Sue Clarke.
If you agree with this, you can contact ABC's Radio National here. Or use the contact details below if you are in Australia:
Contact The Religion Report
Phone: (02) 8333 2831
Fax: (02) 8333 2830
Postal address:
The Religion Report
C/- ABC Radio Religion
GPO Box 9994
Sydney 2001 NSW
Comments:
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I too have always supported the work of ABC. However the ABC has shamed journalism in its recent reporting, or shall I say "TABLOID" reporting of the East Timorese crisis.
# posted by 
: 2:38 AM
: 2:38 AM
I don't feel I've been able to get anything like a clear understanding of the issues at play in East Timor from the media, including the ABC. For example, what do they mean by 'tensions between people from the east and west of the country? Do they mean people living in the west of East Timor, or those living or from the East Timorese enclave in West Timor? If the former, what are those tensions based on: socio-economic, language, religion, political beliefs or what? Can anyone enlighten me, and can anyone confirm that the ABC got it wrong about Alkatiri's birthplace being Yemen?
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# posted by : 2:59 PM
: 2:59 PM<< Home
