NEWS CORP REJECTS MEDIA BOYCOTT OF NAURU FORUM
PRESS GALLERY SAYS IT WON’T COVER TURNBULL’S TRIP UNLESS ABC GETS VISA
The Nauruan government has doubled down on its criticism of the ABC in a series of tweets this week, claiming it has not restricted press freedom, but refused entry to an arrogant and activist media organisation
News Corp has rejected a boycott of the Pacific Islands Forum by the Australian federal press gallery, which was sparked by a Nauru government ban on the ABC for alleged “bias and false reporting”.
The president of the press gallery, David Crowe, said on Wednesday that the small pool of journalists, including a reporter, a stills photographer and a TV camera operator, would no longer cover the event if the ABC’s ban were not rescinded.
The gallery’s stance was backed by the editors of Fairfax Media and wire service Australian Associated Press, which was going to supply the reporter and photographer for the pool. The camera operator was going to be from the ABC. But the managing editor of the Australian, Helen Trinca, said the national broadsheet would not support a boycott.
“The trip is a pool arrangement,” Ms Trinca told Guardian Australia on Tuesday evening before the press gallery ban was announced. “There will be a camera operator, an
AAP reporter and an AAP photographer. We believe it is essential that any trips by our Prime Minister should be covered by Australian journalists so we do not support a boycott.”
The Daily Telegraph’s political editor, Sharri Markson, called the boycott a “ludicrous ban”.
The Australian reported that News Corp is in discussions to send a crew to Nauru if the press gallery pool is disbanded as threatened. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who will travel to the forum in early September for two days, earlier called the ban “regrettable”, but said Australia had to respect the Nauruan government’s right to refuse
ABC journalists a visa.
The Prime Minister’s office told the press gallery weeks ago that it would have to arrange a small pool of three because of flight and accommodation restrictions on the tiny island. Before the ban on the ABC was announced, the gallery was already uncomfortable with the restrictions being placed on it and the ABC wanted to send a reporter as well as a camera operator.
When the ABC was banned, the gallery decided to fall in behind the public broadcaster because it believed the prohibition set a dangerous precedent.
“What other Australian media might be banned from a similar group by another government in future?” said Mr Crowe, who is the chief political correspondent for the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. “We stand for a free press not a banned one.”
The executive editor of the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, James
Chessell, said: “The Age and Herald support the decision made by the parliamentary press gallery. Any attempt to restrict press freedom is an affront to all newsrooms.” The director of ABC news, Gaven Morris, has said the ABC will not give up its position in the pool, but the ABC gave no details of how it intended to maintain its position in the media pool in the light of the ban.
“The ABC does not intend to vacate our position in the media pool covering the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru,” Mr Morris said.
“The Nauruan government should not be allowed to dictate who fills the positions in an Australian media pool.
“It can hardly claim it is ‘welcoming the media’ if it dictates who that media will be and bans Australia’s public broadcaster.”
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has condemned Nauru for refusing to issue a visa to the ABC and called on the government to condemn the move in “the strongest possible terms”.
“Politicians, wherever they are, must accept the role of the media to report and scrutinise those in power,” said the MEAA’s media section president, Marcus Strom.
“The forum is a crucial gathering. It comes at a very important time. It is important that its deliberations and discussions are widely reported to the people who live in the region.” The New Zealand press gallery has lent its support to Australian journalists, condemning the Nauruan government’s decision and the “restrictive reporting conditions” imposed on all media in the country.
The Nauruan government has doubled down on its criticism of the ABC in a series of tweets this week, claiming it has not restricted press freedom, but refused entry to an arrogant and activist media organisation. “The Australian media do not decide who enters Nauru,” the press office said.
Australia’s opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said he was disappointed to see Mr Turnbull “run up the white flag”.
“I get that Nauru is a sovereign government and Nauru is entitled to decide who comes into their country,” the Labor leader said. “But it’s our prime minister going there. It’s our independent public broadcaster who should report ... what an Australian prime minister is doing overseas.”
Guardian Australia has repeatedly applied for visas to Nauru but has not received any replies.