False Balance: ABC Directed Journalist To Target Labor NBN Plan For ‘Insurance’ Against Coalition Attacks

In the lead up to the 2013 federal election, amid a fierce political debate between the major parties over the roll out of the National Broadband Network, an ABC editor-journalist was directed by his boss to find any story he could that was critical of the Labor Party’s NBN Plan in order to provide insurance against attacks on the ABC by the Coalition.

The explosive revelations are contained in a secretly-made recording of a meeting between Nick Ross, the ABC’s former Games and Technology Editor, and Bruce Belsham, the Head of ABC’s Current Affairs division.

Ross has been the subject of growing media interest over the past week, following his resignation from the ABC on January 14. It came amid long-running speculation that Ross had been ‘gagged’ by the national broadcaster from reporting on the NBN.

That claim — that Ross was gagged — continues to be strongly denied by the ABC — via redwolf.newsvine.com