More missing news: UAE accused of misleading UK Parliament

MISSING ABC HEADLINE: University ‘tried to mislead MPs on climate change e-mails’ published in the Times online 27 February 2010

ABC DID NOT REPORT: As of 28 February 9:30 am we are unable to find any coverage on the ABC news website of the contents of this article in the Times Online by environmental editor Ben Webster. The report states:

"The university at the centre of the climate change row over stolen e-mails has been accused of making a misleading statement to Parliament

.

The University of East Anglia wrote this week to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee giving the impression that it had been exonerated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). However, the university failed to disclose that the ICO had expressed serious concerns that one of its professors had proposed deleting information to avoid complying with the Freedom of Information Act.

The ICO cannot prosecute the university because the complaint about its rejection of the information request was made too late. The ICO is seeking to change the law to allow prosecutions if a complaint is made more than six months after a breach of the act."

These serious allegations are of great interest to Australian's as they consider competing approaches to tackling climate change.

THE COMPLAINT: Climate change is a matter of great importance to the Australian Public who deserve balanced coverage as they consider competing government policies on tackling the issue. Omission of any reporting about the contents of the piece by Ben Webster now appears to form a pattern of news omitted from ABC's news coverage. This is exemplified in February by non reporting of statements by Dr Phil Jones (http://abcnewswatch.blogspot.com/2010/02/jones-bbc-interview-missing-in-action.html) and non reporting of claims that the world may not be warming as claimed by the IPCC (http://abcnewswatch.blogspot.com/2010/02/more-missing-news-world-may-not-be.html). We submit that omission of one or two of these articles may be accidental but omission of all three can be considered as evidence of biased and unbalanced reporting on the issue of climate change. We ask that the ABC correct the record by covering these important news events.

Coverage of these news stories is provided by ABC Editorial Policy and also covered in relevant sections of the ABC Act 1983. 

ABC Editorial Policy

5.1.3 The ABC does this by working within the best practice of investigative journalism.

Remaining independent of sectional interests, the ABC pursues issues of public

interest through innovative and reliable journalism.

5.2.2 (d) Be impartial. Editorial judgements are based on news values, not for example on political, commercial or sectional interests or personal views. Do not unduly favour one perspective over others.

(e) Be balanced. Balance will be sought but may not always be achieved within a single program or publication; it will be achieved as soon as reasonably practicable and in an appropriate manner. It is not essential to give all sides equal time. As far as possible, present principal relevant views on matters of importance.

(f) Be questioning. Serve the public interest by investigating issues affecting society and individuals.

Relevant sections of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983

Section 27 

(2) Subject to subsection (5), the Corporation must broadcast daily from each broadcasting service regular sessions of news and information relating to current events within and outside Australia.

(4) Without affecting the obligations of the Managing Director under subsection (3), the Corporation may also procure news and information relating to current events from such news agencies and other sources, whether within or outside Australia, as the Board thinks fit.

OUTCOME: Pending

COMMENT:While its been busy allowing author Clive Hamilton space over 5 days to spruik climate alarmism in opinion sections of the ABC, the ABC news office once again misses an important story, relevant to its audience, on events surrounding disclosures contained in emails allegedly leaked from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.  This provides another example of ABC's biased coverage of climate change issues.