Update 10 July 2012. Still no word from ABC on the reasons for the cull. Bruce Belsham has now moved on to current affairs. I passed the email below on the new Director of Innovation: Angela Clark and did not receive any assistance. See comments for the content.
Here are the results of this years productivity survey. First the facts (2012 in orange, note the flat peaks Monday to Friday-click to zoom):
ABC NEWS PRODUCTIVITY SURVEY
NEWS STORIES POSTED FOR JUNE 2003-2012
Year Total Stories
2003 7230
2004 6920
2005 6899
2006 6995
2007 7988
2008 8894
2009 7134
2010 6666
2011 5908
2012 6091
Staffing: Figures are based on ABC annual reports
Year Staff
2003 766.24
2004 735.04
2005 756.6
2006 770.68
2007 842.37
2008 865.59
2009 913.14
2010 947.36
2011 963.14
2012 992.73*
*(2012 figures based on our staffing model)
Year Stories per staff per month
2003 9.4
2004 9.4
2005 9.1
2006 9.1
2007 9.5
2008 10.3
2009 7.8
2010 7.1
2011 6.1
2012 6.1
ABC Hiding the decline
ABC News management seems to have taken some unusual steps in hiding the decline in its productivity by this year introducing a "cap" on the number of stories contained in its online news archive this year (note the flat peaks in the number of stories Monday to Friday in the graph above). It seems stories Monday-Friday have been artificially capped at 250, no more. This has been achieved by including an arbitrary selection of video and audio news files (eg the news weather report) to raise the online reports each day to 250 stories. We have not taken the time to go through the number of video and audio stories added to bolster the stories to 250 each day.
UPDATE. IT APPEARS ABC HAVE APPLIED THIS LIMIT RETROSPECTIVELY TO THEIR ENTIRE NEWS ARCHIVE. THIS MEANS A LARGE NUMBER OF STORIES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ARCHIVE. WHICH STORIES WERE REMOVED? AND WHY? SEE PART 2. (OR PERHAPS IT'S A TECHNICAL GLITCH?)
After a less than satisfactory response from ABC's head of News Policy, Alan Sunderland (see lengthy exchange below) we asked ABC's Online Editor Bruce Belsham for an explanation, so far he has not responded to our enquiries. Here's the email we sent Bruce:
UPDATE 8/7/2012 8pm: It seems Bruce has moved on we have forwarded the email below to Angela Clark, head of ABC Innovation.
| from: | Marc Hendrickx | ||
| to: | Bruce Belsham | ||
| cc: | Alan Sunderland | ||
| date: | Sun, Jun 17, 2012 at 2:19 PM | ||
| subject: | query regarding ABC news Archive |
Dear Bruce,
In previous correspondence with Alan Sunderland regarding ABC's online news archive the following issues were raised. Alan was unable/unwilling to provide any answers perhaps you can assist.
I have been looking at using the Online News Archive as a measure of ABC news productivity. Since 2007 there has been a marked decline in the number of stories posted the archive (see Here) I am trying to establish if this is a result of a policy decision or a true reflection of declining news coverage. Perrhaps reflecting a fall in the number of regional stories at the expense of opinon pieces?
As I mentioned to Alan ABC's NEWS archive represents an important, growing source of historical news information, and as such some explanation as to why the number of posts to it have been falling is deserving of some explanation. If this is a matter of policy then perhaps it can be corrected so that all the news makes it into the archive and not a "cherry picked" sub-sample.
ABC's growing archive will no doubt be important in helping future historians unpick past events, the more complete it is the better it will be.
I note that this year ABC is consistently posting 250 stories for Tuesday-Friday, including numerous video and opinion pieces not previously included. Is the inclusion of opinion and video an attempt to cover for falling coverage of news stories?
Specific questions:
1. What is ABC's policy, if any, regarding its News Archive?
2. Do the falling number of items since 2007 reflect a fall in productivity or are they the consequence of a change in policy?
3. On what grounds does ABC decide to include news items in its archive?
Regards
Marc Hendrickx
Correspondence about ABC's News Archive with Alan Sunderland.
from: Alan Sunderland
to: Marc Hendrickx
date: Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 3:33 PM
subject: RE: updates to last year's death threat story-more corrections required
Marc,
On another matter, I note that you did get a response to the ABC about your request for productivity information, but it was not a particularly useful one as you sent it to A&CA instead of to us. I think that was pointed out to you at the time, but I have no record that you followed it up with News.
Based on your brief description to me of the methodology you rely upon to measure productivity (count up all staff employed by news in all areas and then count up the number of news stories appearing on the News website), I can see all sorts of basic problems with it.
However, I confess I am reluctant to spend too much time on this if you are not genuinely interested in the issue beyond making a point on your website.
I could provide you with substantial material on our divisional output, and the extent to which it has grown in recent years, and I could also seek some more detailed information from News Online on their strategies for what they post and why they post it, but I am concerned that this is not information you really want to hear, and I may be wasting my time.
Are you only interested in what I see as a crude and misleading correlation between the stories posted on one of our divisional websites when cross-referenced with the entire divisional staff employed in News, News 24, 7.30, Behind the News, Radio Australia, etc...etc...etc..., or are you interested in the bigger and more accurate picture?
A
from: Marc Hendrickx
to: Alan Sunderland
date: Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 4:02 PM
subject: Re: updates to last year's death threat story-more corrections required
Dear Alan,
To make it clear; I would be very grateful if you could seek more detailed information from News Online on their strategies for what they post and why they post it. I would be more than happy to post such an explanation on my website along with this year's productivity survey results.
Unlike ABC I am interested in getting accurate information and hence my request to the ABC for an explanation for the apparent fall in NEWs' productivity. That is has taken this long to get a response, a sign perhaps that ABC believes it is above the requests of mere mortals.
As I mentioned ABC's NEWS archive represents an important, growing source of historical news information, and as such some explanation as to why the number of posts to it have been falling is deserving of some explanation. If this is a matter of policy then perhaps it can be corrected so that all the news makes it into the archive and not a "cherry picked" sub-sample.
ABC's growing archive will no doubt be important in helping future historians unpick past events. For instance it will provide a valuable resource for future historians in helping assess the extent and detrimental impact that ABC's Groupthink reporting had on public policy in the early 2000s.
Best Wishes
Marc
from: Alan Sunderland
to: Marc Hendrickx
date: Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 4:24 PM
subject: RE: updates to last year's death threat story-more corrections required
Marc,
I am sorry you have chosen to handle my genuine offer to engage in this manner.
I don't see that there is anything further I can usefully provide by way of information, since you have already formed and expressed your conclusions.
A
from: Marc Hendrickx
to: Alan Sunderland
cc: "scott.mark"
date: Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 5:57 PM
subject: Re: updates to last year's death threat story-more corrections required
Alan,
Which part of my response did you not understand
Here it is again:
Dear Alan, to make it clear; I would be very grateful if you could
seek more detailed information from News Online on their strategies
for what they post and why they post it. I would be more than happy to
post such an explanation on my website along with this year's
productivity survey results.
If you are unable to help can you please direct me to someone who can?
Regards
Marc Hendrickx
from: Alan Sunderland
to: Marc Hendrickx
date: Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 5:02 PM
subject: Re: updates to last year's death threat story-more corrections required
Marc,
I think I have helped you all I can on this one.
Alan Sunderland
Sent from my iPad
from: Marc Hendrickx
to: Alan Sunderland
date: Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 5:38 PM
subject: Re: updates to last year's death threat story-more corrections required
Alan,
You didn't help me at all!
By the way looking forward to ABC's update to its numerous stories regarding the paper documenting Southern Hemisphere temperature reconstruction (for instance: 1000 years of climate data points to a warming Australia). Seems the paper has been withdrawn from publication following the discovery of errors in the methodology.
see David Karoly's letter to Steve McIntyre:
Print publication of scientific study put on hold
An issue has been identified in the processing of the data used in the study, “Evidence of unusual late 20th century warming from an Australasian temperature reconstruction spanning the last millennium” by Joelle Gergis, Raphael Neukom, Stephen Phipps, Ailie Gallant and David Karoly, accepted for publication in the Journal of Climate.
We are currently reviewing the data and results.
Regards
Marc
from: Alan Sunderland Marc
to: Marc Hendrickx
date: Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 9:17 AM
subject: RE: updates to last year's death threat story-more corrections required
Marc…
Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Clearly, given that we have reported on the study, we would want to be across any material changes to it. I have brought this to the attention of the reporters who filed the original pieces, so that we can track the process and take account of any updated or changed information.
A
Ed: We covered ABC's accounting of "updated of changed information" in the following post:
ABC's Gergis update - a poor excuse for journalism
ABC's Gergis update - a poor excuse for journalism
That cap of 250 is definitely very weird and needs an explanation.
ReplyDeleteHe says i would help you if.....
ReplyDeleteDoesnt he.understand he is a public servant?
The Sunderland character (whilst not intending to defame him) seems a bit rich. He talks as if a high priest wielding his historical archival powers. Both comments above make sense but I think that fact mentioned above that he is a public servant needed a little more teasing out.
ReplyDeleteThe ABC think that they are like the cops. That they, as so often is the case, are actually PUBLIC SERVANTS. They are there to serve the public and provide a service. His obfuscation and deliberate road-blocks I think is something which should be seriously considered by the Public Sector Commission. Does the PSC know there are public officers such as Sunderland carrying on like this?
Thanks for that. You might also be interested in this response from ABC's new director (from March this year) of Innovation. Bruce Belsham apparently has moved on to current affairs. I'll update above...
ReplyDeleteDear Marc,
>
> Unfortunately, I am unable to assist you as the Innovation Division does not
> have carriage of the ABC's online news archive.
>
> Kind regards
> Angela Clark
Thanks Angela,
So who should I direct this enquiry to? Alan Sunderland?
Regards
Marc
No response so far.
Pft!!! Ive worked in FOI cases 4 the govt as a public officer - i would never treat a citizen with such disdain!!! Have u seriously thought about contacting the Commission for the Public Sector? Stuff ACMA...theyre a toothless tiger! ....
ReplyDeleteIll start it for you....Dear Commissioner,
I write to bring the ABC's disdainful treatment of my queries under the civil service code of conduct to your attention. Mr Sunderland has repeatedly....etc...
I think it is a viable course of action.
Want help?
How dare Mr Sunderland treat a citizen like this! This is totally unacceptable.
ReplyDelete