Questions for A&CA

Dear  ABC,

ABC Audience and consumer affairs provided the following comment in reply to a complaint I made on 10 May at 9:21pm about missing news of the privacy commissioners findings on ANU death threat emails  "Audience and Consumer Affairs does not consider there is a case to correct the stories."  I received the reply from your Mr Maley at 10.39am on May 11. 

Mr Maley stated in his email that he had consulted ABC News   "In the interests of procedural fairness, we have also sought and considered material from ABC News." However at  May 11, 2012 09:06:07am, over an hour before his reply to me, ABC News posted the following story:FOI emails reveal threats to climate scientists. on its website (this story subsequently corrected on 21 May).

Can you please confirm whether there was in fact any consultation between ABC News and ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs. On face value it seems there was no consultation at all. How else do you explain the timing?

Regards

ABC NEWS WATCH

Nature says "Asili", ABC says "Mwamba" - jambo ambalo si kweli

Update 23/3/2010-see outcome below
ABC HEADLINE: "Scientists discover ancient dinosaur ancestor" Posted Online news 5 March 2010

ABC REPORTED: An un-authored report covers the recent discovery of a dinosaur-like creature that roamed Earth at least 10 million years earlier than the oldest known dinosaur. The discovery was reported in Nature HERE.

The ABC report concludes: "The names asilisaurus kongwe comes from "asili," which means "founder" in Swahili, "sauros", the Greek for "lizard", and "kongwe," Swahili for "ancient".

THE COMPLAINT: As stated in the actual article the etymology of the name is derived thus "Etymology. From asili, Swahili for ancestor or foundation, and sauros, Greek for lizard; kongwe, Swahili for ancient.

The online Swahili - English translator (http://africanlanguages.com/swahili/) indicates the Swahili word for founder is "Mwamba". Clearly the dinosaur is named "Asilisaurus kongwe" and not "mwambasaurus kongwe".

Please correct the report to include the etymology stated in the original Nature article.
ABC ED POL 5.2.2 Accuracy

OUTCOME: Thank you for your emails of 6 and 8 March, regarding the ABC News online report Scientists discover ancient dinosaur ancestor.
Your concerns have been investigated by Audience and Consumer Affairs, a unit which is separate to and independent of program making areas within the ABC.  We have reviewed the broadcast, assessed it against the ABC’s editorial standards and sought and considered material provided by ABC News. 

I am advised by ABC News management that the error originated in the copy supplied to the ABC by its partner news agency AFP.  The ABC News online editor has corrected the report and brought the error to the attention of AFP.

Please be assured that your comments have been brought to the attention of ABC News management.  For your reference, the ABC’s Editorial Policies are available online at:  http://abc.net.au/corp/pubs/edpols.htm

COMMENT: Nature says "asili", ABC says "Mwamba" - jambo ambalo si kweli

Spell my name, spell my name-some self indulgence

ABC HEADLINE: "Bolts from the blue: reactions to Hamilton" posted ABC news online The Drum 1 March 2010 - First posted Fri Feb 26, 2010 5:18pm AEDT

ABC REPORTED: ABC's The Drum editor Jonathan Green reported on reactions to opinion pieces by Clive Hamilton. The report included the following statement:

"Next week: The Drum-Unleashed will feature a series of pieces commissioned from noted writers on the sceptic side of the climate science debate. Included will be Alan Moran, Tom Switzer, Mark Hendriks, Bob Carter and Jo Nova." As Quantum online point out in their article "Sceptics in from the cold?" :

" that should be Marc Hendrickx whose website is ABC News Watch here…"

THE COMPLAINT:
You inflated our head calling us 'noted'
But atrocious spelling left our ego demoted.
Was this a sign of respect denied?
Or just journalists' skills on the slide?
Please, correct the name you misquoted.

It's not like Marc Hendrickx is unknown to The Drum. I wonder what that Klive Hambleton would think?

ABC Ed Pol 5.2.2 (c) be Accurate.

OUTCOME: Pending

COMMENT: Can't bat, can't bowl, can't spell...time for some remedial journalism. 

A geologist not a biologist: case closed

Updated 19/2/2010-Correction issued

ABC HEADLINE: "Push to change embattled climate panel"

ABC REPORTED: Prominent scientists call for changes to the IPCC process.

The COMPLAINT: The report indicates that Prof Bob Carter, quoted in the article, is a "marine biologist". Dr Bob Carter is in fact a geologist. Please correct the report.

OUTCOME: CORRECTION ISSUED 15/2/2010
Bob Carter  Online News


On February 8, in a story about calls to reform the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the ABC incorrectly referred to Dr Bob Carter as a marine biologist. In fact, he is a marine geologist.

COMMENT: BE ACCURATE! Isn't this the first rule of journalism?

ABC Editorial Policies indicate:

5.2.2(c) Be accurate.

(i) Every reasonable effort, in the circumstances, must be made to

ensure that the factual content of news and current affairs is accurate

and in context.

(ii) The ABC will not hesitate to admit and correct a significant error when

it is established that one has been made. When a correction is

necessary, it will be made in an appropriate manner as soon as

reasonably practicable.

When I think of marine biologists I always picture that Seinfeld episode in which George pretends to be one and saves a whale, whose blow hole was blocked by a golf ball, driven into the ocean by Kramer.