Update: CRE respond to Minister's Wrong Figures

COMMENT: ABC Complaints Review Executive (CRE) have provided a response to our complaint regarding factual errors in a story featuring interviews with climate change Minister Penny Wong and Macquarie University's Tim Flannery. 
The report transcript included the following statement from Minister Penny Wong:
"We've got around 85 per cent of the world's economies signed up to the Copenhagen Accord."
and the following statement from Professor Flannery:
"I think he's done a pretty good job overall and the Copenhagen Accord shows that.
We've got something like 80 countries now signed up to that."The UNFCC indicate that currently 40 Annex I countries and 30 non-Annex I countries have provided targets under the Copenhagen Accord (see UNFCC website HERE). Number of countries in the UN: 192, Number of countries listed by UNFCC as providing emission targets under the Copenhagen Accord: 70: or 36%.
We requested that ABC append the report with a statement indicating the number of countries that have provided targets under the Copenhagen Accord to this report to clarify Minister Wong's apparently misleading statement. ABC have refused to do so, thus helping to promulgate factual inaccuracies. The ABC's Complaint Review Executive report is posted in full below:


Received 23 April, 2010

REVIEW OF COMPLAINT
Background
A request for review was received on 6 April 2010. It was acknowledged on 6 April and the complainant was advised that the Complaints Review Executive would aim to complete the review by 4 May 2010.
Content
On 19 February 2010 The World Today included a report – Head of UN climate change team calls it quits.
Correspondence
The complainant wrote on 21 February 2010 regarding a report on The World Today. He stated that that the ‘UNFCC (sic) indicate that currently 40 Annex I countries and 30 non‐Annex I countries have provided targets under the Copenhagen Accord.’ He believed that –
‘In light of this both Minister Wong and Prof Tim Flannery’s statements are in‐correct. Although Prof Flannery’s is acceptable in context. The ABC reporter should have had these facts at hand and questioned Minister Wong on her stated figures. Instead factual errors were allowed to be reported.’
He also considered that ‘Knowledge of the number of countries that provided emission targets would have allowed the reporter to pick up errors made by the interviewees.’
ABC Audience & Consumer Affairs (A&CA) responded on 29 March advising that the ‘views of Senator Wong and Tim Flannery are their own, they are not the views of the ABC’. A&CA advised that ‘For the purposes of section 5 of Editorial Policies, the comments of contributors are not considered factual content.’ A&CA wrote that they ‘believe the interviews were suitably questioning, on the issue that was the focus of the report; the continuity of negotiations over a global climate treaty following the departure of the top UN official on climate change.’

Following a further exchange of emails on 29 March about the relevant section of ABC Editorial Policies the complainant requested a review by the CRE. On 5 April he also emailed his request direct to the CRE.
Basis of Assessment
Stories on The World Today are categorised as News and Current Affairs content and must meet editorial standards set out in section 5 of the ABC’s Editorial Policies. Section 5.2.2(d) of the Editorial Policies says: Editorial judgements are based on news values, not for example on political, commercial or sectional interests or personal values.
In addition the ABC’s Code of Practice Section 3 ‘News and current affairs content’ notes:
3.2 Every reasonable effort, in the circumstances, must be made to ensure the factual content of news and current affairs is accurate and in context
3.4 Editorial judgments will be based on news values
Assessment
The context of the story was a follow up to the announcement the day before of the resignation of Mr Yvo de Boer, head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC):
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/18/2824113.htm
The interviewer was seeking responses to the announcement by interviewing the Federal Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, and the Chair of the Coasts and Climate Change Council, Professor Tim Flannery. While the focus of the interview was not about the numbers of countries who had signed up to the Copenhagen Accord, both interviewees referred to this as part of their responses. The references were not precise:
‘We’ve got around eighty five percent of the world’s economies signed up’ (Minister Penny Wong)
and
‘We’ve got something like 80 countries now signed up..’ (Professor Tim Flannery)

Professor Flannery also referred to Mr Todd Stern, the UN Special Envoy on Climate Change who he said was predicting ‘we’ll be at 100 countries within the next few weeks’.
The complainant has provided this link to challenge the figures expressed, with an expectation that the interviewer would choose to pursue this issue: http://unfccc.int/home/items/5262.php
The story heading was ‘Head of UN climate change team call it quits’ and the clear line of questioning concerned the impact of the resignation, the qualities required by a new chief negotiator and the likely impact of a new appointment.
While it was open to the interviewer to challenge the particular references, the particular angle and substance of the news story was the resignation of Mr Yvo de Boer, and what the change to such an important position would mean.
The resignation is the heart of the brief story, the essential news value. In previous determinations by the CRE regarding the interpretation of ‘factual content’ provided by third parties, it has been considered that the comments of contributors are not subject to the same requirements for accuracy as ABC staff who are required to meet the standards of the ABC’s Editorial Policies. In this case, the program’s decision to seek comment from two credible and recognised speakers was sufficient to satisfy the ABC’s requirement that every reasonable effort be made to ensure accuracy (Ed: Sir Marc: ACCURACY?-both "credible" speakers got their figures astoundingly wrong!).
Finding
Having assessed the content, considered the listener’s concerns and reviewed the ABC’s response, I consider that ABC editorial requirements were not breached. Therefore the complaint is not upheld.
COMPLAINTS REVIEW EXECUTIVE
19 April 2010

Update: Minister's Wrong Figures-a missed opportunity

COMMENT: We have received a reply concerning our complaint about Minister Wong's wrong figures. It appears ABC are happy to leave these factual errors un-corrected, as  "For the purposes of section 5 of the Editorial Policies, the comments of contributors are not considered factual content."


Are they making things up on the run now? We asked them and will post what they say.


Here's the reply in full, also posted with the original complaint HERE

Thank you for your email regarding The World Today report Head of UN climate change team calls it quits.

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.

There are no ABC reporters named Nance Saxton.  The ABC reporter who filed this report is named Nance Haxton.

The views of Senator Wong and Tim Flannery are their own, they are not the views of the ABC.  For the purposes of section 5 of the Editorial Policies, the comments of contributors are not considered factual content.

Audience and Consumer Affairs believe the interviews were suitably questioning, on the issue that was the focus of the report; the continuity of negotiations over a global climate treaty following the departure of the top UN official on climate change.

Audience and Consumer Affairs believe the report is in keeping with section 5 of the ABC Editorial Policies, which are available online at; http://abc.net.au/corp/pubs/edpols.htm

Nevertheless, you can be assured that your comments have been brought to the attention of ABC News management.

Minister's Wrong Figures-a missed opportunity

Updated 24 April, 2010 see post "Update: CRE respond to Minister's Wrong Figures"
Updated 29 March 2010-see outcome below
ABC HEADLINE: "Head of UN Climate Change team call its quits" broadcast on The World Today February 19, 2010.


ABC REPORTED:Shane Mcleod introduced a report by ABC reporter Nance Saxton (Actually Nance Haxton) on the resignation of Yvo de Boer, head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The report included brief interviews with Federal Minister for Climate Change Penny Wong, and  chair of the Coasts and Climate Change Council Professor Tim Flannery. The report transcript includes the following statement from Minister Penny Wong: 


"We've got around 85 per cent of the world's economies signed up to the Copenhagen Accord."


and the following statement from Professor Flannery: 


"I think he's done a pretty good job overall and the Copenhagen Accord shows that.
We've got something like 80 countries now signed up to that."


THE COMPLAINT: The UNFCC indicate that currently 40 Annex I countries and 30 non-Annex I countries have provided targets under the Copenhagen Accord (see UNFCC website HERE). 
In light of this both Minister Wong and Prof Tim Flannery's statements are in-correct. Although Prof Flannery's estimate is acceptable in context. The ABC reporter should have had these facts at hand and questioned Minister Wong on her stated  figures. Instead factual errors were allowed to be reported.


Number of countries in the UN: 192
Number of countries listed by UNFCC as providing emission targets under the Copenhagen Accord: 70: or 36%


Can the ABC append a statement indicating the number of countries that have provided targets under the Copenhagen Accord to this report to clarify Minister Wong's apparently misleading statement.

OUTCOME:  Received 29 March 2010. 
Thank you for your email regarding The World Today report Head of UN climate change team calls it quits.

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.

There are no ABC reporters named Nance Saxton.  The ABC reporter who filed this report is named Nance Haxton.

The views of Senator Wong and Tim Flannery are their own, they are not the views of the ABC.  For the purposes of section 5 of the Editorial Policies, the comments of contributors are not considered factual content.

Audience and Consumer Affairs believe the interviews were suitably questioning, on the issue that was the focus of the report; the continuity of negotiations over a global climate treaty following the departure of the top UN official on climate change.

Audience and Consumer Affairs believe the report is in keeping with section 5 of the ABC Editorial Policies, which are available online at; http://abc.net.au/corp/pubs/edpols.htm

Nevertheless, you can be assured that your comments have been brought to the attention of ABC News management.

COMMENT:  The ABC reporter should have made a reasonable effort to prepare for the interviews. Knowledge of the number of countries that provided emission targets would have allowed the reporter to pick up errors made by the interviewees.


Editorial policy 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.



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