Emma Alberici and ABC finalise details of their long and messy divorce

The long, public divorce between the ABC and its chief economics correspondent is over. Emma Alberici has settled her case in the Fair Work Commission after her position was made redundant.

The former Lateline host has been a punching bag for the Murdoch press and the target of a series of negative articles by the Australian Financial Review’s Aaron Patrick and Joe Aston since 2018 when her analysis piece about the government’s proposed corporate tax cuts was removed.

She brought in a lawyer to negotiate with management over the contentious piece which attracted complaints from former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, sparking a long-running dispute about her role inside the ABC. Although she remained chief economics correspondent in title, the former London correspondent did not write much in the area and made several TV programs for Foreign Correspondent.

Despite its earlier criticism, the Australian’s Simon Benson took her side on Friday, running a largely sympathetic story, ABC kowtowed to Turnbull: Alberici, about her departure complete with photographs of Alberici in her running gear on page one. Her lawyer alleged that ABC news director Gaven Morris had complained “that she is the cause of the ‘prime minister ringing him’ with complaints”, which both Turnbull and the ABC deny.

An ABC spokesman said the allegation “that former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull made a phone call to ABC director News Gaven Morris on any matter is incorrect”.

Gender gap

Of the 200-plus staff who lost their jobs at the ABC as a result of a budget shortfall, about 80 were from the news division, and many of those journalists were senior, highly accomplished women over 40. The proliferation of older, experienced women walking away from Aunty is something that has been raised with management and the board as a worrying trend. Some of those who left did so because they felt a lack of support from management for career advancement, they told Weekly Beast.

Among the journalists who volunteered for redundancy or whose positions were made redundant are radio presenter Elizabeth Jackson, arts reporter Michaela Boland, former foreign correspondents Zoe Daniel, Dominique Schwartz and Karen Percy, emergency broadcast manager Sascha Rundle and the head of ABC Audio, Kellie Riordan.

The business editor of RN Breakfast, Sheryle Bagwell, who has also served as the program’s executive producer, is stepping down after almost 15 years. Host Fran Kelly described her as “a real editorial leader on the programme”.

Andrea Ho, an executive who has championed diversity at the ABC has had her role abolished too. Four Corners reporter and multiple Walkley-award winner Sophie McNeill resigned to join Human Rights Watch before the redundancies began, as did The World Today presenter Eleanor Hall who resigned to take up a long held dream of going to the National Art School. It’s a lot of strong female talent walking out the door.

Broadsheet blasted

It’s rare for Murdoch employees to openly criticise News Corp, even after they have left the company.

One memorable exception was the former social affairs reporter Rick Morton, who criticised the Australian newspaper last year while he was still on staff. He resigned shortly after telling university students the once “very great paper” had dialled up the “craziness” in recent months.

Investigative business reporter Anthony Klan, who quit the Australian last year citing “serious misgivings” about editorial direction, has now accused the paper he worked on for 15 years of being in the thrall of lobbyists for big business. Interviewed for Al Jazeera English’s Listening Post program Murdoch’s misinformation: Covid-19, China and climate change, Klan suggested the paper was ruled by vested interests rather than ideology.

“When I started at the organisation I believed it was 90% ideology at least, but now I’ve come to the opinion it’s 10% ideology and the rest of it is money and vested interests,” Klan said in the program, which also interviewed fellow Murdoch critic Malcolm Turnbull.

Klan expressed the opinion that News Corp is “incredibly in the pocket of the lobbyists of the minerals, the mining, the gas and of the big banks”.

“News Corporation’s response to climate change and coronavirus, one of the biggest threats of our generation, is extraordinarily similar. It was sort of denial, not happening, talking it down, excuses. I am just amazed.”

The editor-in-chief of the Australian, Chris Dore, did not reply to a request for comment.

Klan, a Walkley award-winning journalist who has started his own online publication the Klaxon, was a News Corp star, winning the company’s business journalist of the year award in 2007, 2011 and 2014 and the Sir Keith Murdoch award for excellence in journalism in 2010, the top in-house award.

The program is brutal about Sharri Markson’s scoop on the 15-page dossier compiled by “concerned western governments” in May, saying the “bombshell dossier turned out to be a dud” and “fact-checkers concluded it amounted to no more than a glorified Google search”.

Put down Twitter, pick up a book

Q+A host Hamish Macdonald has taken himself off Twitter for a while, and told Weekly Beast he intends to use the time reading a book a week. Macdonald, who took over the hosting role from non-Twitter-using Tony Jones after 12 years, suspended his Twitter account after Monday’s episode about diversity in the media.

Last month his ABC colleague Leigh Sales revealed the shocking amount of sexualised abuse levelled at her on the platform.

Ita can’t see the Forrest

When the ABC announced the Boyer Lectures, to be delivered by mining billionaire Andrew Forrest in November, would be delayed due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and border closures, we wondered why, since they could be recorded in the ABC studios in Forrest’s home state of Western Australia.

The delay – until January – appeared even stranger when it emerged the four-part lecture series Rebooting Australia: How ethical entrepreneurs can help shape a better future had been recorded well in advance.

The sticking point was the live television broadcast of the first lecture in Perth, and the social event that accompanies it. With the travel restrictions in place, VIP guests including ABC chair Ita Buttrose, who picked Forrest for the gig, would be unable to attend.

Buttrose said she was disappointed about the delay.

“However, we want to ensure this significant event receives the support and audience it deserves, and we look forward to releasing a new broadcast and event schedule as soon as possible,” she said.

Buttrose will be honoured at Hancock Prospecting’s International Women’s Day Luncheon in Perth in November and has recorded a short message to thank the Momentum charity for naming her Momentum most admired woman of the year for 2020.

Border will go unwatched

It’s been another week of deep cuts in the media industry, including South Australia’s largest regional newspaper, the Border Watch, which closes on Friday after 159 years. The closure of the family-owned paper, which put 38 staff out of work, was blamed on Covid-19.

“To our loyal readers and advertisers we say a big thank for your support over many years,” the board of directors said.

“Finally to our loyal and dedicated staff who have given so much to this company and its various media operations over so many years, we say a big thank you and our hearts go out to them and their families during this difficult time.”

The paper has been an important part of Mount Gambier and will be sorely missed, locals told the ABC.

On Thursday, Southern Cross Austereo announced a restructure of its radio operations, resulting in the loss of 38 jobs after an 18.2% drop in revenue. The network is cutting its regional breakfast shows in favour of a syndicated one from next week.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance said 34 of the 38 jobs were from breakfast shows.

Doyle leaves Seven

Melissa Doyle, whose partnership with David Koch helped create the successful Sunrise brand for the Seven network, has quit after 25 years. In 2013 Doyle stepped down after 14 years of fronting the “Mel and Kochie” show, which led Seven’s resurgence in breakfast TV and across the schedule, pushing Nine into second place. She was replaced by Samantha Armytage and went on to present Seven News and Sunday Night.

Doyle, an accomplished journalist, was front and centre during major events including the Beaconsfield mine disaster, the national day of mourning for the victims of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy, the Lindt café siege, the Paris attacks, the centenary of Anzac commemorations in Gallipoli, royal weddings and multiple state and federal elections.

Rebels with a cause

Still on budget cuts, ABC staff have been in open rebellion this week in support of a social media campaign to reverse the axing of the 7.45am radio news bulletin. The bulletin, with its audience of some 900,000, was deemed a waste of $2m of resources because it’s not a digital product which can be accessed across different platforms.

Around the country junior and senior staff posted selfies with the hashtag #SaveOur745, tagging Ita Buttrose, the MD David Anderson and news director Gaven Morris.

Daniel in lions’ den

We told you last week about the Herald Sun poll that gave Daniel Andrews a vote of confidence despite the paper’s relentless negative coverage of the Victorian Labor premier. The newspaper announced the result of the vote on Saturday under the headline “Dan gets the tick of approval” – on page 13.