Journalists at the Age express alarm over increasing politicisation and loss of independence
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<p class="">Close to 70 journalists from the Age have expressed their âalarmâ over what they say is the increasing politicisation of the Melbourne newspaper under executive editor James Chessell.
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<p class="">In a letter to Chessell, and fellow Nine executives chief digital and publishing officer Chris Janz and Age editor Alex Lavelle, the journalists said they were worried about maintaining the âproud reputation and independenceâ of the paper because editors were putting pressure on reporters âto produce particular anglesâ.
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<p class="">The Age staff say the masthead is in danger of becoming a âsubsidiary of Sydneyâ because it is being edited by Sydney, without regard for the Victorian readership and values. They want Lavelle to be given back full control to edit from Melbourne.
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<p class="">âWe believe there is a growing public perception that we have become politicised, a perception that is damaging the reputation of The Age and, potentially, the viability of the business,â they wrote.
<p class="">âPoliticisation undermines Nineâs commitment to editorial independence, and hurts The Age masthead, beneath which appear the words âIndependent. Always.â
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<p class="">The trigger for the letter was a lead story âActivists âplanning troubleâ at Protestâ on Friday 5 June which claimed activists had threatened police with physical abuse ahead of the match.
<p class="">But the allegation was not backed up by anyone in the story, and the Age corrected it later in the day and apologised.
<p class="">âThe story fell short of The Ageâs editorial values and standards and caused understandable offence to many members of the community,â the apology said.
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<p class="">âThe claim that activists had threatened police with spitting and abuse was not backed up beyond one unnamed source. The story put undue emphasis on these claims. The main organisers of the rally, the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, clearly stated that they had no knowledge of any threats to police.â
<p class="">Staff were also concerned by an editorial which said âAustralia does not have a legacy of slaveryâ. The paper took nine days to correct the editorial. The correction was published the day after Chessell received the letter from staff.
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<p class="">Asked on Friday why they took over a week to correct the editorial, Chessell told Guardian Australia:
âWe should have corrected it earlier.â
<p class="">When Nine took over Fairfax Media in late 2018 chief executive, Hugh Marks, said he
wants Fairfax Mediaâs mastheads to retain their independence because that is what allows them to produce quality journalism.
<p class="">The concern from journalists at the Age, which is shared by many on the Sydney Morning Herald, predates Nineâs takeover.
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<p class="">âAs independent journalists we do not favour any political position, party or ideology,â they wrote. âOur job is to find facts, make sense of them and explain them to our readers. We believe stories should be assessed on their journalistic merit.â
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<p class="">Staff have long feared the paper may be
moving more to the right.
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<p class="">âWe write to you about recent events and trends that we believe pose a threat to The Ageâs proud reputation and independence,â they wrote.
<p class="">âWe are concerned that key editorial decisions are being made on a regular basis from Sydney, rather than by local editors with a better understanding of our readers, our city and our state.
<p class="">âWe want to make it very clear we do not seek to single out individual journalists for criticism. Our concerns are about the system and culture in which we work.
<p class="">âAs journalists we have watched with alarm as changes have been made in editorial approach. Our concerns include, but are not limited to:
- Pressure on reporters to produce particular angles on stories
- A story on the Black Lives Matter protest that required an apology, and an ill-informed editorial that said Australia âdoes not have a legacy of slaveryâ
- Errors being inserted into reportersâ copy during the editing process
- A failure to understand the values and interests of our Victorian readership
<p class="">The letter also addresses the lack of diversity in the newsroom and calls for the appointment of an Indigenous affairs reporter.
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<p class="">âSadly, our newsroom does not reflect the diverse and multicultural state in which we live and work,â they wrote. âAs far as we are aware The Age has had only one Indigenous reporter in its 166 year history. Every editor in the Ageâs history has been a white man, as is every current foreign correspondent.
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<p class="">âWe ask that an Indigenous affairs reporting role be created in Melbourne. We also ask that a greater effort be made to hire and promote people from culturally diverse backgrounds.â
<p class="">The journalists say the award-winning exposure of corruption and government, corporate, bank and union misconduct can âonly flourish when we are free to work independentlyâ.
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Chessell has been contacted for comment.
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https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/j...dependence