#auspol ABC skit ‘would have devastated’ MH17 families says Julie Bishop THE AUSTRALIAN NOVEMBER 16, 2014 12:39PM Stefanie Balogh/ Canberra FOREIGN Minister Julie Bishop says she believes the relatives of those who died when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17 was shot down would have been “devastated’’ by the ABC’s Chaser-style skit ridiculing Tony Abbott’s efforts to press Vladimir Putin over the tragedy. Ms Bishop has today joined the criticism of the ABC’s decision to air the five-minute skit last week on its current affairs flagship program 7.30. “I was very sad to think that the ABC thought it was appropriate to make fun of what is a very serious issue that the Prime Minister is taking very seriously, and that is holding Russia to account for the shooting down of a Malaysian airline that killed, amongst others, 38 Australian citizens and residents,’’ Ms Bishop told Network Ten’s The Bolt Report. “The families of those killed on that plane are still grieving deeply. I’m in touch with a number of them. Their anguish, their heartbreak, is almost too much to bear. “And if any of them had been watching that ABC program, I think they would’ve been devastated,’’ Ms Bishop said. “And to think that taxpayers’ funds went towards making it, I really think the ABC should have a long, hard think about what is appropriate in these circumstances when you’re talking about the deaths of so many Australians.’’ Mr Abbott urged the Russian President last week during a 15-minute bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC leaders meeting to apologise and make appropriate restitution after telling him Australia had information the missile that shot down MH17 was linked to his country. The downing of MH-17 by Russian-backed separatists killed all 298 people on board including 38 Australian citizens and residents. The ABC board last week questioned managing director Mark Scott’s strategy to target younger audiences as divisions emerged within the top editorial ranks over the skit on 7.30. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull attacked the ABC’s decision to air it as “baffling and disappointing’’ while host Leigh Sales last week distanced herself from the skit, revealing she had argued against it in editorial meetings. Sales tweeted: “I can robustly make my case in editorial meetings but ultimately, I have to present what’s commissioned.” The skit was delivered by 7.30 recruit Kirsten Drysdale from The Checkout and Hungry Beast in her first package for the program. The ABC has defended the ‘light- hearted” skit, which previewed the “showdown of the century” between Tony “Tough Talk” Abbott and Vladimir “Virility” Putin. The segment included an impersonation of the Russian leader, talk of “physical prowess” and “magnificent biceps”, and out-of-context snippets of US President Barack Obama and the Prime Minister discussing the war on Iraq and protests in Hong Kong. Last week, Mr Turnbull told The Australian the segment “wasn’t funny and was in very poor taste”. “It would have been a pretty pathetic segment on The Chaser,’’ he said. “To include it in the national broadcaster’s leading current-affairs program is a baffling and disappointing error of judgment … The ABC is independent of government and its board of directors is ultimately responsible for its editorial decisions.” (theaustralian.au/news/abc-skit-would-have-devastated-mh17-families-says-julie-bishop/story-e6frg6n6-1227124631424)
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 03:17:55 +0000
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