‘We can’t be defensive’: ABC boss says it won’t operate in fear

2 weeks ago 4

The ABC’s new boss says the public broadcaster needs to be upfront when it makes mistakes but not be afraid to push back against its critics, as he rejected any similarity between the ABC and the BBC in their respective coverage of a speech by Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, ABC managing director Hugh Marks said the ABC had developed a “fearfulness of external forces” over decades that had bred a culture of defensiveness, adding that the broadcaster was better served by owning up to its mistakes quickly.

ABC boss Hugh Marks during a National Press Club address on Wednesday.

“We have to not cower, but we can’t be defensive when we make a mistake, own it. It’s not hard,” Marks said.

“People accept this is a fast-moving world. People expect journalism operates on a very fast cycle, and people are under pressure to file and get stories up and that’s what the public needs because they need to be informed.”

“Will we get it right all the time? I’m sure we won’t. I’m sure there are still lessons to learn, but I think we’re much better at it now, and I see that in a lot of the actions that we’ve taken over the last month.”

Marks, now eight months into the role, while welcoming scrutiny on the ABC, made it clear that “any reasonable amount of work” would have come to the conclusion that the faults the BBC apologised for in its Panorama coverage of Donald Trump’s January 6 speech over a year ago were inconsistent to the Four Corners episode broadcast in 2021 that has come under intense criticism from News Corp masthead over the past fortnight.

“The same faults were not consistent on both programs. So I didn’t accept that was legitimate criticism.”

Marks added that the ABC was also applying the lessons learnt from the “errors” it made in sacking casual radio presenter Antoinette Lattouf in December 2023 in its investigation into Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal, who launched an unauthorised podcast sponsored by an online cryptocurrency casino in September.

“When something goes wrong, follow the process. Make sure we do all the things that are necessary to have a rigorous and thoughtful investigation of whatever occurs.

So we’re going through that process […] I can’t give you a date as to when it will finish, but it’s important that we follow the process, and we do it in a respectful, measured, considered way.”

Two high-ranking BBC executives resigned over errors made in its programming. News Corp outlets have sought to import the crisis to the ABC.

Marks’ speech came ahead of the ABC revealing its full slate of content for 2026 to a room full of staff, media and other stakeholders in Sydney on Thursday.

Marks, a former production executive and CEO of Nine Entertainment (which publishes this masthead), said ABC will increase its number of primetime premium television shows by 40 per cent, from 43 to 60 in 2026, having previously cited the importance of producing quality Australian programming.

He said to expect more podcasting and vodcasting (video podcasting) in tomorrow’s content presentation. There will also be an increased focus on short-form video on socials, a bid to get more young Australians engaging with news.

“Clearly audiences are also responding to long form audio-story telling through podcasting – so we will be doing more of that,” Marks said.

The ABC will also seek commercial benefits from its own programming, with Marks citing the “lost opportunity” to cash in on the global success of Bluey, with the commercial rights owned by the BBC, which makes roughly $300 million per year from it, he said.

In a wide-ranging speech and subsequent Q&A, Marks also said he wants to see more positivity and human interest stories produced by the ABC, an area where its coverage is lacking. In August last year, the ABC’s chair Kim Williams told staff he wanted to see more hard news in place of “lifestyle” stories.

Marks and the ABC axed Q+A in June, but he wants more “town hall style” programming.

“There are a lot of bad things happening in the world […] I do find that we need to balance that sometimes with the positivity of things that happen in our country. I want to see more parts of Australia on the ABC, I want to see those human interest stories more.”

After cancelling long-running panel show Q+A in June, Marks noted he would like to see a new “town hall style” show on television, which can enable different perspectives to be aired without having to rely on its journalists, though no such show is currently in development.

He dispelled the notion that the ABC’s audience and impact is diminished, arguing it now curates and delivers content across television, radio, digital, podcasting, YouTube, social media and other mediums, all on a budget designed just for broadcast.

The ABC will also provide its digital news content to local and rural news organisations for free to help communities access news during significant events, Marks said, and he also called on global tech firms to do the same with the ABC, arguing firms such as Meta, the owner of Facebook willingly turn off access to news.

“And what I would hope and expect to see is that those companies recognise the value of their social licence in Australia. If you want to be here, be part of our society. It’s special,” Marks said.

The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.