OzAurora
Refugee
I dont know if anyone watched 'Media Watch' last night, but if you didn't there was one story on it that really concerned me, here is a rundown of events.
For years the ABC archives department has made available news stories to documentary etc makers to use in their work, such as a news item with Gough Whitlam talking about being sacked for example. So cut to now and a documentary maker making a doco on refugees to be distributed to schools and church groups is being refused access to a couple of news items featuring Phillip Ruddock and John Howard talking about refugees and the children overboard incident. The head honchos at the ABC (and from what I remember are appointed by the current government of the time) are saying that things have changed and that film makers from now on must have written consent from the people shown in the items, if they are to handed over. So this woman ( who in the past has received news itmes from the archives department for other docos) has to get consent from Howard and Ruddock to use a news item which contains words that they said in a public forum on her doco. The ABC has gone on to add a clause in their policy in regards to the distrubution of such items wihch is very subjective as to what constitutes the 'right' kinds of groups etc that can have acess to these items wihout the consent of the parties involved.
Now all of this to me sounds like censorship and going against freedom of speach to me. Does John Howard want us to end up brain washed citizens who are not allowed the freedom to make and interpret political and current affairs topics objectively?????
I was glad that David Maar and the Media Watch crew brought this to the attention of those watching, it disgusts me that the ABC is preventing this woman access to these items and it disgusts me the lengths that it appears that the current government is going to, to cover up their past f-ups. It's a good thing that people like myself dont forget......
For years the ABC archives department has made available news stories to documentary etc makers to use in their work, such as a news item with Gough Whitlam talking about being sacked for example. So cut to now and a documentary maker making a doco on refugees to be distributed to schools and church groups is being refused access to a couple of news items featuring Phillip Ruddock and John Howard talking about refugees and the children overboard incident. The head honchos at the ABC (and from what I remember are appointed by the current government of the time) are saying that things have changed and that film makers from now on must have written consent from the people shown in the items, if they are to handed over. So this woman ( who in the past has received news itmes from the archives department for other docos) has to get consent from Howard and Ruddock to use a news item which contains words that they said in a public forum on her doco. The ABC has gone on to add a clause in their policy in regards to the distrubution of such items wihch is very subjective as to what constitutes the 'right' kinds of groups etc that can have acess to these items wihout the consent of the parties involved.
Now all of this to me sounds like censorship and going against freedom of speach to me. Does John Howard want us to end up brain washed citizens who are not allowed the freedom to make and interpret political and current affairs topics objectively?????
I was glad that David Maar and the Media Watch crew brought this to the attention of those watching, it disgusts me that the ABC is preventing this woman access to these items and it disgusts me the lengths that it appears that the current government is going to, to cover up their past f-ups. It's a good thing that people like myself dont forget......
