Does Australia need more media regulation?

6 Aug 2012
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Any new media watchdog could become a 'political correctness enforcement agency destined to suppress inconvenient truths', Mr Abbott says. (AAP)

Any new media watchdog could become a 'political correctness enforcement agency destined to suppress inconvenient truths', Mr Abbott says. (AAP)

The government is considering recommendations from an inquiry by former Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein calling for a news media council to oversee journalism standards. Also, media owners could face a public interest or suitability test. Opposition leader Tony Abbott says the Coalition opposed both ideas. 

Mr Abbott says a Coalition government would also axe section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which bans statements that 'offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate' another person or a group of people on grounds of race or ethnicity. What do you think?

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yes and no

phw - from canberra, 6 months ago

in general Australia's media may serve U.S. and U.K. citizens well, but are as useful as a dog with three legs to Australians. there should be strong regulation with regards to an increased Australian content, as well as much wider community access to taxpayer subsidised public media outlets. content censorship - NO! instead, privacy laws giving individuals ready access to the court system in case of media trespasses should compell media barons to exercise due prudence.

SBS news is completely worthless along with entire Oz media

James Robertson - from Canberra, 8 months ago

Stunned at the deterioration of SBS news. Now a lame propaganda service, completely dishonest and of no more value than the basest Murdoch mouthpiece. All pretensions towards providing a non-provincial news have been discarded, SBS often leads with the exact same trivial local story as all the other networks. We are supposed to be grateful for this?

Unbias in media

Michael - from Rosebud, 8 months ago

I don't mind posting comments on SBS. But if I want unbiased and truth in news I go to the ABC or Sun Herald. Public financed news services certainly need more transparency and less ethnic bias, Sadly this is missing with SBS. SBS once had a great news service, however today its bogged down in ethic ideology and bias, its also forgotten that its purpose is to serve ALL Austarlians with a media service that should be a benchmark in fair and truthful information to the public. SBS can do better.

who's scared now ?

Patricia - from Engadine, 9 months ago

More fear mongering from a dishonest and ionefectual government.

Media Watchdog?

Janet Hebson - from Albany, 9 months ago

No group such as that owned by Murdoch should be allowed to own so much much property in the news media. 30% of ownership by one group is thought by Cameron in the UK as too much. In Australia Murdochet al is allowed 70%. Who allowed this to happen? Murdoch uses the media outlets to try to promote his own politics. He shoulf have stood for parliament if he wanted to make a change in politics, not the backdoor by influencing the media.

Do You Jest?

Peter - from Adelaide, 10 months ago

Ahmed, with respect - are you certain that SBS and the ABC are fair, impartial and don't have an agenda? Do you jest, Ahmed? I do not need some government pen-pusher telling me that I cannot interpret, and therefore make up my own mind on an issue. Can you imagine if Tony Abbott called for this insane legislation? There is a word for what Labor and the Greens are calling for - and it is profound that the 2 parties that claim to speak for 'individual freedom and liberty' are cheering for tyranny.

Politics? Free sp.......

B S - from Heidelberg, 10 months ago

The people which represent us : are they legal in government is a question to ask, see gerrymander ( and/or no voters, void ), as in Germany the High-court Judges declared 3 years ago it isn't legal, and no politician will answer and change the law. The same here, and they all against communism and suppression? That is my opinion.

abbott

mark - from moonta, 10 months ago

abbott does not want media regulation because his mates murdock bolt and jones have told him if you do not stick up for us we will withdraw our support.Abbott wants racism back in it gives him the redneck vote and the dumbed down vote. Bolt and jones want a return to the white australia policy.

YES!

Motherknows - from Perth, 10 months ago

YES! Australia needs more propaganda!

Media Regulation

P Smith - from Adelaide, 10 months ago

The debate of media regulation is really not the issue. It's about accountability. When a writer approaches a publisher the one thing that will kill a novel is author intrusion. The same can be said for journalism. Reporting is about facts of a story for pubilc consumption, giving the reader a choice of their own opinion to make on the information that is recieved. It is not for the journalist to persuade the reader by commentating a subject whichs injects there bias sentiment.

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