Balance for the sake of balance is corruption of good journalism

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The best journalists know that when things are not equal - when one side lies, misleads or refuses to engage - then balance is no longer a useful tool.

It’s the idea that just won’t die; the practice that is ruining the reputation of good journalism. In recent days, in these pages, journalists of the calibre ofhave spoken out against the notion that both sides in a debate like the Voice referendum need to get equal time, no matter what.

High-profile ABC journalist and board member Laura Tingle has blown open a debate about the public broadcaster’s approach to the Voice referendum, arguing an obsession with balance has degraded coverage of the debate.It happens everywhere, but the organisation most often blamed for the practice is the ABC, due to its statutory requirement to be strictly impartial and fair to all sides.

I’m shocked that anyone thinks it represents some notion of fair, principled journalism. In fact, it is the opposite. Balance for the sake of balance is, and always has been, an abomination, a corruption of good journalism.It is certainly true that, at every election, the ABC runs a “share of voice” tracker to measure precisely how much time each side of politics gets, and they did the same for the Voice referendum.

 

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