Catholic Religious Australia voices its concern to the ABC at the axing of Radio National's the Religion Report. Links are also provided to ABC announcement; and other comments from Archbishop Philip Wilson; Bishop Kevin Manning, Newmatilda, Online Opinion and the Religion Report's Have your say.
Decision overlooks media's value to educate
The value of the media to educate on the religious cultural diversity in Australia has been seriously overlooked in axing ABC's the Religious Report, according to Australian Catholic Religious.
CRA President Sr Clare Condon SGS said it seemed that the media significantly under-estimated the relevance of religion and spirituality in the lives of the Australian people.
In praising the Radio National programme for its high-quality, independent reporting and analysis on the diverse realities of religion, she said such analytical reporting was not evident through other broadcast outlets.
She also suggested in her letter to ABC Managing Director Mr Mark Scott that axing the programme could be ignoring the first point of the ABC Charter which is: to provide within Australia innovative and comprehensive broadcasting services of a high standard as part of the Australian broadcasting ...
without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to provide:
(i) broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian
community; and
(ii) broadcasting programs of an educational nature;
Sr Clare has not received a response from Mr Scott to her letter dated October 20.
related articles
Programs axed amid Radio National reshuffle
ABC Radio National has announced several programs will be axed as part of major changes to its 2009 schedule.
Among those listed to go are the Religion Report, Media Report, Sports Factor, The Ark, Perspective and In Conversation.
The shows will be variously replaced by a program that looks at the history of news events, another that will focus on current world trends of globalisation, communication technologies and the shifting cultural, social, political and economic responses.
Chairman of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference and Archbishop of Adelaide, Archbishop Philip Wilson ...
It certainly wasn't everybody's cup of tea when it came to religious programming. But the ABC's decision to axe this program, along with other specialist RN programs, should give us pause to consider the state of reporting on matters of religion and faith in Australia today ...
The ABC, as the national broadcaster, should be leading the way in specialist reporting. Without the commercial imperatives of its competitors, the ABC is not only free to put more resources into less populist areas, but it has an obligation to do so. We can get more than enough of the latest celebrity gossip or political PR manoeuvrings via other outlets.
He concluded hius statement ...
I am delighted that Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has released a discussion paper for public comment on the future direction of public broadcasters in the changing media environment. I hope that many Australians, regardless of their religious faith or non-faith will place submissions arguing strongly that now is not the time to abandon specialist reporting on religion or other areas of interest to our society. Rather than abandon specialty religious programming the ABC should seize this opportunity to make it better - more relevant, less trite and clichéd, and more truly reflective of the religious experience of people in this country and in the world. Then we would have a national broadcaster which was truly fulfilling its charter.
Bishop of Parramatta, Bishop Kevin Manning ...
... it provides a service befitting the national broadcaster and is imperative for the vitality of the robust democracy in which we live.
Newmatilda
Newmatilda insider examines the recent changes to the broadcaster's line-up for 2009 and finds a bewildering set of management decisions ...
"A modest refreshment of the schedule" is how, according to one insider, Network Manager Jane Connors described the recently announced changes to the Radio National program line-up for 2009. This particular turn of phrase arose as Executive Producers were briefed about the changes, days before the program areas - and program makers - to be directly affected were contacted.
Online Opinion
Death of a friend: the end of 'The Religion Report'
Radio National, and a considerable number of listeners, is farewelling an old friend. On October 15, it was revealed that the Religion Report, hosted by the enthusiastic Stephen Crittenden, would be axed. Others will join it: the Sports Factor and the Media Report are also set for the radio morgue.
Some have argued, Crittenden foremost among them, that this is not so much a farewell as a brutal assassination inflicted by ignorant managers. He may have a point. The report balanced the political, economic and the religious in a manner few programs in Australia do. Its loss will be felt by its not inconsiderable following.
The programmers won't go quietly into the night. Crittenden has been reprimanded for an outburst on the Religion Report that took place on October 15: "The decision to axe one of this network's most distinctive and important programs has been approved by the Director of ABC Radio Sue Howard, and it will condemn Radio National to even greater irrelevance." He is currently being investigated for having used the Radio National platform in an "inappropriate" and "misleading" way.
The Religion Report
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