Dingbat Balance

The ABC's idea of "balance" is nothing of the kind. It is merely a convenient way to justify publishing the dingbat views and ideology of the right wing conservatives - without having to explain or justify it to the rest of us.

It's a convenient con that allows the Board, The Managing Director and the senior staff to look uninvolved when a particularly ignorant and uninformed piece of conservative nonsense is presented as news or information via one of the ABC distribution channels.

It's why they parade "real science" and "dingbat anti science" on the same show - balance you see.

It's why climate science as studied, discussed and documented by the IPCC often has to compete with pseudo science like this. It's all about the concept of balance.

It's why you will find Nick Minchin's view that "the earth is cooling" competing with Ross Garnaut's view that climate change is a "diabolical problem". All because of this manufactured idea of balance.

This is despite the fact that any cadet journalist will be able to discover that Minchin is lying and Garnaut is telling the truth - in less than half an hour or so. The ABC must publish both versions - to demonstrate its impartiality and balance.

Complete bullshit.

The reason they do it is because the ABC leadership has been captured by the conservatives. They were force-fed the conservative "kool-aid" when little Johnny was running the place and they got to like it. Neither Rudd nor Gillard were able to turn off the tap and as a result - we now have "ABC Dingbat Balance 24/7".

To prove that it is BS - let’s run a little experiment. I say that our world is inhabited by "martians" as well as "earthlings". I know this because of - blah, blah, blah - and I spoke with one last evening. So will the ABC provide a forum for "martians" to comment on events in the same way that "earthlings" do? Will every story have a "martian" take on it?

I am happy to be the interpreter - and am in regular contact with the chief martian. I look forward to ABC producers calling me for comment ;-)