‘Truthful, not neutral’: Why the ABC’s ‘impartiality’ warning isn’t the full story

The ABC’s chair Kim Williams has come out firing in his first week in the role, telling journalists they must acknowledge the broadcaster’s statutory requirement to be impartial or walk out the door.

Often it’s not that simple. It’s always been one of the most difficult things to teach young people, but if they want to be a journalist they need to be impartial, park their views at the door, and embrace a sceptical mindset.

As an associate professor in journalism, I’ve always told my students that, as a 17-year-old cadet at a country newspaper, I was schooled by my editors not to join any kind of group (except the union), not to sign a petition no matter how innocuous or worthy the cause, and certainly not to discuss with anyone my politics or religious beliefs.

I remember one editor bellowing at a class of young cadets to heed the trial of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, in which the impartiality of the judge was challenged as he was a member of Amnesty International.