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The Racial Hatred Act: Case study 3

 case study3pauline hanson's maiden speech

Introduction:

  • media response to Pauline Hanson's maiden speech to Parliament
  • excerpts from Pauline
    Hanson's maiden speech

Reports/Comment:

Please note that none of the reports in the case studies have been the
subject of complaints or queries under the Racial Hatred Act.


ABC TV took a different view of the news
value of the Hanson speech. John Mulhall, then Acting Sydney Network News
Editor, explains the editorial decision not to cover the Hanson speech:

 "Quotation Mark"

We do apply quite different news values from our commercial colleagues.
We try to consider the longer term implications for the community of stories
we run.

In the case of Pauline Hanson, as an independent backbencher, she carries
no balance of power and could not influence Government policy. Her views
on multiculturalism and Aboriginal issues were already widely known so
we believed there were no longer term implications in her maiden speech
and decided the story wasn't worth a run.

Instead we covered two other stories from Federal Parliament which we
felt on the day were more important. We also knew that the ABC's 7.30 Report
was covering the story from a current affairs angle.

We paid more attention to Pauline Hanson prior to the federal election
when, as still a member of the Liberal Party, her comments had the potential
to affect her party's electoral chances.

We have also carried stories on Pauline Hanson since, when her comments
have become part of the mainstream political debate.

 "Quotation Mark"

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