This webinar is for all friends of the ABC who want to understand what we are up against in defending and supporting the ABC.

Our ABC and its Enemies

Jonathan addresses such questions as:

• Who is out to destroy or undermine the ABC and why?
• How can we expose and counter them?
• Specifically, what is the IPA - its workings, membership, policies, strategies, and influence, and what should ABC Friends do in response?
• What is the Murdoch/News Ltd long game, what will be its impact, and what should ABC Friends do in response?

The webinar was held on 29 March 2022 by ABC Friends Ballarat and is hosted by its convenor Maureen MacPhail.

Jonathan Holmes will be very familiar to ABC watchers and followers. He began his career with the BBC in 1969, working as a producer on programs like 24 Hours, Nationwide and Panorama. In 1982 he was invited to Australia to become Executive Producer of ABC’s 4 Corners and since then he has also served as Head of ABC documentaries, Executive Producer of Foreign Correspondent and the 7.30 report, and for many years as an on-camera reporter for 4 Corners and Foreign Correspondent, reporting from more than 40 countries, as well as two years as an ABC correspondent in Washington.

He’s perhaps best known for his five years as presenter of Media Watch. Jonathan’s work has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Logie, several Walkley nominations, top prize at the Banff World Television Festival, and a special award from the United Nations Association of Australia for 25 years of distinguished journalism. He continues to write on media affairs and is the author of On Aunty, written in 2019. Jonathan is the current Chair of ABC Alumni, and is leading the Alumni campaign for the next federal election.