ABC and SBS to appear at antisemitism royal commission after complaints of ‘unbalanced’ Middle East coverage

Representatives from the ABC and SBS will be called as witnesses to the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion, after complaints were made to the inquiry about their coverage of the Middle East.

On Monday, counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC said some submissions to the royal commission – established after the Bondi terror attack – are “highly critical” of the public broadcasters’ reporting on the Middle East conflict.

“These media outlets occupy a particularly important, trusted position in the Australian media landscape. Their statutes, charters and policies commit them to high standards of accuracy, impartiality and balance, [which] they are charged with reflecting and indeed fostering,” he said.

“There are complaints that the ABC and the SBS have produced coverage that is inaccurate or unbalanced, both in their selection of stories and focus and in the reportage that they produce.”

The special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, will be called to speak on those concerns, he said.

“Witnesses from the public broadcasters themselves will also be called to speak to the approach taken by the ABC and the SBS to their reporting of the conflict,” Lancaster said.

An SBS spokesperson said it was “engaging with the royal commission process, including by providing written submissions”.

The ABC also made a submission.

“We recognise the importance of the royal commission and will continue to engage constructively,” a spokesperson said.

The ABC has consistently defended its coverage against what the managing director, Hugh Marks, has called “unfounded” criticism.

The ABC’s chair, Kim Williams, defended the broadcaster over News Corp claims of biased reporting last month.

“Recent commercial media has accused the ABC of bias and as having contributed to the rise of antisemitism. The ABC stands by its reporting of the conflict in the Middle East,” Williams said in a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The SBS has also defended its coverage.

“As a public service media organisation, SBS provides accurate, balanced and impartial coverage across a range of matters, including antisemitism and social cohesion, in accordance with the SBS code of practice and in fulfilment of its charter,” the spokesperson said.

Over the next two weeks, commissioner Virginia Bell will hear evidence about “the dissemination of antisemitic content and other forms of hateful speech in the online environment, as well as antisemitism in traditional media and broadcasting”.

Lancaster told the commission that not all social media platforms had responded well to its inquiries.

Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and TikTok had engaged “meaningfully”, he said.

But there was no response from X or Telegram, a limited response from Reddit and Twitch, and that Gab was “openly hostile”, with a representative saying the platform will “publish what it likes, when it likes”.

Lancaster raised the “potential for the online environment to function as an incubator of antisemitic violence”.

“It has become increasingly apparent that the online environment – and social media platforms in particular – are perhaps the most significant vector for the spread of antisemitism and hate in the community,” he said.