ABC managing director Hugh Marks has defended the broadcaster’s decision to proceed with a podcast hosted by Grace Tame, despite criticism linked to comments she made about Israel and Gaza in a previous ABC interview.
Speaking about the four-part podcast on autism, Marks said the project had been commissioned some time ago and described it as an important piece of content for Australians, particularly young people and young women affected by autism.
“I think if you look at the programme itself, it’s a great podcast that she’s done a great job on a topic that I’m sure will be of real interest and real importance to many Australians who suffer from those conditions, and particularly young Australians and young Australian women,” Marks said.
He acknowledged that public figures involved in ABC programming can sometimes generate controversy, but said the broadcaster must balance that reality with its responsibility to deliver quality content.
Marks also addressed comments made by ABC presenter Charlie Pickering, who told a rightwing livestreamer that he personally believed Tame’s role was “problematic”.
According to Marks, ABC reviewed the remarks and concluded they did not breach the broadcaster’s code of conduct.
“Obviously we’ve looked at Charlie’s comments. I think he did express that they were his own view. They weren’t represented at the ABC,” Marks said.
He added that the comments appeared to be made informally and that ABC was satisfied they did not amount to a code breach.