Stand Up and be Counted
ABC warrior Kerry O’Brien has staged an intervention in the federal election and declared war on the Institute of Public Affairs at the same time.
The former host of The 7.30 Report and Four Corners is starring in a campaign-time call-to-arms video produced and funded by the ABC Alumni speaking out about the national broadcaster’s importance to not just democracy but life as we know it.
It starts with footage of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and points out the United States has very low levels of public broadcasting funding.
‘‘I don’t work for the ABC these days, nor speak for it,’’ KO’B says in the video, released this morning on YouTube. ‘‘But at no point in my lifetime has the ABC been more important than it is today,’’ continues the public broadcasting icon, who retired from the ABC in 2015 after 32 years.
The Gold Walkley winner then takes aim at the IPA and its fivepart podcast series that called the ABC a ‘‘danger to democracy’’ and the dozen or so Coalition MPs who took part in the series, including Senator Andrew Bragg (the chairman of the communications legislation committee) to whom this column owes an apology given that we haven’t mentioned the old publicity craver in nearly six weeks. Soz mate but 2022 is all about Dave Sharma.
O’Brien doesn’t endorse any candidates but urges viewers to ‘‘stand up and be counted’’ and ‘‘back the candidates who support a stronger, better-funded ABC’’. B1, I don’t think he’s talking about Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce, do you?
IN THE FLESH
O’Brien is lacing up his boots to be a speaker at an ABC Friends rally on Sunday. He will be joined by Labor’s communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland, Greens communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young, teal independent member for Warringah Zali Steggall and ABC Friends national president Margaret Reynolds. Communications minister Paul Fletcher has been invited. But he’s probably watching repeats of Vera that day.
