Usually when people delete their social media accounts, it’s because they’ve become the target of media scrutiny and they really really don’t want an army of journalists to go picking through their online comments. The ‘delete’ button is a means of protection. Not always, but often.
In February, the ABC nixed the Twitter accounts of headline shows Insiders, ABC Politics, and News Breakfast.
At the time, publications such as the Australian pointed out that the ABC’s decision would make it more difficult for the public – the money that pays for the ABC – to engage with the broadcaster.
Or perhaps more accurately, it would become difficult for the public to express their dissatisfaction with the product they’re funding.
The move to withdraw these accounts was taken after Twitter found itself purchased in a slightly hostile manner by Elon Musk, who immediately lowered its restrictions on political speech. Twitter users are now able to criticise politically sensitive content, unlike on Facebook which has retained its tough community guidelines.
At the time, those ABC shows chose to remain on Facebook.
To be fair, the ABC didn’t leave Twitter entirely. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said they were consolidating their content into the largest account. ‘This is a better use of resources while still serving audience on this platform.’
That sounds like a valid argument, given ABC News Twitter had over 2 million followers at the time.
Five-and-a-bit months later, the ABC has decided to shut down almost all of its accounts referencing ‘toxic interactions’.
Which is what most of us suspected the first time around, although it is unclear why the ABC didn’t simply say something to the effect of, ‘We don’t like being on a free speech platform where people can be mean to us.’
The ABC is shutting everything except for its @ABCaustralia, @ABCchinese, @ABCsport, and @ABCnews – the vanilla handful.
When David Anderson, the ABC’s current Managing Director, said, ‘Starting from today, other ABC accounts will be discontinued…’ Twitter’s owner, Elon Musk, couldn’t help having a bit of a dig at the emotionally fragile publicly-funded broadcaster.
‘Well, of course they prefer censorship-friendly social media. The Australian public does not.’
The kids these days call that a ‘sick burn’.
When it comes to the truth, the ABC and its journalists have found they do not enjoy the public forum when it is allowed to speak its mind instead of being held down by teams of politically-motivated censors. It’s been a bit of a shock for the protected bubble of left-wing thought to be prodded and shouted at by a public that’s been duct-taped for decades and forced to pay billions to feather the nest of a broadcaster many do not like or use.
‘We also found that closing individual program accounts helps limit the exposure of team members to the toxic interactions that unfortunately are becoming more prevalent on X [Twitter],’ he said.
Cry harder – isn’t that what the left say? Conservatives and independent media have been putting up with legions of trolls, empowered by the hand of Twitter’s former censorial management, that sought to harass and erase conservative politics from the conversation. The ABC did not exactly leap to the public’s defence when they complained about being vanished by Silicon Valley. Despite the trolling, conservatives continue to call for more free speech, not the censorship of their opposition. That, fundamentally, is the difference between independent publications such as the Spectator Australia, and the ‘please protect us from the public’ ABC.
‘Concerningly, X has reduced its trust and safety teams. Additionally, it is introducing charges which make the platform increasingly costly to use.’
It’s starting to become clear why Albanese intends to exclude the public broadcaster from his ‘Disinformation and Misinformation’ Bill. Saying that Twitter ‘reduced its trust and safety teams’ is like claiming the Allies reduced Germany’s loving citizen protection unit at the fall of the second world war. Those ‘safety’ teams were the individuals responsible for silencing and removing victims of Big Pharma when they were calling for help. Shame on the public broadcaster for spending years failing to support the free speech of the citizens who fund them.
Speaking of social media platforms that embrace ‘public safety’, the ABC has said it is redirecting resources toward ‘trusted’ entities like – uh – TikTok.
Make of that what you will.
Perhaps it’s the ABC that’s toxic, not Twitter or free speech.
Flat White is written and edited by Alexandra Marshall.
