ABC chair Kim Williams: decline in news standards threatens democracy
ABC chair Kim Williams highlights the geopolitical case for higher investment in broadcaster’s news and factual content.

ABC chair Kim Williams issues a call to the Australian media sector
Kim Williams, chair of Australian pubcaster the ABC, has issued a clarion call to the Australian media sector, issuing the stark warning that a continuation of the decline in professional reporting could signal the end of democracy.
In a recent keynote address to policy thinktank the Lowy Institute’s Media Awards, which recognises journalists for significant reporting on foreign policy, Williams said “simply put: a strong media led by people who believe in professional journalistic ethics is one of our most important democratic assets.”
Speaking at a time when Australia’s broadcast newsrooms are reeling from a purge in toxic executives and being reshaped by internal investigations into abusive management practices, Williams battle cry for authentic news and higher standards of ethical practices from broadcasters, was indicative of his new vision for the ABC.
The ABC itself has recently commissioned an independent review of issues concerning alleged misinformation in reporting. Williams said the review would make “recommendations and a report, with agreed corrective actions,” and will be “publicly released.”
His mantra, the truth matters, was extended to the realm of international relations.
“The decline of traditional media and the challenging of democracy around the world today are linked. Misinformation has become politics by other means – and disinformation has become war by other means. As a result, the world is in the middle of a crisis of mistrust of information – constituting perhaps the greatest threat to liberal democracy in the world today,” he opined.
Williams bemoaned that digital misinformation was keeping people “on edge about what is real. And it is producing a radical mistrust of mainstream news sources too.”
“There’s a saying: Information is power. I have another saying: Trusted information is democratic power”.
Referencing the primacy of the BBC as a trusted source of information during World War 2 he said that this was what the ABC and other journalists across the media sector must display in Australia today. “Just as the BBC and Reuters took responsibility for telling the truth to people back in the 1940s, we have a responsibility to tell the truth to our people here and those of the Asia-Pacific now. Every day, every week.”
Williams said that his intention as chair of the ABC was to create more opportunities for journalists to “investigate, inform and report as widely as possible”.
“The way forward is to give people confidence by employing professional journalistic ethics and by reaching out to those currently not listening and engaging,” he advised.
“Australia has an interest and a duty as an affluent, democratic and former imperialist nation in our region, to do all we can to promote a thriving democratic media and counter the spread of misinformation, disinformation and censorship. This is a duty the ABC especially takes extremely seriously. In fact, it’s a crucial part of our obligations under the ABC Act.”
Discussing the ABC’s charter as a global source of trusted reportage via a network of global correspondents, he said that the ABC was eager to restore its presence in Beijing.
“We need to be in Beijing to ensure clear and regular reporting from the dynamic nation that China is, with its many profound economic, political and diplomatic resonances around the world.”
Williams added that via the ABC’s International Services arm, the broadcaster intended to become “the most trusted and valued broadcast media and digital content provider in the Indo-Pacific region.”
“Spreading the truth is our most effective diplomatic tool,” the chair said of the ABC’s global reporting role. “Because the many billions of dollars Australia spends on diplomacy, regional development and defence could easily come to nothing if democracy in our region is radically undermined by the unchecked spread of populist disinformation.”
Adding that to be a trusted and influential abroad, the ABC needs to be trusted and influential at home.
“As you will know, domestic Australian newsrooms are not in peak condition. The question has to be asked: How long can this go on before levels of trust in the media here begins to fall to dangerous levels, with consequences for the workings of our own democratic system?”
A stronger ABC, Williams said, would not only raise the bar across Australia’s newsrooms but advance factual screen development and screen culture.
“More Australian documentaries of higher quality, more engaging drama about us, our values, ideas, history and how we live, more information about our lifestyle and the products we create – all this and more to provide a stronger base and richer, more compelling content for the ABC’s outreach efforts.”
He emphasised that by using the ABC to build a more creative nation, it will establish the basis for more effective regional “soft diplomacy”.
“That’s why I believe investing in a far stronger ABC is a crucial starting point for improving our democracy and enhancing our freedoms, here and in our region.”