Water is Wet

In May ABC journalist Laura Tingle informally commented at the Sydney Writers’ Festival that Australia was a ‘racist country’, referring to the Opposition’s post-Budget policy on immigration. ABC management said that other sections of the media had unfairly reported the comments, but told Tingle her comments were not given enough context and didn’t meet ABC editorial standards. Tingle clarified her position in a statement on the ABC corporate website: ‘I wasn’t saying every Australian is a racist. But we clearly have an issue with racism’.