ABC reporter could face disciplinary action over opinion piece

ABC management has refused to rule out disciplinary action against a journalist and union office-holder for writing an opinion piece for the Australian Financial Review, according to the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA).

The award-winning ABC climate journalist, Michael Slezak, had an article published last week in Nine’s financial newspaper in his capacity as federal president of MEAA. The article was about a proposal by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic) to restrict journalists from accessing information such as the home address and date of birth of company directors, an issue the union is campaigning on.

Last week Slezak was called to a meeting with the new ABC director of news, Simon Robinson, and the head of digital and national news, Lee Glendinning, to discuss his adherence to the ABC’s external work policy. In a letter to ABC union members on Monday, the media union claimed Slezak was being targeted for defending press freedom in his capacity as an elected union office-holder.

The union says Slezak did not need to seek approval for the article because he has an agreement with the ABC which permits him to engage in public comment on behalf of journalists in his MEAA role.

A spokesperson for the ABC said the guidelines for external work and public comment were important in protecting the reputation of the ABC. But the union’s relationship with ABC’s Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Marks has been fraught since more than 2,000 staff walked off the job for a 24-hour strike, forcing ABC services across TV, radio and digital to use BBC content and repeat programming.