Australian Broadcasting Corporation management has declined to rule out disciplinary action against an award-winning ABC climate journalist and union office-holder over an opinion article he wrote for the Australian Financial Review, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance says.
Michael Slezak, the union’s federal president of media and head of the ABC house committee, had the piece published last week in Nine’s financial newspaper in his capacity as MEAA federal president.
The Financial Review identified him as federal president of media at the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and as an ABC journalist.
The article dealt with a proposal from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to restrict journalists’ access to information including company directors’ home addresses and dates of birth — a matter the union has been campaigning on.
According to the MEAA, Slezak was called last week to a meeting with the ABC’s new director of news, Simon Robinson, and the head of digital and national news, Lee Glendinning, to discuss his compliance with the broadcaster’s external work policy.
Robinson was handpicked by the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, before the incumbent news chief, Justin Stevens, was asked to resign in May. The former Reuters executive started at the ABC in September.
In a letter sent to ABC union members on Monday, the media union said Slezak was being targeted for standing up for press freedom in his capacity as an elected union office-holder.
“Championing our right to information is something we expect Michael to do and be allowed to do without hindrance,” MEAA said.
An ABC spokesperson said the guidelines governing external work and public comment mattered because they protect the broadcaster’s reputation.
“The Director of News is meeting with staff to ensure there is a clear and consistent understanding of how the guidelines should be applied and upheld.”
The union’s relationship with Marks has been strained since more than 2,000 staff walked off the job for a 24-hour strike, which forced ABC services across TV, radio and digital to use BBC content and repeat programming. Marks was publicly critical of the enterprise bargaining process.
At the meeting, the union claims, management would not rule out disciplinary action including dismissal against Slezak.
“Simon and Lee raised the possibility that Michael may have breached the ABC’s external work policy and code of conduct,” the union said. “They refused to rule out disciplinary action, including dismissal.”
The union says Slezak was not obliged to seek approval for the article, pointing to an agreement with the ABC that permits him to make public comment on behalf of journalists in his MEAA role.
An open letter signed by 340 ABC union members as of Tuesday afternoon calls on Marks and Robinson to confirm that Slezak will not face disciplinary action.
“We see this as an attack on our right to work collectively through our union, a hindrance to our delegates doing the work they are legally entitled to do, and an obstruction to journalists in our industry fulfilling their duty to uphold and champion press freedom,” the letter says.
Union members will meet on Tuesday to discuss a collective response.
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