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Fact Check 2.0
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has his facts checked. Photo: ABC.
RMIT steps in to revive national broadcaster’ s fact checking unit.
The ABC’ s Fact Check unit has returned, with the help of RMIT University, to ensure the facts that public figures cite are not‘ alternative’ but plain old truth. Starting this month, the RMIT ABC Fact Check will do what it did before budget cuts forced its closure last May: check facts.
The new unit is a partnership between the public broadcaster and the university. It will reside at RMIT’ s new Media Precinct in Melbourne, and RMIT academics who have a journalism background will work as researchers in the revived unit. Journalism student interns from RMIT will also work there.
Russell Skelton, the ABC journalist who established and ran the original Fact Check from 2013 to 2016, will direct the new unit. A senior editor will also be appointed. The ABC will retain final editorial control of, and responsibility for, all content published. Content will be subject to all of the ABC’ s editorial policies, and will be published through the ABC Fact Check website.
Professor Martyn Hook, RMIT’ s dean of the School of Media and Communication, said this would help the university produce better journalists.
“ We’ re interested in the training of new journalists and new media professionals who are pushing out into the world,” Hook said.
“ As far as we’ re concerned, we see it as being one of the critical pieces of journalistic training to not only understand the nature of a fact, but being able to defend it and identify, as far as our students are concerned, the ways in which they’ re able to operate in a postfact world.”
The term“ alternative facts” was originally coined by Kellyanne Conway, a counsellor to US President Donald Trump and his former presidential campaign spokesperson. She used the term to defend claims White House press secretary Sean Spicer made about attendance numbers at Trump’ s inauguration. ■
JCU sex assault review
Former sex discrimination commissioner to review JCU harassment policies.
James Cook University has appointed former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick to lead a review of the institution’ s sexual assault and harassment policies, after a staff member who raped a student was
Elizabeth Broderick. Photo: APN Newspapers
promoted following the incident.
The review will look into how JCU allowed Douglas Steele to remain at the university, and even be elevated to academic adviser in the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Centre, after being charged with digitally raping an Indigenous student in 2015.
Even after pleading guilty to the crime in September 2016, JCU still listed Steele as a staff member as he awaited sentencing.
JCU has since apologised for the way it handled the incident.
In a statement, JCU said Broderick’ s review would be the second part of a two-part process. Phase one is currently underway. It involves an external and independent investigation of JCU’ s handling of the incident, with investigators determining the timeline of events and what JCU did about it.
Broderick said she would“ examine the university’ s policies and engage with key stakeholders to ensure JCU is implementing strong and effective responses to sexual harassment and sexual assault, and fostering a culture of respect, inclusion and safety for all”. Her review is to commence this month. As sex discrimination commissioner, Broderick led the review into the Australian Defence Force that uncovered a culture of sexism in the organisation. Independently, last year, she reviewed the Australian Federal Police, uncovering that just under half of female staff members had been sexually harassed or abused while at work.
“ Elizabeth Broderick is a leading expert on gender equality and organisation culture, and is highly skilled at analysing large, complex organisations,” said professor Chris Cocklin, JCU senior deputy vice-chancellor. ■
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