ABC news reports COVID stress & disruption are comparable to living through a war. Please provide the evidence to support this claim

Jaay-H made this Freedom of Information request to Australian Broadcasting Corporation

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was refused by Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Dear Australian Broadcasting Corporation,

ABC reporters Sarah Curnow and Ben Knight from ABC investigation and ABC Victoria state that:

"Experts compare the disruption and stress of the coronavirus pandemic to living through a war, or the Great Depression, but this is a crisis on a scale most of their parents, and even their grandparents, never had to face."

Please provide a copy of:

- the documents and/or correspondence from which the alleged experts made this claim as stated by ABC,

- the documents in which ABC investigated the validity or truth of the alleged experts claim.

Yours faithfully,

Jaay-H

FOI ABC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Dear Jaay-H

 

Thank you for your request for documents under the Freedom of Information
Act 1982 (the FOI Act).

 

Unfortunately we can’t process your request, as you’ve requested access to
documents that are, or would be, ‘program material’ for the purposes of
the FOI Act. As explained in my responses to your previous FOI
application, the ABC is exempt from the operation of the FOI Act in
relation to documents that are created for the purpose of creating
broadcasts and articles, or related to their content.

 

The following sets out your request:

 

ABC reporters Sarah Curnow and Ben Knight from ABC investigation and ABC
Victoria state that:

"Experts compare the disruption and stress of the coronavirus pandemic to
living through a war, or the Great Depression, but this is a crisis on a
scale most of their parents, and even their grandparents, never had to
face."

Please provide a copy of:

- the documents and/or correspondence from which the alleged experts made
this claim as stated by ABC,

- the documents in which ABC investigated the validity or truth of the
alleged experts claim.

 

Any such document cannot be provided to you under the FOI Act as reports
or correspondence used by the ABC to make this specific piece of content
would be ‘program material’ for the purposes of the Act.

 

While you can’t gain access under FOI, you can  ask for the information
you seek via our audience contact processes. You can send your request for
information about reporting on particular subjects through
 [1]https://help.abc.net.au/hc/en-us/request...

 

Alternatively, you may wish to make a complaint that you feel reportage on
a subject is lacking important editorial substance. To complain about
editorial matters, please visit
[2]https://about.abc.net.au/talk-to-the-abc...

 

I hope this information is of assistance.

 

Kind regards

Juliana

 

[3]ABC Juliana Walsh

FOI and Corporate Governance Advisor

ABC Legal
P: +61 2 8333 5304

M: +61 424 651 229

E: [email address]

 
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the
First Australians
and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn and
work.

 

 

 

From: Jaay-H <[FOI #6471 email]>
Sent: Monday, 6 July 2020 6:23 PM
To: FOI ABC <[ABC request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - ABC news reports COVID stress &
disruption are comparable to living through a war. Please provide the
evidence to support this claim

 

Dear Australian Broadcasting Corporation,

ABC reporters Sarah Curnow and Ben Knight from ABC investigation and ABC
Victoria state that:

"Experts compare the disruption and stress of the coronavirus pandemic to
living through a war, or the Great Depression, but this is a crisis on a
scale most of their parents, and even their grandparents, never had to
face."

Please provide a copy of:

- the documents and/or correspondence from which the alleged experts made
this claim as stated by ABC,

- the documents in which ABC investigated the validity or truth of the
alleged experts claim.

Yours faithfully,

Jaay-H

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