Public Media Accountability

​​← Australia's Political Leadership​

The ABC and SBS are publicly funded institutions with an important influence on Australian public debate. Their independence from direct political and commercial control is central to their public role.

However, public trust also depends on whether Australians believe these organisations are fair, responsible, efficient and responsive to legitimate criticism. Existing complaints procedures generally deal with individual programs or alleged breaches of editorial standards, but they may not provide a comprehensive measure of public confidence over time.

Independent and transparent feedback could allow Australians to assess particular programs, presenters, reporting standards and organisational performance without giving governments direct control over editorial decisions.

Question:

To what extent do you agree or disagree that publicly funded media organisations such as the ABC and SBS should be required, as part of their funding agreements, to participate in transparent and independent public feedback systems designed to improve accountability, reduce perceptions of bias and strengthen public trust?

​(Agree/Disagree →)

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Open Democracy Perspective

​Project Open Democracy is founded on a simple principle: institutions that serve the public should also be prepared to listen to the public.

PByT feedback would not determine editorial content or allow governments to censor journalists. It would provide an additional, independent measure of public experience and confidence, helping distinguish isolated criticism from broader and recurring concerns.

Questions 9 and 10 therefore demonstrate how public participation can move beyond occasional opinion polls. Verified, analysable and ongoing feedback can become practical evidence for improving institutions, allocating public funding and rebuilding trust between citizens and the organisations established to serve them.

These questions form part of Project Open Democracy, an initiative using PByT’s transparent and verifiable feedback system to help Australians participate more directly in shaping public policy between elections.