Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?

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There is a little poll at Senator Andrew Bartlett web-log that asks the question: “Which group is more damaging to the proper functioning of Australian democracy: journalists, politicians, apathetic voters?”

When I last looked most people had voted for apathetic voters. I voted for journalists.

And there is a great article at Online Opinion titled ‘T is for Freedom Fighter at the ABC’ all about the ABC Style Guide (see,
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=3603)

I re-read the piece at OnLine Opinion after posting the blog from John McLean and thinking about Steve’s response to my blog about Terrorism. It also has relevance to the blog about Exxon Mobil.

It also prompted me to dig out some information from Barry Chipman about his ongoing battle with the ABC and reporting by journalist Ticky Fullerton.

Chipman is Timber Communities Australia’s Tasmanian Manager and he has successfully challenged the ABC Television Program Four Corners on the basis its program titled ‘Lord of the Forest’ contained misleading, biased and unfactual reporting. The video of the program has been withdrawn from sale in ABC shops.

Christian Kerr (from Crikey.com) has told some of the story in the March Issue of the IPA Review see,
http://www.ipa.org.au/publications/publisting_detail.asp?pubid=421 .

Chipman is still pursuing journalist Ticky Fullerton for return of the $10,000 which she won as part of the Australian Museum Eureka 2004 prize for outstanding environmentalism based on the Four Corner’s program.

Chipman also wants the process for reviewing complaints at the ABC completely overhauled.

I understand the latest ‘reform’ of the process for ‘independent’ complaints handing determined that while the ABC recognized the need for an independent process, the final decision about what to do once a finding had been made, for example a finding against the ABC, would rest with the ABC’s Managing Director.

Seems extraordinary! The guilty decides whether or not she should be convicted?

I quote from a letter from Chipman to Helen Coonan of 18th May,

“…We are also greatly concerned that the reforms fail to provide proper delegated independence for the ICRP to direct appropriate remedial action to redress a complaint that has been upheld. At present the ICRP findings are acted upon only at the ABC’s Managing Directors discretion. 12.6.11 of the ABC editorial polices states: “The Managing Director will decide what action, if any, will be taken as a result of the report. The report will be made public.” For the ICRP reforms to have any meaningful improvement this failing must be addressed. Without this being addressed it can not be claimed by the ABC that the ICRP is at arms-length from the ABC.”

While Chipman keeps fighting for reform, it seems that the ABC will keep doing its own thing.

In the most recent issue of Quadrant (July -August 2005, not yet available online) Frank Devine in an article titled ‘Take That, Russell Balding!’ provides an amusing example of the ABC caught tampering with the transcript of an interview by Tony Eastley with Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone on the subject of the deportation of Vivian Alvarez.

In closing, I would like to thank the Barry Chipman’s of the world for the time and effort they expend in the on-going fight for accurate reporting. It is a fight against propaganda.

Chipman is a freedom fighter – but perhaps to Fullerton a terrorist?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David Vader says

    Without commenting on the specifics of the above case … when is enough enough ?

    On the one hand corporations and individuals should have some redress to defend their reputations from libellous attacks that may impinge on their business.

    But if this translates to using the superior financial resources of corporations to crush any public comment via legal means surely this is insidious and not in the public interest.

    And as many on these blogs may deingrate greens for dubious tactics, industry groups, political parties and corporations employ lobbyists to produce “spin”. Also defended as “public relations” or “communication” by some. These people may also be better dressed and have nice haircuts too.

    So where to on Bhopal, Minimata Bay, Dow Corning, asbestosis, Exxon Valdez, illegal clearing of Indonesian rainforests, CITES trade in endangered species etc … at what point should one be allowed to voice an opinion.

    Or will you threaten me with superior financial resources and litigation to enforce my silence.

    Will you employ sophists to misquote my research and summon me before national committees to intimidate me.

    Whatever happened to “I totally disagree with everything you say, but defend your right to say it”.

  2. Jennifer says

    I would particularly like to know more about illegal clearing in Indonesian rainforests and would welcome a guest post if someone wants to/can put an evidence-based story together.

  3. David Vader says

    I’m sure all these reports must be fabrications…

    Illegal Logging
    Industry statistics indicate that Indonesia’s pulp mills processed approximately 50 million m³ of wood during the period 1994/5 to 1998/99. Of that figure, less than 30 million m³ can be accounted for as originating from licensed forest, pulp plantations or imported wood chips. These figures suggest that Indonesian pulp producers may have obtained 20 million m³, or 40 percent of the wood consumed during this period from illegal sources.

    In the 1980s and 1990s Borneo underwent a remarkable transition. Its forests were levelled at a rate unparalled in human history. Borneo’s rainforests went to industrialized countries like Japan and the United States in the form of garden furniture, paper pulp and chopsticks. Initially most of the timber was taken from the Malaysian part of the island in the northern states of Sabah and Sarawak. Later forests in the southern part of Borneo, an area beloging to Indonesia and known as Kalimantan, became the primary source for tropical timber. Today the forests of Borneo are but a shawdow of those of legend.

    Illegal clearing in Acheh
    http://www.orangutans.com.au/

    http://www.ecologyasia.com/news-archives/2001/apr-01/brunet.bn_news_bb_mon_apr30b1.htm

    Minister in aerial swoop on illegal logging
    By Catherine Ong

    Poor control on logging in the rural areas of Sabah has caused loss of time, money and major destruction to environment. The timber is washed out to the sea, but the strong reinforce concrete bridge at Sipitang and Beaufort road blocks the logs going into the sea. It causes the wide river to become narrow. Pic by Akhtar
    SANDAKAN – Some 200 illegally-felled logs have been found near the Deramakot forest reserve, some 70kms from Telupid. The timber believed to have been cut several weeks ago were found together with heavy machinery like tractors and lorries and a makeshift tent, suspected to have been the home of the illegal loggers.

    The discovery was disclosed by Deputy Primary Industries Minister Datuk Anifah Aman, who made an aerial survey at the reserve and spotted the logs.

    With him was Forestry Department director Daniel Khiong who earlier had briefed Anifah on logging activities including illegal ones in Sabah.

    “Based on the briefing given by the director (Daniel) while in the air, we believe there could be more logs left behind in the reserve. This is the work of illegal loggers.

    “I also saw a huge forest clearing and this activity must be stopped,” he told reporters at the Sandakan airport after the trip. Anifah said he has directed Khiong to take immediate action and getting his men to the area and

    bring the culprits to book.

    “The department has been ordered to stop any illegal logging activity in Deramakotwe must get to the bottom of the matter by finding the culprits,” he added.

    According to him, it would not be difficult to trace the loggers since their equipment is still in the vicinity. He is also baffled how such an activity could occur at the fringe of the forest reserve where there are forest rangers patrolling around.

    “What we need to do now is to immediately investigate the matter and get it to the bottom. Everyone must know gravity of illegal logging which is worrying the state government,” he added.

    Deramakot has 55,083 hectares of forest and it comes under the Beluran district. It is a centre for researching tropical forest and commercial felling is carried out using environmental-friendly methods, approved by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITT0).

    Last year, the Forestry Department collected RM100 million from auctioning logs felled in such methods.

    Meanwhile, Anifah said the five-year logging permit issued by the Forestry Department has been identified as one of the weaknesses in checking illegal logging in Sabah.

    The five-year period is deemed too long and it could give rise to the permit holder abusing it by “encroaching into other areas using the permit.”

    Anifah said yesterday the loophole has been identified as one of the weaknesses and “many a time the permit is being abused.

    Such acts can be described as the grey area and loggers will extend their activities into other areas without the knowledge of the government,” he told reporters.

    Opening an area would give rise to logging activities and that includes many illegal ones, he said agreeing to a comment by Forestry Department director Daniel Khiong who said during the briefing that the district office gives approval on land clearing leaving the forest rangers in the dark.

    “When an approval is given to clear land, the forestry department should have been informed about it so that it can check whether timber is being extracted and processed,” he said.

    Anifah also said politicians who wield powers could indirectly encourage their followers to carry out illegal logging and the situation could be worse if the followers are local leaders in a particular area or village.

    “I am not pointing fingers at anyone but based on words of mouth and public information, we know such things are still going on. What is important is for politicians to come together to stop such activity,” Anifah said.

    http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0511-rhett_butler.html

    Borneo’s forests continue to be destroyed at an alarming pace. Recent research by Dr. Lisa Curran suggests that in Western Kalimantan, a state in Indonesian Borneo, “protected” lowland forests decreased by more than 56 percent between 1984 to 2001 while some estimate that most of the island’s rainforests could be felled by 2020. Illegal logging is rampant in the region and agricultural fires burn large tracts of forest every year. Despite pressure from timber interests, the Indonesian government recently moved to slow logging in nearby Betung Kerihun National Park by closing a nearby border crossing which had been used to take the timber into Malaysia. Critics say that the impact of this move will be short-lived and that the government’s campaign is ineffective given its emphasis on cutting off the supply of illegal logs, rather than reducing demand for them. Much of the timber cut from Borneo’s rainforests is illegally smuggled into China as “Malaysian” wood. China’s voracious appetite for wood is fueling illegal logging activities throughout Indonesia and has spurred the development of a major wood processing industry in China. In Indonesia, government and military officials have been implicated in the illegal logging operations but to date, no one has been prosecuted for participating in such activities or accepting bribes.

  4. Jennifer says

    David, I wouldn’t assume that the information you provided was fabricated.
    Warehouses in Brisbane are full of ‘cheap’ hardwood furniture from Indonesia. I know people who buy it, while rallying against an Australian timber industry.