ABC has openly apologized for its poor handeling

On Fallout 3 which was recently mis-handled on their Q&A program.

by XboxOZ360

©2008 Grant Smythe

This has just came to my attention regarding an earlier article we published, and it shows that not all TV stations are the same, and are willing to go back on their reporting if it is proven to be wrong or misleading.

Recently ABC ran a piece on the controversial Fallout 3 on its Q&A Discussion program (which we covered earlier). A member of the public, one Daniel Silk wrote a substantial letter of complaint to the program heads and actually got a response. And one he was hoping to get, rather than the usual run-around many stations give those who complain about their programs.

Here’s an excerpt of the email sent to Daniel from the video article above. Please follow the link at the end to the complete item over at Kotaku.

Thank you for your email. Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in responding to your concerns.

In keeping with our complaint handling procedures, Audience and Consumer Affairs has reviewed the Q & A broadcast of 24 July 2008, assessed it against ABC editorial standards, considered the points you make and, in order to ensure procedural fairness, sought comment from the program team.

With regard to the background information on the game Fallout 3 provided by presenter Tony Jones, we acknowledge your point that the game was refused classification by the Classification Board because of the intravenous drug use, rather than the violence in the game. While Tony Jones mentioned the issue of drug use and violence in his précis of the game, he offered no specifics on why the game was actually refused classification. From our own understanding of the game of Fallout 3, the ABC believes that it is legitimate to mention the violence in the game. Mr Jones did not state that the main purpose of the game was to kill everyone. For your information Fallout 3 was used as it was a topical example of a game that had been refused classification by the Classification Board.

The ABC apologises for the information provided by presenter Tony Jones in the middle of the discussion on gaming and agrees that it may have been confusing and misleading. Mr Jones was aware that a rating system exists for games. He had been briefed on concerns that the current system is inadequate because it does not provide an R rating. But regrettably in the pressure of the program and in attempting to summarise and point to the lack of a comprehensive rating system, Mr Jones erred by stating that there was no ratings system for video games.

As the program is still available online, the program team have put a note on the website at: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s2318124.htm. This note acknowledges that some of the discussion was confusing, admits Tony Jones’s error, explains that a classification system exists and directs readers to the Classification (Publication, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995. In addition, the program team have been reminded of the ABC’s commitment to factual accuracy as elucidated in the ABC’s Code of Practice. For your reference this may be accessed at: http://abc.net.au/corp/pubs/documents/200806_codeofpractice-revised_2008.pdf.

Continues here……

Thanks to the guys over at Kotaku.

©2008 Grant Smythe

Filed under: Console gaming, Editorial, Industry News, Press Release, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 News Tagged: | ABC apologizes, ABC Q&A program, Fallout 3, kotaku, OLFC