ABC Radio host hit with caution over biased tweet

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• By Avi Yemini

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ABC Radio National host Patricia Karvelas has been cautioned for showing bias in a tweet she posted on the night of the federal election in May 21 last year.

In the tweet, Karvelas referred to Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney as a "legend" and stated that she would be the next minister for Indigenous Affairs. The tweet, which remains on Karvelas's Twitter account, has received over 300 retweets and 5,700 likes.

This woman is a legend and looks like she will be the next Indigenous affairs minister #UluruStatement pic.twitter.com/l0UtPZUjLQ

— Patricia Karvelas (@PatsKarvelas) May 21, 2022

The ABC's code of conduct states that employees should not damage the network's reputation for impartiality and independence when using social media.

However, ABC's Managing Director David Anderson stated in a Senate Estimates hearing in November that he did not believe the post breached the code.

The ABC has confirmed that they cautioned Karvelas, but due to privacy considerations, did not disclose the details of the confidential staff review of the investigation.

Senator Sarah Henderson criticized the ABC's response, questioning whether the network agreed with Anderson's evidence.

She stated that the ABC was attempting to cover up the incident and if there was no issue with Karvelas's tweet, as Anderson claimed, then why was she cautioned.

In 2021, the ABC issued a warning to its staff regarding the use of social media after several defamation cases involving senior journalists.