ABC called out for ignoring Lidia Thorpe's strip club outburst

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• By Avi Yemini

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The ABC has come under criticism for not covering the expletive-filled altercation involving Senator Lidia Thorpe outside a strip club.

Despite widespread media coverage, the public broadcaster failed to report on the incident on its digital platforms.

Following inquiries from Sky News, ABC TV briefly mentioned the incident during its Afternoon Briefing program on Tuesday. However, ABC has not responded to requests for comment regarding their lack of coverage.

The public broadcaster has been accused of attempting to "censor" the major political story, sparking debate about biased reporting. One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called out the ABC for remaining "silent" on the story, noting that they have reported on similar incidents involving other politicians.

Why does the ABC website remain silent on Lidia Thorpe’s strip club incident?

Lidia Thorpe is a Senator caught using racially charged, sexually explicit, abusive language outside a strip club, so how can the national broadcaster fail to report this on their website?

The ABC has…

— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) April 18, 2023

In a tweet, Hanson questioned if Thorpe was receiving special treatment and called for the taxpayer-funded ABC to act in a fair and balanced manner.

Sky News host Chris Kenny also criticized the ABC's omission, calling it "astonishing" for a publicly funded broadcaster.

Imagine it was Pauline Hanson who was caught on camera racially abusing and threatening patrons at a strip club.

We wouldn't hear the end of it until she was locked up.

So why is the media giving Lidia Thorpe a free pass?

It must be white privilege.

https://t.co/5oo3wrqXtd

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) April 18, 2023

The issue comes as the ABC faces a decision by Twitter CEO Elon Musk to label it and SBS as "Government-funded media." The broadcaster has pushed back against the designation, maintaining its independence from political and commercial interests.

In the controversial incident, Senator Thorpe was caught on camera in a profanity-laden rant outside Maxine's Gentlemen's Club in Melbourne. Thorpe claimed she was provoked, but CCTV footage appeared to contradict her account.

The Senator has been a controversial figure since entering Parliament in 2018, with various incidents including clashing with police, protesting at the Mardi Gras, and allegedly verbally abusing an indigenous elder at Canberra airport. Thorpe left the Greens party in February to advocate for the "black sovereign movement" in Australia.