Quarterly Summary: 1 April to 30 June 2010
This report provides information about audience contacts finalised by ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs and reviews completed by the ABC’s Complaints Review Executive between 1 April and 30 June 2010.
Audience and Consumer Affairs plays two distinct roles in responding to audience complaints. Where a written complaint suggests that the ABC may have breached its Editorial Policies or Code of Practice, Audience and Consumer Affairs will investigate the complaint and determine whether ABC editorial standards have been met. In cases where these standards have not been met, the complaint will be upheld (either fully or in part) and details published on our website. Audience and Consumer Affairs also provides an audience liaison service for complaints which do not relate to editorial standards, such as matters of personal taste and preference. These complaints can include scheduling issues, preferences for different presenters, and so on. This report includes complaints in both of the categories described above.
This report outlines:
the overall composition of contacts finalised;
the timeliness of responses;
the subject matter of complaints finalised; and
the number of complaints upheld.
Summary details of all complaints upheld by ABC Audience and Consumer Affairs and all reviews finalised by the Complaints Review Executive during this period are available at http://about.abc.net.au/talk-to-the-abc/feedback-and-enquiries/upheld-complaints/ and You can also read some of our recent responses to complaints and enquiries here - http://about.abc.net.au/topics/.
1. Overview of contacts finalised: how many and how did we deal with them?
Overall there were 10,143 written contacts finalised during this period. Of these, complaints made up 42% of contacts with 4,214 complaints (comprising 4,259 issues).
Table 1: Written contacts finalised.
Audience and Consumer Affairs provided a personal response to 2,421 of these 4,214 complaints. 992 complaint contacts were referred to other areas of the Corporation for direct response, thirteen complaint contacts were handled by the Complaints Review Executive (CRE) and no substantive response was required for 788 complaint contacts.
Type of Contact Email Letter/Fax Other Total % of
Total
Complaint 3883 328 3 4214 42%
Appreciation / Request / Suggestion 5256 150 3 5409 53%
Other 470 48 2 520 5%
Grand Total 9609 526 8 10143 100%
2. Timeliness of responses
Audience and Consumer Affairs seeks to respond to all contacts as quickly as possible, and aims to respond to all contacts within 28 days of receipt, in accordance with the timeliness standard for complaint handling that is specified in the ABC’s Editorial Policies. Due to the large volume of correspondence we receive, and the complex nature of some complaints and enquiries, responses may at times take longer than 28 days.
During the April-June quarter, the majority of our responses were provided within the specified 28 day period.
Table 2: Timeliness of responses provided by Audience and Consumer Affairs.
Type of contact Average response time % of responses provided within 28 days
Complaints 19 days 77%
All contacts 23 days 71%
3. Subject matter of complaints finalised
A single contact to the ABC can raise more than one issue. We aim to categorise each significant issue raised in the complaints we receive. The following table counts the number of issues raised in complaints contacts finalised by Audience and Consumer Affairs during the quarter, and shows how they were dealt with and their outcomes. The table also includes complaints reviewed by the CRE.
Report published 20 August 2010.
Table 3: Topics of complaint issues finalised.
4. Complaint outcomes
1,151 complaint issues were investigated by the Audience and Consumer Affairs
Investigations team. Of these, 106 issues (81 contacts) were upheld either fully or partially.
In each case where a complaint is upheld Audience and Consumer Affairs provides a written response to the complainant acknowledging the error. Details of each upheld complaint are also published in summary form on our website. Where appropriate, additional action is taken to rectify the mistake and/or ensure that the problem does not recur. Actions taken in response to upheld complaints can include the following: written apologies to
complainants; on-air corrections and apologies; counselling or reprimanding of staff;
amending programs for future broadcasts; and reviews of and improvements to procedures.
On occasion, a complaint may be upheld for more than one reason. Where possible, the corrective action taken is reported in the online summary of the upheld complaint.
Category Topic Sub topic
Audience preferences Quality - general N/A 102 33
Scheduling / program changes Change of format 60 37
Change of timeslot 23 21
Discontinuation of program 211 175
Interruption to regular schedule 77 50
Other 121 101
Too many repeats 42 35
Subtotal 636 452
Broadcast standards Inappropriate content Bad example 62 42 22
Bad language / profanity / swearing 25 13 12 2 16.7%
Drugs / smoking / alcohol 3 3 1
Nudity 11 11 10
Offence to religious feeling 44 41 34
Other 68 46 30
Poor taste 24 14 11
Sex and sexuality 52 45 34 1 2.9%
Violence 40 34 27 4 14.8%
Intrusiveness / invasion of privacy N/A 18 15 15 1 6.7%
News values / news content Not enough coverage 125 19 3
Other 70 11 2
Placement in bulletin 19 1
Too much coverage 63 6 1
Promotions - ABC programs and products Not as advertised / misleading / inconsistent 35 28 7 1 14.3%
Other 19 14 1
Too few promotions 6 4 1
Too many promotions 47 33
Too intrusive 8 8 1
Too revealing 2 2
Sensitivity and portrayal N/A 8 4 2
Standards of interviewing Other 17
Poor context / research / background 43 15 4
Too easy on guest 15 7 4
Too tough / aggressive / rude to guest 77 23 19
Standards of presentation Language - poor terminology / misuse of word 41 5 Language - pronunciation / grammar / spelling 128 19
Other 240 109
Personal presentation 118 11
Program presentation / set design / camera work 37 20 Sound quality / voiceovers / background music 55 28
Unfair treatment Denigration 1 1 1
Subtotal 1521 632 242 9 3.7%
Corporate / Infrastructure Captions N/A 27 25
Customer service / complaints handling N/A 169 124 65 14 21.5%
Internet - technical difficulties N/A 241 17 1
Management issues N/A 175 121 6
Transmission N/A 159 13
Subtotal 771 300 72 14 19.4%
Balance N/A 188 160 126 9 7.1%
Bias Anti-government 82 72 52
Anti-opposition 30 25 24
Other 298 243 177 1 0.6%
Other political 12 11 8
Pro ALP 52 45 34
Pro Coalition 50 43 23
Pro-government 35 24 18
Pro-opposition 6 5 3
Factual inaccuracy N/A 304 248 217 67 30.9%
Failure to disclose N/A 15 12 11 4 36.4%
Incidental advertising - Non ABC products / logos N/A 31 19 17 1 5.9%
Unfair treatment Denigration 40 30 27
Discrimination 9 9 7 1 14.3%
Other 33 19 11
Racism 123 104 78
Sexism 7 5 4
Subtotal 1315 1074 837 83 9.9%
Other Other N/A 16 7
Subtotal 16 7
Grand Total 4259 2465 1151 106 9.2%
Total issues upheld
% of investigated
complaints upheld Total
issues closed
Issues responded
to by ACA Issues investigated
by ACA
Fairness, accuracy &
independence
