Claims of ABC bias against Israel in its reporting of current Middle East conflicts defy the truth and the professional and impartial tradition of ABC staff reporters.

The recent appearance of Special Envoy Jillian Segal AO at the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has sparked another spate of headlines and social media claiming the ABC and SBS are biased in their coverage of Israel and Palestine and that the public broadcasters are perceived by many in Australia’s Jewish community of fostering antisemitism in Australia.

Is this a fair assessment of ABC and SBS reporting and analysis since the Hamas attack on Israelis on October 7 2023?

Now living in tents, desperate for adequate food and water and medical attention because their homes and hospitals have been destroyed by the Israeli military, Palestinians are enduring an endless siege. Israel bans international reporters from Gaza except for occasional and quick military-escorted trips. The ABC and all serious news organisations have sought to provide some coverage of daily life and death in Gaza but this allows only a very limited view of the suffering there.

Jillian Segal AO, the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, argued at the Royal Commission that the ABC and SBS devote too much time and give too much prominence to reporting and commentary on the Gaza war. Moreover, that because some news, current affairs and other programs and online content include criticism of Israel’s actions, there is a “conflation” such that Australian Jews face increased antisemitism.

The first proposition about coverage seems absurd and demonstrates that Ms Segal, along with many Australian politicians, ignores the statutory independence of Australia’s public broadcasters. The ABC’s responsibility and that of SBS is to........

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