The ABC’s long-running, and at times controversial science show, Catalyst, has been given the axe
The ABC’s long-running, and at times controversial science show, Catalyst, has been given the axe, with nine staffers being made redundant.
ABC management said the weekly, 30 minute magazine-style format was no longer meeting the “needs and realities of a changing market”. The broadcaster’s science content will be replaced by 17 hour-long documentaries, to be created mainly by independent production houses.
Catalyst had previously made headlines for the wrong reasons, including airing two programs that were subsequently judged to have breached the ABC’s impartiality guidelines.
One program gave prominence to unorthodox views questioning the value of diets low in saturated and trans fats, while a second episode drew widespread condemnation for emphasising the views of researchers who claimed statins caused side effects that outweighed their benefits.
Another show on the alleged dangers of Wi-Fi was found to be in breach of ABC editorial policies on accuracy and impartiality and resulted in reporter Maryanne Demasi, who also presented the statins episode, being suspended from on-air assignments.
The decision, however, has prompted fears that science reporting was being “dumbed down” by the ABC.
“While I understand the need for change in how Catalyst is produced, I am yet to be convinced about the solution the ABC has come up with,” Dr Susannah Eliot, CEO of the Australian Science Media Centre said. “I am concerned that the long-form documentary style will make it much harder to respond to topical issues that the public cares about.”
