While the Indian-Australian Hindu community is mourning the loss of pilgrims to one of the most visited temples in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the state-controlled and taxpayer-funded ABC is busy running divisive propaganda. Taxpayers deserve facts, not propaganda — it’s Jammu and Kashmir, and anything less is a betrayal of public trust.
It would be elementary to point out that Australia’s taxpayers, including thousands of hardworking Indian-origin families, expect their national broadcaster to meet the highest standards of journalism. That is why ABC’s recent story headlined “At least 30 people killed in landslides and floods in India-controlled Kashmir” is both disappointing and unacceptable.
The region is called Jammu and Kashmir — a Union Territory of India. To label it “India-controlled Kashmir” is not only factually wrong, but also plays into a distorted narrative that undermines India’s sovereignty and the reality on the ground. Such terminology echoes propaganda lines rather than responsible journalism.
One must ask: how did this lapse escape basic editorial checks? Even if the piece was sourced from international news wires, ABC editors have a duty to fact-check and ensure accuracy before publication. This is not an isolated slip of the pen; it reflects a troubling decline in ABC’s editorial rigour, particularly when reporting on India and the Indian subcontinent.
For a publicly funded broadcaster, such mediocrity is indefensible. ABC’s funding comes not from abstract coffers, but from the contributions of Australians — including a large and growing Indian diaspora. When their identity, homeland and history are misrepresented, it alienates communities and erodes trust in public media.
It is time for Indian-Australians to voice their concerns clearly and formally. The ABC Board, the Office of the Media Ombudsman, the Minister for Communications, and ultimately the Prime Minister must be reminded that taxpayers will not tolerate biased or sloppy reporting under the guise of journalism.
Accuracy and fairness are not optional extras; they are the bedrock of journalism. If ABC cannot maintain these, then it risks losing the credibility that distinguishes a public broadcaster from mere opinion outlets.
The tragedy in Jammu and Kashmir — where dozens of lives were lost to landslides and floods — deserved sensitive, factual reporting. Instead, ABC diminished the gravity of the story with its careless framing. The people of Australia, and especially Indian-origin taxpayers, deserve much better.
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