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ABC Chief Hugh Marks Calls for Bolder Reporting, Unveils 2026 Content Expansion

His National Press Club address sets a course to move the ABC from defensiveness to swift accountability.

Overview

  • Marks urged staff to stop second‑guessing their work, focus on journalism, and correct errors quickly before moving on.
  • He rejected attempts to equate ABC coverage with the BBC’s admitted errors on Donald Trump’s January 6 speech, calling the comparison opportunistic and false.
  • He said investigations must follow rigorous processes, citing lessons from the Antoinette Lattouf case and the ongoing Mahmood Fazal probe without giving a completion date.
  • The ABC plans to lift primetime premium shows from 43 to 60 in 2026 and expand podcasting, vodcasting, and short‑form video to reach younger audiences.
  • Marks flagged better capture of program IP value, described Bluey’s BBC‑held revenues as a lost opportunity, offered free digital news to local and rural outlets during major events, urged tech platforms to honor their social licence, and declined to publicly push for more funding.