Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

A brand new analysis reveals major bias in gender identity coverage at ABC News, showing a gap between the national broadcaster’s reporting and the journalistic standards expected by the Australian public.

A new independent study has raised serious questions about the impartiality of the ABC’s reporting on gender identity issues, revealing a significant left-leaning bias in the national broadcaster’s news content over the past five years.

Conducted by Phillip Dye, a former lecturer in media and communication at the University of Technology Sydney, the analysis examined 70 ABC News articles on transgender and gender identity topics.

Using the US-based AllSides Media Bias tool — a widely used and independently developed method for analysing media bias — Dye’s study found an average rating of -1.72 on the bias scale, indicating a consistent left-leaning skew.

“The public expect news articles to take an unbiased and objective approach as outlined in the ABC Charter,” the report noted. “This bias in news reporting is inconsistent with ABC policy and risks public distrust in the national broadcaster.”

The study, submitted to the ABC Ombudsman on 23 June 2025, includes specific recommendations. It urges the ABC Board to immediately resign from any external partnerships or alliances that may compromise journalistic objectivity — particularly naming ACON’s Pride Inclusion Programs and the Australian Workplace Equality Index as sources of potential influence.

According to Dye, such affiliations present an unavoidable conflict with the ABC’s obligation to provide impartial news, as required by both its Charter and the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.

For Dye, who founded The Declaration of Biological Truth Australia, the issue is not about limiting free speech but safeguarding objectivity in publicly funded journalism.

“Australians deserve quality objective journalism from their national broadcaster, Phillip Dye told The Daily Declaration. “To get spin and one-sided slanted opinion disguised as news is a breach of the ABC Charter and national trust.”

ABC’s One-Sided Narrative Under Scrutiny

The AllSides tool, which has been adopted in academic settings internationally, flagged numerous examples of what it describes as “opinion statements presented as fact,” “bias by omission,” and “subjective qualifying adjectives.”

These markers were consistent across the majority of articles analysed, with only three of the 70 assessed articles receiving a neutral (0.0) bias rating. The most extreme rating registered was -5.0, described as strongly left-leaning.

Among the 540 gender identity-related articles published by ABC News between January 2020 and June 2025, Dye randomly selected 70 for closer scrutiny. The selection process intentionally excluded all opinion pieces, audio content, and video material to maintain strict focus on written reporting presented to the public as objective news.

Notably, the report highlighted a troubling pattern in the sheer volume of articles: with only 0.9% of Australians identifying as “gender diverse,” the fact that over 500 articles were published on the topic within five years suggests a disproportionate editorial focus.

Only one of these articles, Dye observed, discussed the internationally significant Cass Review — a comprehensive UK report that raised concerns about the safety and ethics of so-called “gender-affirming” treatments for children.

In the wake of the Cass Review, over 100 Australian clinicians have called for a halt to puberty blockers, hormones, and surgeries for youth, citing serious risks and lack of evidence for these interventions.

Separately, more than 100 prominent Australians — including former PM Tony Abbott — have urged the Prime Minister to launch an urgent public inquiry into child gender transitions, warning of a potential public health crisis linked to current medical practices, also citing the Cass Review.

Notably, ABC News has not reported on either development.

Three Steps to Restore Trust at the ABC

Phillip Dye’s study puts forward three key actions aimed at restoring public confidence in the ABC’s reporting integrity:

• Reclassification of Biased Articles: All news articles identified as containing opinion, spin, or omission should be moved to an explicitly marked ‘Opinion’ section on the ABC’s website.
• Withdrawal from Advocacy Partnerships: The ABC should immediately terminate membership in any external programs that may be perceived to influence news content, particularly those promoting contentious gender ideologies.
• Mandatory Anti-Bias Training: Newsroom staff and management should undergo formal training to align reporting standards with the ABC Charter, which demands “accuracy and impartiality according to the recognised standards of objective journalism.”

The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 further obliges ABC staff — as Commonwealth employees — to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure that their actions do not benefit specific causes or individuals.

For Dye, these recommendations are the bare minimum needed to restore trust in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“When news from the national broadcaster is driven by idealism rather than reality we no longer live in a democracy,” he told The Daily Declaration. “What we’re seeing is a social change agenda driven by a hijacked ABC News division.

“The ABC Board is either asleep at the wheel or complicit. Justin Stevens and his entire news management team must go.”

Bias Claims Deepen at ABC

Further concerns over bias at ABC News were raised in a recent Sky News exposé, also reported on by The Daily Declaration. FOI disclosures revealed the ABC’s covert “50:50 Equality Project” that requires journalists to log the gender, race, disability status, and Indigenous background of interview subjects to meet internal diversity benchmarks.

The identity metrics are tracked in newsroom databases and discussed in editorial meetings — prompting accusations that ABC’s reporting is being shaped by ideological targets rather than journalistic standards.

The Daily Declaration also recently reported that ABC News dedicated months of coverage to Kilmar Abrego Garcia — an alleged MS-13 gang member and human trafficker — portraying him as a victim of injustice.

Despite US federal charges and deportation orders citing national security threats, ABC reports repeatedly downplayed Garcia’s background, describing him as “wrongly deported” and omitting key details about his alleged criminal ties.

The Daily Declaration contacted the ABC for comment on the Dye study but did not receive a response by publication time.

The ABC Ombudsman is expected to review the submission in the coming weeks.

Update, 8th July, 2025: In response to the study, the ABC Ombudsman stated that “broader editorial decision making does not fall within our remit,” despite earlier correspondence explaining that “our role is to review and, where appropriate, investigate complaints about ABC content concerning the ABC’s editorial standards”. Phillip Dye plans to escalate the issue directly to the ABC Board and Editorial Director, with the Commonwealth Ombudsman as a potential next step, and will keep The Daily Declaration informed.

___

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.