ABC CRITICISED:

The head of Australia’s communications and media watchdog has defended that body’s decision to criticise the Australian Broadcasting Corporation over using the word “mob” to describe the attacks on the US Capitol Building on 6 January last year.

Ms Creina Chapman, Deputy Chair and CEO of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) used a rare appearance on Sky News After Dark to defend its criticism of the national broadcaster.

To nods and “hear! hears!” from SkyNews panellists Paul Murray, Rowan Dean and Joe Hildebrand, Ms Chapman (pictured at top) said the word “mob” was such a powerful and emotive word and as such was one an impartial, fair-minded and balanced ABC should not have used.

Ms Chapman is a former senior adviser to Joe Hockey, worked for Tony Abbott and the Nine network and is a former managing director of News Corp corporate affairs.

ACMA recently released its judgement on a complaint lodged by Fox News over the ABC Four Corners report Fox and the Big Lie presented by award-winning journalist Sarah Ferguson.

The segment examined what it claimed was Fox News’ role in legitimising the conspiracy pushed by President Trump and his advisors that the election was stolen, including via a communist plot to manipulate US voting machines, switching Trump votes to Democrat candidate Joe Biden.

While the ACMA rejected most of Fox News’s complaints, it did make three findings that the ABC had consistently disagreed with during the course of the ACMA’s investigation.

ABC management and Ms Ferguson have been particularly angered by ACMA’s criticism of the program’s use of the word “mob” to describe the January 6 rioters, calling it emotive and strident language.

In her TV appearance overnight, Ms Chapman said it was ludicrous to describe those who attended the Capitol building that day as a mob.

“The definition of ‘mob’ is a large group of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on causing trouble or violence and that’s clearly not what happened in Washington that day!”

Her comment brought this spirited exchange on the SkyNews set.

Murray: What would you call them then, Creina?

Chapman: Patriots, I think. That’s probably the best.

Dean: Freedom fighters too? They were understandably very upset at the way the election was stolen from them.

Chapman. That too, of course.

Hildebrand: Trumpists?

Chapman: You can’t get a more loyal or patriotic mob than that for a man robbed of a well-deserved second term!

Dean: You mean group?

Chapman. Sorry, yes, of course. Group. Didn’t I say group? I’m sure I said group.