ABC says nothing to see here after senator lines up with News Corp over Iran war coverage | Weekly Beast

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, backed by Sky News, demands the ABC ‘shut down’ John Lyons for his analysis. Plus: pity the Mail’s Jackie O reporter Want to get this in your inbox every Friday? Sign up for the Weekly Beast media newsletter here When it comes to waging war on the ABC there are no stronger comrades in arms than the Liberal senator Sarah Henderson and News Corp outlets. The mutually reinforcing views of the journalist turned politician and the Murdoch press are uncanny. Henderson’s call for the ABC’s managing director, Hugh Marks, to “shut down” the Americas editor, John Lyons, over his live analysis on the ABC News channel of the Australian government’s response to the US and Israel launching airstrikes on Iran is a case in point. Last Friday the ABC ombudsman handed down the results of its investigation into Lyons’ analysis, noting that her office had received a “campaign of 103 identical complaints” and 21 distinct complaints about it. This month Henderson’s criticism of Lyons’ “unsavoury commentary” was reported by The Australian, followed by Sky News Australia, and Sharri Markson declared it was time to “bring an end to his tenure”. The Victorian senator – who w