Friends of the ABC have asked that Professor Flint stand aside from the ABA inquiry into complaints from the former Minister for Communications, Mr Richard Alston.

We do so on a number of grounds:

• As Minister Richard Alston took a key role in Professor Flint's appointment.
• Professor Flint has been a vocal supporter of Australia's involvement in the Iraq war, an issue central to Mr Alston's complaint.
• Professor Flint in his book The Twilight of the Elites has been highly critical of the ABC, suggesting that it is biased against the federal government.

In view of the above the impartiality of an investigation into Mr Alston's complaints in which Professor Flint took a key role would be open to question.

In defence of Professor Flint it has been suggested that while he has been critical of some individual ABC programs, and some individual ABC presenters, he has not shown hostility to the ABC overall.

We do not believe that a close reading of the The Twilight of the Elites supports this view.

In the index of The Twilight of the Elites Professor Flink lists 16 references to the ABC.

Of these five mentions simply refer to an ABC program in passing as the source of some information. In the same way several newspapers are also acknowledged as sources. To read these references to the ABC click on achnowledgements.

Of the remaining comments on the ABC all are critical of the ABC. To read the most obvious  click on critical.

Finally, there are two comments which at first glance might appear favourable to the ABC. In once sense they are favourable to the ABC, but not the ABC that is under investigation by the ABA. Both of these comments refer to the the ABC of twenty odd years ago. To read these comments click on Good Old Days.

Please read these excerpts and decide for yourself. Check through his book to confirm that we have accurately reproduced all his comments about the ABC.

In the entire book, running to 250 pages we have not been able to find one positive comment on the present day ABC. On the basis of what we have read we believe that Professor Flint has a strong antipathy to the present day ABC.