Just a few weeks in the past, a big majority of his colleagues within the ORF’s highest committee had written to him urging him to chorus from making statements that had been damaging to the corporate and disparaging in regards to the ORF. On Wednesday, the board of trustees appointed by the FPÖ went even additional. The ORF had “fully misplaced its thoughts” in latest weeks and was conducting a “systematic, complete marketing campaign” in opposition to the FPÖ.
At a press convention, Westenthaler described himself as a controller, as a “consultant and voice” of the ORF viewers. His imaginative and prescient is a greater ORF. To make it clear that he takes his management operate significantly, he has now put 9 objects on the agenda for the subsequent ORF Basis Council assembly subsequent week. “Will probably be an extended assembly,” stated Westenthaler, as he had stated within the run-up to the March assembly, which mustn’t final for much longer than traditional.
Family tax is “not authorized”
He needs the ORF committee to cope with the ORF family levy, which he considers “unlawful” and “fully misplaced”. Westenthaler described it as “unbelievable” that the ORF apparently receives the ORF contribution from 180,000 fewer households than the legislator had predicted. “What sort of amateurs are there in authorities and the ORF?” he requested himself. He described the ORF’s just lately put in code of ethics with guidelines for secondary employment and social media presence as a “paper tiger”. Not one of the ORF workers adhere to it. He noticed the ORF discuss reveals in disaster. And the ORF’s tender for scientific election monitoring after the top of the cooperation with SORA was tailor-made to the successor institute “Foresight”. He additionally accused the general public media home of influencing the EU election, which was evident in numerous “derailments” within the reporting.
Prior to now, Westenthaler accused the ORF of “party-political agitation”. When requested whether or not he himself was now partaking in party-political agitation – solely within the pursuits of the FPÖ – Westenthaler denied this. He would additionally criticize injustices in opposition to the SPÖ or the Greens. However there merely are not any. “There isn’t a equidistance within the ORF, solely in the direction of the FPÖ within the sense of opposition,” Westenthaler stated with conviction.
“Legally unattainable” to take away a basis board
He doesn’t imagine that he may very well be faraway from his place as a member of the ORF board of trustees. Within the case of the ORF, it’s “legally unattainable” to take away a member of the board of trustees. “Except he’s absent with out excuse 3 times,” stated Westenthaler. A comparability with firm regulation, the place the elimination of supervisory board members is feasible, shouldn’t be permissible, he stated. It is because such a elimination requires a basic assembly, which doesn’t exist within the case of the ORF.
Westenthaler acquired assist from FPÖ media spokesman Christian Hafenecker. He additionally noticed the ORF “within the election marketing campaign in opposition to the FPÖ”. “If we complain that the inhabitants is turning into increasingly polarized, then it’s the ORF’s rattling obligation to return to seriousness,” he stated, urging an ORF reform.
“It’s not impartial media that report freely and objectively which have thrown their decency overboard and contributed to the division of society, however the Kickl-FPÖ,” stated SPÖ federal supervisor Klaus Seltenheim in a press launch in response to Hafenecker’s statements. The FPÖ needs to maintain impartial media on a brief leash, whereas it itself spreads “disinformation in its postings and movies on numerous channels.”
