ABC embroiled in RMIT foreign-funded fact checking scandal as pressure mounts for the national broadcaster to cut ties with the university

Australia’s national broadcaster has become embroiled in RMIT’s foreign-funded fact checking scandal with a prominent Senator calling for a review into the ABC’s partnership with the university.

RMIT FactLab was sensationally locked out of Facebook’s internal system yesterday after a Sky News Australia investigation, dubbed The Fact Check Files, exposed flagrant violations of strict impartiality rules established by the tech giant.

Meta had been paying RMIT up to $740,000 a year for its fact checking service but after Sky News exposed the impartiality breaches and revealed RMIT was operating on expired fact checking credentials, the partnership was suspended.

A key factor in Meta’s decision to axe the partnership were revelations the RMIT fact checking director Russell Skelton had been campaigning for the Voice on social media while his team fact checked that same sort of content.

The ABC has a formal “partnership” with RMIT University and taxpayer funds go towards producing fact checks for a body called RMIT ABC Fact Check.

Mr Skelton runs both RMIT ABC Fact Check and RMIT FactLab.

Sky News can now reveal the ABC-affiliated operation, which promotes itself as a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s code of principles, also has expired fact checking credentials, and has been expired since September last year. The ABC’s operation is one of 53 fact checking bodies across the world with expired credentials.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson – who chairs the powerful intelligence and security Senate committee  – has written a stern letter to ABC Managing Director David Anderson asking for a review into the partnership.

“I am writing to ask you to reconsider the ABC’s relationship with the RMIT FactLab following Meta’s recent decision to end its relationship with them as a fact checking partner,” Mr Paterson said.

“In light of these revelations, I am not confident that RMIT FactLab is capable of acquitting its fact checking functions accurately and dispassionately.

“If Meta no longer believes RMIT can capably moderate content on Facebook, it is reasonable to question whether FactLab is equipped to adjudicate discourse on any other issue.

“Given this, I encourage you to review the ABC’s relationship with RMIT and apply due diligence to ensure taxpayer dollars are not going to an organisation deemed incapable of providing objective fact checking services to other platforms.”

Sky News is not suggesting the ABC was involved in censoring Australian journalism through Facebook’s fact checking operation.

The two bodies are separate but Mr Skelton’s involvement in the ABC operation raises questions about the integrity of RMIT ABC Fact Check.

After Sky News Australia published The Fact Check Files, RMIT began scrubbed information from its website which could indirectly link RMIT FactLab to the ABC.

For example, sentences which stated both operations worked “hand in hand” to produce fact checks. That phrase has since disappeared from the university website, but Sky News has documented the original wording.

Sky News is not suggesting the ABC used foreign funds to produce fact checks against Australians, only that the RMIT claimed resourcing was linked.

When the ABC’s communication bosses Nick Leys and Sally Jackson were asked whether Skelton’s position at the helm of RMIT ABC Fact Check was tenable, no response was given.

While Meta was responsible for payments to the RMIT, the tech giant did not endorse any effort to unduly target one side of the referendum debate.

That allegation played a major factor in Meta’s decision to suspend RMIT Factlab from its internal systems.

RMIT has repeatedly defended its operation and claims it is compliant with the International Fact Checking Network Code of Principles, even though its credentials have been expired for more than 8 months.

“RMIT FactLab stands by the accuracy of its work to date and remains dedicated to slowing the spread of viral misinformation and disinformation through its fact checks,” a university spokeswoman said.