Australian Envoy Seeks Oversight of Israel Coverage

Australia's antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal told a royal commission Thursday that public broadcasters ABC and SBS should face independent oversight of their Israel and Middle East coverage. Segal cited a common Jewish-community perception that coverage has lacked balance, focused disproportionately on Gaza and amplified anti-Israel perspectives, arguing that existing complaint and correction systems were insufficient. ABC and SBS executives rejected a new outside body and defended existing ombudsman and regulator processes. The hearing also revisited an ABC report that repeated an inaccurate U.N. claim about Gaza infant deaths, with ABC acknowledging the error while disputing the need for external control.