ABC Ombudsman finds no material breach in network’s handling of Herzog visit

The ABC’s internal watchdog has found no breach of editorial standards in the broadcaster’s coverage of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia, rejecting claims that its reporting was unbalanced or misleading.

In a report published on 18 February 2026, ABC Ombudsman Fiona Cameron said her office had received 19 complaints relating to 14 separate items of content aired or published between 30 January and 12 February 2026, the period spanning Mr Herzog’s visit.

The complaints covered a wide range of programming, including radio interviews, opinion pieces, television reports, a live blog, panel discussions and an Instagram reel. Among the items cited were coverage on The World Today, Radio National Breakfast, Insiders, 7.30 and the ABC NEWS channel, as well as two opinion articles on the ABC’s Religion and Ethics portal.

Complainants objected to what they described as the “platforming” of certain interviewees and writers, arguing their perspectives were not sufficiently balanced by opposing views. Others claimed some statements were inaccurate or lacked context, particularly in relation to Jewish community support for the visit and past comments by Mr Herzog that have been referenced in proceedings before the International Court of Justice and by a UN Commission of Inquiry examining genocide allegations against Israel.

The Ombudsman also noted additional complaints about how protests against the visit were portrayed. Roughly half of those complainants argued protesters were unfairly depicted as a violent mob, while others contended they were presented too sympathetically as peaceful citizens.

Cameron assessed the coverage against two key editorial standards. Standard 2.2 requires the ABC not to present factual content in a way that materially misleads audiences. Standard 4.2 requires the broadcaster to present a diversity of perspectives within a reasonable timeframe so that no significant strand of thought is knowingly excluded or disproportionately represented.

The report acknowledged that Mr Herzog’s visit was contentious. While the stated purpose of inviting him was to provide comfort to Jewish Australians mourning the victims of the Bondi terrorist attack, Cameron noted that “there are differences of opinion as to its merit and appropriateness, including among Jewish Australians, State and Federal parliamentarians and the broader community”.

The Ombudsman said the ABC faced both an obligation and a challenge to present a broad range of often polarised views in a short period. She found that this had been done across the broadcaster’s platforms.

In some cases, opposing perspectives were aired in separate programs on consecutive days. For example, Chris Sidoti, a member of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, appeared on the ABC NEWS channel arguing Mr Herzog should be arrested and investigated for alleged war crimes. The following day, Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, rejected suggestions that Mr Herzog had incited genocide and dismissed allegations that Israel is committing genocide or withholding aid from Palestinians.

Other programs included contrasting voices within a single broadcast. The World Today featured Sarah Schwartz of the Jewish Council of Australia, Colin Rubenstein and a spokesperson from the Palestine Action Group. Radio National Breakfast hosted a discussion between Sarah Schwartz and Lillian Kline, co-founder of Project A, a Jewish community group formed after the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel.

The report also highlighted the inclusion of perspectives from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Labor MPs Ed Husic and Josh Burns, Liberal MP Julian Leeser, Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, former Israeli diplomat Alon Liel and former Jerusalem correspondent Irris Makler.

On the question of Jewish community support, the Ombudsman found it was appropriate to report the position of the Jewish Council of Australia, which publicly opposed the visit, participated in a legal challenge and published an open letter signed by Jewish Australians objecting to Mr Herzog’s presence. She noted that supporters of the visit were also given airtime, including Jeremy Leibler of the Zionist Federation of Australia, who had urged the Prime Minister to extend the invitation.

Several complaints centred on whether the ABC had sufficiently addressed Mr Herzog’s past comments, which have been cited in international legal forums. The Ombudsman found that the issue was discussed in numerous items with varying levels of detail depending on the editorial focus. In many cases, the coverage included Mr Herzog’s clarification that his remarks had been taken out of context and noted that Israel denies allegations of genocide.

After reviewing the specific complaints alongside the broader spectrum of coverage, Cameron concluded that relevant and appropriate context had been provided and that the ABC had met its obligations to present a diversity of views and did not breach the ABC’s editorial standards.