Tony Armstrong called out by Media Watch for "moonlighting"
The ABC has taken aim at one of their own, with Media Watch calling out popular presenter Tony Armstrong over his new "moonlighting" gig.
On Monday night, Media Watch host Janine Perrett said she was "stunned" Armstrong had failed to get the all-clear from network bosses before he became the voice of NRMA Insurance.
As the ABC is taxpayer funded, staff of the public broadcaster - particular ones with a high profile - are discouraged from appearing in private advertisements.
While Armstrong announced he would be leaving his role with ABC News Breakfast, he still has other projects with the network.
“It’s a shame this moonlighting at the expense of the ABC’s integrity is what we’re talking about in his final week on News Breakfast,” Perrett said.
“Tony’s arguably one of the ABCs biggest stars,” she added. “He’s not only on the breakfast TV couch, he’s appeared at night on a new sports show, he’s one of many appearing in ABC News promos and is the face of a new five part series."
“So we were stunned when we got confirmation that Tony was selling an insurance company as well”.
The NRMA ads, which Armstrong voiced but does not physically appear in, have been on TV since July, and often appearing in Channel Nine's Olympics broadcasts.
Perrett said that Media Watch had asked the ABC if it knew of Armstrong’s work for NRMA Insurance and if he had been given approval to voice the ads.
“Astonishingly, he did not,” she said.
In a statement to the program, the ABC said the voiceover was done without its knowledge and added this was due to a “misunderstanding,” with Armstrong’s representatives external to the ABC.
“A misunderstanding?” said Perrett.
“How any ABC reporter could voice a commercial for one of the biggest brands in Australia and not think that is a conflict, is beyond us."
“If this is not a breach of the guidelines on external work, which says you must seek approval from above, we don’t know what is”.
While ABC’s editorial guidelines do not outright ban staff from doing commercial work but it asks them to “quantify the risk” of doing so, while also demanding the staff "seek approval from their manager".
Media Watch reached out to Tony Armstrong for an explanation, but he did not comment on the private ads.
Image credits: ABC