An Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) investigation into domestic violence in Christian Churches has drawn criticism from both the ABC’s own media monitor and Catholic leaders. ABC TV’s ‘Media Watch’ presenter Paul Barry said some of the material covered “tarnished” the investigation and headlines the ABC used to sell the story misrepresented important research.

While little or no Australian data was used, the investigation did cite American research from 2007 that said “conservative Protestant men who are irregular church attendees are the most likely to batter their wives”. However, the investigation omitted the conclusion of the research that “Conservative Protestant men who attend church regularly are found to be the least likely group to engage in domestic violence.”

The Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge, condemned the ABC for its coverage.  “It’s time that the ABC took seriously its role to tell the story of the real Australia,” he said. “It should disengage from the group-think that has produced an antagonistic, one-sided narrative about the Catholic Church in this country.”