Tuesday, January 17, 2012

OK, it's time to come back from holiday


What's happened to the transcript of the ABC Radio National's Health Report story by Kathy Gollan about the "autie" autobiographer Donna Williams from 1996? This most interesting and controversial investigative journalism report has been available from the Radio National website for many years, then some time before Christmas last some older radio show transcripts disappeared from the Radio National's website, including this one, possibly in connection with a website revamp. One of those transcripts has re-appeared, but not the transcript of the report about Donna Williams, which calls into question whether she really is on the autistic spectrum, with suggestions from people who knew her a very long time ago that her autism was an act. It's a good thing that the Internet Archive Wayback Machine still has copies of the report, but I'm a bit troubled by the idea that Australia's public broadcaster might have self-censored it's own journalism.

Autism - a special report by Kathy Gollan
Health Report.
29th July 1996
ABC Radio National.
http://wayback.archive.org/web/20100130141653*/http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/hstories/hr290796.htm


Postscript August 2012

It appears that this story is still missing from the ABC Radio National's website. The website of The Health Report, hosted by Dr Norman Swan, gives access to info about stories going all the way back to the year 1997, but no further it appears. The most interesting story about the controversial Australian Donna Williams was once accessible from the website of The Health Report, but no more. Could I have my 8 cents a day back again, please?

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