CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corp. has resigned over allegations that he pressured the independent national broadcaster to fire two political journalists because the government disliked them.
The scandal has damaged the credibility of both the ruling conservative coalition and the ABC, which is government-funded but is required by law to operate independently of party politics.
Media reports alleged this week that ABC chairman Justin Milne had unsuccessfully pressured ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie to fire two senior reporters to prevent potential cuts in government funding.
Milne said he had quit on Thursday for the good of the organization.
