ABC changing editorial policy after Rinehart furore prompts concerns of overreach from academics and advocates

Managing director says guidelines will ensure no individual will ‘be the subject of comedy that is violent in its description in our programming’

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A pledge by the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, to change editorial guidelines on satire and violence after the broadcaster aired a program featuring offensive comments about Gina Rinehart, has sparked concerns about overreach.

The four-minute film, titled A Very Relaxing Video, ran on documentary-reality show Race Around the World on 12 July and sparked a furore over comments made about the billionaire.