Behind The News? What about the cadets behind the newsgathering?

With this in mind, it is hard to understand why the national broadcaster has opted to neglect thousands of burgeoning young journos. Even Kathy Bowlen, presenter of ABC's Stateline (Victoria), concedes it "bodes very ill for journalism when our national broadcaster is essentially doing no training".

And Christopher Warren, secretary of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA), said the move to cut the cadet program would see the ABC "forced eat its own future".

In essence, the move reflects a calculated neglect of the younger generation. After failing to secure extra funding in this year's federal budget, the ABC has shown a preparedness to sacrifice the interests of young Australians in order to strike back at the coalition.

In reality, journalism needs young blood more than ever. A 2001 ABS Labour Force Survey found that 58.2 per cent of working journalists are aged 35 years or older. It also showed that no journalists are employed between the ages of 15 and 19, compared with 7.3 per cent of all other occupations.

This highlights a big problem: news outlets are doing little about the problem of an ageing workforce, despite being desperate to attract younger audiences.

Perhaps this is why Colin McKinnon, editorial training manager at The Age in Melbourne, suggested "Abandon hope all ye who enter here" be trawled across the entrance of a recent journalism seminar, organised by the MEAA.

Allan Russel, Chief of Staff at Network Ten, spoke to around 100 final-year media students at the seminar and put this sentiment in simpler terms: "Do we (broadcast) want you (graduates) at all? The answer is no. And the ABC has shown that this week".

In the wake of the cuts, ABC managing director Russell Balding has been just as callous. In an interview for ABC radio in Adelaide, Balding practically dismissed the issue by citing a lack of government funding.

"…I didn't want to close our cadet journalist intake program," Balding said. "I think the bigger issue here is the question of whether or not the ABC is adequately funded … And I definitely don't believe the ABC is adequately funded."

But Liberal Senator Santo Santoro accused the ABC of "crying poor".

"They're doing very well, when it comes down to it," he said. "They really should be looking closely at their spending priorities."

Instead of denying young Australians the opportunity to lead journalism into the future, the ABC should make cuts to more expendable areas, such as light entertainment. Indeed, the ABC has been criticised for its fanatical loyalty to Glass House - a loyalty not shared by any significant number of viewers.

A revision of the ABC's long-standing policy against advertising has also been flagged as a funding alternative.

The ABC should bow its head in the wake of this unfeeling decision. As "our" national broadcaster the ABC has an altruistic obligation to emerging journalists.

It must not let political grandstanding meddle with this charter.