ABC Friends shares the serious concerns arising from Stan Grant’s decision last month to stand down from the ABC in response to racist abuse.
ABC Friends released a statement condemning the hostile and racist abuse to which Stan Grant was subjected to before stepping down from his role as host of Q+A.
ABC Friends acknowledges and appreciates Stan’s professionalism and expertise as a journalist of long standing. We also note the immense contribution he has made to increasing our understanding of national and international issues through his reporting and commentary.
After Grant publicly stated that he had not felt supported by the ABC while suffering from the abuse, Managing Director, David Anderson, announced that the ABC would review its response when staff are racially abused.
The review was welcomed by ABC Friends and the global Public Media Alliance, which also hit out at the way in which Grant was treated.
In addition to the online racist abuse, issues have also been raised about the negative Murdoch media reporting of Stan Grant’s role in the ABC’s Coronation coverage, with The Guardian reporting that Sky News and The Australian referred to the coverage 150 times over a fortnight, with Stan Grant a focus.
“I was not the producer nor presenter of the coronation broadcast yet every newspaper article accusing the ABC of bias has carried my image,” Stan Grant said.
In a staff email, Anderson criticised “sustained and vitriolic” anti-ABC reporting which, he said, has “real-world consequences for ABC presenters and journalists who are personally attacked and vilified”.
Margaret Simons, honorary principal fellow of the Centre for Advancing Journalism, said that the controversy around Stan Grant was about the “shortcomings of the media, about the role of News Corporation in our national conversation, about the nature and duties of the ABC and, of course, about racism”.
Sophie Arnold
Editor of ABC Friends Email Newsletter