Stan Grant slams ABC management for ‘insulting’, ‘entire white’ NSW election coverage

Q+A host Stan Grant has written to ABC management to condemn the lack of diversity in the broadcaster’s NSW election coverage, which he said reduced journalists from diverse backgrounds to “cameo” roles.

In a letter Crikey understands was sent to management on Sunday, Grant said he was “fed up” with being reassured that the public broadcaster was on a “journey” towards equity and diversity, only to assess its progress nearly 40 years after joining to see “the dial has barely moved”. 

“In 2023, how is it at all acceptable that an election night coverage features an entire white panel? This is not a criticism of my colleagues who are all well qualified, but it is a criticism of the ABC that for decades has nurtured and promoted white staff at the exclusion of others,” Grant wrote. 

“There is no excuse for what I saw on air last night. None. I have worked at organisations around the world and nowhere would what we presented last night be tolerated.”

The ABC’s NSW election coverage on Saturday night was led by a panel anchored by hosts Sarah Ferguson and David Speers, who were joined by (now former) NSW treasurer Matt Kean, NSW Labor frontbencher Penny Sharpe, and the ABC’s state political reporter, Ashleigh Raper. 

Jeremy Fernandez, who featured in the ABC’s promotional material in the lead-up to its coverage, was reduced to a “cameo” role on the night, Grant said. Fernandez was tasked with explaining developments on the ABC’s “big board”, a colour-coded graphic that highlights seats in play and how they’re projected to fall. 

“The fact that any journalists of colour in our coverage were ‘off Broadway’ in support roles, reporting from the suburbs, only adds to the insult,” Grant said. 

He told Crikey the “ABC must do better”, and that as a senior First Nations journalist it is his responsibility to “keep the organisation honest”: “I don’t do it for myself — I have had my career — but I don’t want to wait another decade for things to change.”

The presenter said this wasn’t the first time he had made the complaint. The same was true of the ABC’s 2019 federal election coverage, he wrote, as it was again with “last year’s federal election — again all white main panel”.

“Bridget Brennan, on the ‘second tier’ panel, again was the exception to the rule,” he wrote. “I was a last-minute inclusion and against my better judgment participated only to be ignored and leave early.”

The letter was also sent to the ABC’s Bonner Committee, Crikey understands, the peak body for issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and content, “with a specific responsibility for monitoring progress against the ABC’s reconciliation action plan”.

ABC director Justin Stevens said the organisation respects Grant enormously, takes on board any criticism and welcomes constructive discussion.

“Stan says the ABC is not yet where we want to be. I agree that we have a way to go,” Stevens told Crikey.

“We respect Stan enormously. For decades he has been one of the highest-profile First Nations journalists in this country and with that he has carried the burden of fighting for the advancement of his First Nations and culturally diverse colleagues. That responsibility is on all of us to carry at the ABC and not him alone.”

Stevens stood by the ABC’s NSW election coverage on Saturday, which he said “as Stan outlined in his email” was “editorially strong and well presented”. He pointed to the “many positive things” happening across ABC News “with our Indigenous journalists” and coverage of Indigenous affairs, such as the appointment of Suzanne Dredge as head of Indigenous news, the first time ABC News has had an Indigenous leader on its executive team.

“On Friday night Suzanne Dredge, Bridget Brennan and Brooke Fryer won the Gold Quill for their investigation into missing First Nations women for Four Corners — the first female Indigenous reporting team at Four Corners,” Stevens said.

Stevens also highlighted Grant’s appointment as full-time presenter of Q+A as a sign of progression, along with the appointment of Dan Bourchier to the newly created role of Voice correspondent.

“Our coverage of the Voice wording last Thursday was led by two Indigenous reporters, Dana Morse and Dan Bourchier,” Stevens said.

According to the ABC’s most recent diversity and inclusion report, more than 16% of the broadcaster’s 4500-strong workforce comes from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Of those, 12.9% hold executive roles, and 12.7% are in “content maker” roles. The ABC’s Indigenous representation is at 3.2%, slightly down on the previous reporting period. 

“The three content teams — News, Analysis & Investigations (News), Entertainment & Specialist (E&S) and Regional & Local (R&L) — continue to track diversity in their content,” the report said. “News has extended its talent diversity tracking from women to also include Indigenous, CALD and people with disability.”

ABC leadership is engaged in negotiations with two unions representing its workforce — the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) and Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) — which are pushing for a better deal for workers. 

Last week, the MEAA called off planned strike action and agreed in principle to a revised offer tabled by ABC leadership, which included pay rises for staff of 11% over three years backdated to October, and a $1500 sign-on bonus.

MEAA media director Cassie Derrick said management had also agreed to an audit of the broadcaster’s gender and culturally and linguistically diverse pay gap, and to involve the union in the legal drafting of a new enterprise agreement.

Grant said the lack of progress at the ABC is “an embarrassment”, and that from morning until night the most “significant and senior on-air roles are overwhelmingly white”, along with “senior editorial and managerial roles”. 

“It is not just what we look like; it is reflected in our editorial decisions, whose voices we prioritise and which staff we most value. In short it is in our DNA. I feel as though my presence only excuses your failure,” Grant said. 

“An all-white organisation is still predominantly white. In the meantime, I see young journalists of colour walk out the door. And why wouldn’t they? Let me say it again: last night was insulting. There is no nice way to put this. I write this in sadness, not anger. I write this in frustration, not hope.”