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.”
I dunno, this feels like misdirected outrage. I note Grant was happy to take his paycheck to host ABC’s China Watch program when there are a notable lack of Chinese-Australian hosts on the ABC. If you really want to drill down on diversity to such a granular level, ultimately everyone will get caught up in the storm.
Plus 1000.
Get a life Stan.
And if it really means something to you don’t leak.
Outrage, like charity, is best done anonymously.
Agree, but research has shown he may be correct on the ABC, but it runs across mainstream media, politics and other sectors of Australian society; demographics will catch up eventually…..
I suppose if Stan Grant wasn’t such a rubbish journalist, his rant might bear more weight.
Since his appointment to the gig, Q+A has become unwatchable.
It seems to have escaped him, but the point of the viewers questions is not to ascertain what Stan Grant thinks………………….
Have to agree about Q+A having become unwatchable. Last night’s lack of moderation was nothing short of disgraceful. Participants talking over each other with such vigor that neither could be heard.
Grant should have stepped in and silenced the mega vocal, allowing reason and civility to take over. Sadly, he lacks the will/skill to moderate an overheated situation, and at least one of his panel lacked the nous and courtesy to participate in a reasonable manner.
Yes I agree too. Not just is Q+A now unwatchable but so was the series of One Plus One that he hosted. Grant is a terrible host/anchor/ moderator. He always makes it about him and his views get more air time than those of the panellists or interviewee.
On the other hand I used not to care much for Dan Bourchier when he was with ABC Canberra as a newsreader on both radio and tv. But I think he has grown quickly into his new role and is doing a great job reporting for the ABC on all the developments of the Voice. He appears on the news, on The Drum and on Insiders and manages to discuss any topic without the need to say “look at me” all the time. He understands that it is not about him – it is about the matter he is reporting on.
There is a touch of Stans view in what I have seen, have gone off watching it of late.
Di Lees contribution was spot on.
Agree. Stan seems to think it’s normal for the planets to all revolve around Stan.
And his concern for ‘diversity’ didn’t extend to the audience member asking what Stan considered a pro-Russian question on QandA – he actually kicked him out for asking a question that was outside Stan’s frame of reference.
ASPI doesn’t like Russia.
Interesting Stan (nor ABC) has anything to say on his diversity of foreign affairs coverage. Why has he never disclosed on air that he was interviewing analysts at the military/US State Department/weapons-maker-funded ASPI – whilst at the same time being a paid “Senior Fellow” at ASPI. He’s also emceed weapons maker conferences during his tenure at ABC, zero disclosure.
Grant makes some good points on China, but claims (in ABC online articles) he and his family were constant target of CCP harassment, whilst living in Beijing, are disingenuous to the say the least. While there his wife worked for Chinese State Television. Here she is in late 2022 giving an interview to the English Language version of the Chinese Communist Party owned People’s Daily: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202209/16/WS6323c1b9a310fd2b29e77f06.html
His “big television break” was at Today Tonight chasing dodgy washing machine repairmen, spruiking revolutionary weight-loss pills and the latest sure-fast cure for backpain. While taking Kerry Stokes’s bucks he never raised any Indigenous issues.
If people care to go through the archives of ABC’s 2020 US Election coverage, prior to a Trump/Biden debate, Grant actually bemoaned the fact that debate agenda had been set and Trump was deprived of [paraphrasing] “the opportunity to discuss how the lives of ordinary black people improved under the Trump administration”.
He is in little place to dictate to others that their broadcasts lack diversity.
Speaking of foreign affairs coverage – it would be good if Stan acknowledged the work of Torres Strait woman Isabella Higgins who is a front-rank foreign affairs reporter, including reporting from a war zone in Ukraine.
Is Ms Higgins a TSI woman? I had no idea. She is excellent, which has nothing to do with her TSI status.
Yeah. I remember his Today Tonight escapades. After every story you hear him moaning: “Mmmmm”. Didn’t he also have a part time singing career. You know. Wimped down acoustic versions of “Love me do” that the Comedy Club used to send up. He was no talent then and he is no talent now. I have to say though he is much better behind the scenes and would be better put to use doing the hard yards of research. He can be good. He just chooses not to be.
Stan Grant. Seeking publicity for his future hoped-for political career.
The very model of a modern Maestro of Melanin Monetisation. (apols. to G&S!)
Q: But what does Stan think of the Victorian election coverage?
A: He doesn’t, because just like all the other Ultimo branes determined to take Victorian tax dollars and spend them on institutions headquartered in Sydney he’s blind to his own regional myopia.
I’m sure Stan is absolutely right, but the Sydney-centricity of the entire culture at the ABC also needs addressing.
I didn’t watch 7.30 last night but I read criticism on Twitter that there was no mention of the NSW State election, so damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
That said, I live in regional NSW (far South Coast) and the coverage of news down our way on ABC is mainly restricted to bushfires. But that’s not just the ABC – it’s all of them.
Doesn’t Australia stop at Brisbane ? That appears to be it.