Q+A host Stan Grant steps down after trolling, calls out ABC who leapt to defend Lisa Millar
The experience of two high-profile ABC presenters being subjected to appalling online abuse by trolls appears to have provoked very different reactions from the national broadcaster.
Indigenous Q+A host Stan Grant penned a lengthy column on Friday explaining he would be leaving the show after receiving “relentless” racial abuse, which had escalated since he appeared in coverage of King Charles’s coronation.
“I write this because no one at the ABC — whose producers invited me as a guest for their coverage of the coronation — has uttered a single word of public support,” Grant wrote in his column.
“No ABC executive has publicly refuted the lies written or spoken about me. I hold no one responsible; this is an institutional failure,” he added.
In stark contrast, when ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar was targeted just weeks ago by horrific trolls attacking her for an outfit she wore on the show, the ABC went “on the warpath” almost immediately.
Q+A host Stan Grant announced Friday that he would be quitting the program following a spate of racist abuse from trolls before firing a farewell shot at the ABC
Just a day after the March 6 incident, coincidentally the same week as International Women’s Day, the broadcaster attacked not only the trolls, but also other media outlets that had reported on it.
“The relentless and vicious bullying Lisa Millar is being subjected to on social media, especially Twitter, is unacceptable. She is an excellent announcer and journalist and does a fantastic job,” said news director Justin Stevens.
“Media outlets amplifying these disgusting faceless trolls should take a hard look at themselves and their standards,” he added.
News Breakfast co-host Michael Rowland also jumped to his colleague’s defense, tweeting, “Enough of the abusive comments…and enough of amplifying the bullying.”
The Guardian reported that it was ‘new policy’ at the ABC to publicly call out trolls targeting their staff, while Ms Millar was also given airtime on the show to address the situation.
But it seems that Mr. Grant feels he has not received the same treatment.
“I appreciate the friendship of ABC News Director Justin Stevens,” Grant said.
“He has been a help and support. He’s trying to change an organization that has its own legacy of racism. But he knows I’m disappointed. I am discouraged.’
Mr Grant noted that the ABC had made an official complaint to Twitter earlier this year about the racist abuse directed against him.
The ABC was quick to vehemently publicly defend News Breakfast host Lisa Millar when she was teased by trolls regarding an outfit she wore on the program
Mr Stevens also released a statement on Friday condemning the racist abuse.
It was similar in tone to the comments he made about Mrs Millar, although it arrived nearly two weeks after news of the coronation and the intense spate of trolls that followed.
“Racist abuse, including threats to (Mr. Grant’s) safety, have become particularly virulent since he appeared as part of the ABC’s Coronation coverage,” Mr Stevens wrote.
Stan is one of Australia’s best and most respected journalists and broadcasters. The ABC stands with him and condemns the attacks directed at him.’
“The ABC has and will refer any threat to the police.”
Responsibility for reporting rests with ABC News management, not Stan Grant. Yet it is he who has been subjected to a tirade of criticism, especially in the usual sections of the media that focus on the ABC.’
In his column on Friday, Mr. Grant gave no indication of when he would be back on board with Q+A, one of the ABC’s most-watched programs.
‘On Monday evening I present my Q+A program and then walk away. For how long? I don’t know,” the host wrote.
“I’m taking time out because we’ve shown again that our history – our hard truth – is too big, too fragile, too precious for the media. The media sees only battle lines, no bridges.’
Grant, who opens every Q+A live broadcast with an acceptance speech for the country in his native Wiradjuri, said he did not want the racists to win and would not resign until he feels the public debate can handle such topics (he stands pictured with his wife Tracey Holmes)
Mr. Grant breathed new life into the popular current affairs program after a brief stint with Hamish MacDonald at the helm.
Mr MacDonald revealed that he had left the show, also due to trolling and the disappointing support from ABC management.
“I knew there was going to be more scrutiny,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald in August 2021.
“But I think people would be surprised by the extent to which people who work in such roles are left alone to navigate the trolling and abuse that comes with it. It was a surprise to me.’
“It was overwhelming at times. It became something I couldn’t handle on my own and couldn’t get rid of.’
Lisa Millar was more optimistic in a statement following her trolling scandal, praising other social media users who called out the behavior.
“I’m afraid that makes you think that progress has not been made and that being a woman in the public arena isn’t worth it,” she wrote.
“On this International Women’s Day, I want to tell you what the reactions to yesterday’s mess give me hope.
“We are making progress, and we will make more.”