Stan Grant erupts at the ABC for news presenters wearing black when the Queen died
Stan Grant reveals he felt ‘betrayed’ by the ABC when the news’s hosts were forced to dress in black to mourn the death of the ‘White Queen’ – and denounces the ‘submissive’ coverage
- Q&A presenter Stan Grant unleashed his own employer
- Staff forced to wear black to mourn Queen’s death
ABC Q&A host Stan Grant has opened up to his own employer, revealing he felt “betrayed” by the public broadcaster when the Queen died and staff were forced to wear black to mourn the monarch.
In an interview with Radio National on Monday morning, the 59-year-old journalist and author said he was outraged by the ABC’s “submissive” response to Elizabeth II’s death.
Grant said he refused to “put on a black suit” and mourn “the White Queen” – a long-prepared custom at the news organization – and said he felt at the beginning that “no one understood” at the broadcaster .
“How dare the Queen die just like that and make this country mourn?” said Grant, a man from Wiradjuri, Gurrawin and Dharawal.
“What about my own people, who are still the most impoverished and imprisoned people.
ABC Q&A host Stan Grant (pictured) has let loose on his own employer, revealing he felt “betrayed” by the public broadcaster when the Queen died and staff were forced to wear black to mourn the monarch
In an interview with Radio National on Monday morning, Stan Grant said he was outraged by the ABC’s “submissive” response to Elizabeth II’s death. Pictured are ABC presenters Michael Rowland (left) and Lisa Millar (right) dressed in black after the Queen died
“I felt in my own organization … a sense of betrayal because (at) the ABC everyone put on black suits, everyone took a reverent tone.”
He added: ‘We saw Aboriginal people attacked for expressing a different opinion… and they are entitled to our anger. It was time, I thought, to break everything open and we didn’t.’
Grant said he expressed his opinion within the ABC that “a lot of our coverage has been submissive.”
“We failed my people, and we failed Australia to have the debate we needed.”
Grant said he expressed his opinion within the ABC that “a lot of our coverage has been submissive.” Pictured are ABC presenters Sarah Ferguson (left) and David Speers (right) dressed in black to cover the Queen’s death
The failure he felt prompted the veteran journalist to write a new book, The Queen is Dead, published by Harper Collins.
In it he writes candidly about the national broadcaster’s handling of the Queen’s death and about Australia’s future without her.
The White Queen is dead. The ABC is nervous. It circles around these topics all week. The Republic. Colonization. Rich. Genocide. Racism.’
Grant admitted that at one point it was suggested that his own program should not discuss the Queen’s death at all – opting instead for a panel discussion on aged care.
Stan Grant said he expressed his opinion to the ABC (Sydney headquarters pictured) that ‘a lot of our coverage was submissive’
‘That would be ridiculous. No. We will do it, I say, and I will put black voices at the center.”
That panel discussion left him feeling “severely tested… wounded and empty,” he said.
The coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6 May.
The Queen is Dead will be available for purchase on May 3 for a suggested retail price of $34.99