Beyond the Headlines: Stan Grant’s ABC Exit Presents A Stark Reality Check for Future BIPOC Journalists
The prospect of becoming a journalist is one which heralds many reservations.
Arguably one of the most underrated and toughest jobs in the world, the path to becoming one in Australia is made even more difficult for aspiring media folk from diverse backgrounds.
As a current student journalist and a proud second-generation Vietnamese-Australian woman, growing up, the idea of being in the media itself seemed almost untouchable.
This was initially because I rarely ever saw myself reflected in the faces and voices of mainstream media.
As I grew older, I was exposed to countless media trailblazers like Tracy Vo, Nat Edwards, and Lee-Lin Chin; people who looked like me and sounded like me, the very ones who gave me hope.
However, a part of growing up is becoming attuned and aware of the harsh realities around you, no matter how bitter that truth is to swallow.
Stan Grant’s exit from Q&A was one of those bitter truths.
Last week, the revered Indigenous journalist announced he was “walking away” from the show after receiving relentless racial abuse, which was amplified recently when he spoke on the ABC about the impact of colonialism.
His departure from the ABC reverberated through my dreams and aspirations, resurfacing all of my doubts and anxieties about pursuing this career.
It’s put a spotlight back on the nature of enduring racism in the country, highlighting the institutional negligence of Australian broadcasters who have failed to protect their Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) journalists.
As a BIPOC student journalist myself – albeit in her second year – I’ve spent most of my time romanticising the idea of becoming a journalist.
Purely because there was always this resounding doubt in the back of my mind, that the Australian media landscape would never be fully accommodating to my identity.
It’s a reality that’s hard to ignore, and one which resonates with the marginal amount of diverse upcoming journalists currently working towards a media career.
via @Abhranil_Hazra on Twitter
A recent 2022 Media Diversity Australia report found a severe under-representation of people from both non-European, BIPOC, and Indigenous backgrounds across all commercial networks. Similar proportional data was seen in media leadership positions.
Whilst Australian news media seems to have grasped the importance of representation with the increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) talent in newsrooms, there is still a long way to go before Aussie screens can truly reflect the multicultural identities of our communities - and you don’t need a diversity report to tell you that.
Grant’s departure serves as a reality check, a moment of reckoning. The issue itself stems beyond the lack of representation, but the evergreen presence of racism in Australia, and how quickly institutions can turn a blind eye in the face of adversity.
The problem isn’t with my identity or the fact that archaic, abhorrent, and hateful beliefs still exist in a country that was built on white colonialism and supremacy.
It’s a shame that abuse is something we’ve come to expect as part of the job. That 85% of Aboriginal, culturally diverse, LGBTQIA+, and media workers with a disability are bound to experience personal and professional abuse online.
It is not up to us as individual journalists to cop it on the shoulder or to resolve it.
Employers, broadcasters, and allies need to account for the various risks posed to their diverse staff. They need to be ready to condemn bigoted behaviours, with protective resources available to assist journalists.
But beyond the tangible support systems, media organisations need to have a recognisable moral backbone, in supporting diverse journalists every step of the way.
Representation is one thing, but how are institutions going to protect and sustain the presence of both current and future BIPOC journalists?