The ABC coronation coverage that led to Stan Grant stepping away as the host of the Q&A program sparked about 1800 complaints from the public, according to the broadcaster’s managing director.
Hundreds of the comments sent to ABC consisted of racist attacks, David Anderson told the Senate estimates hearing in Canberra, while other complaints said the coronation discussion was worthwhile but poorly timed.
“Some of it was in good faith, quite a lot of it was not in good faith,” Anderson said.
Stan Grant made the decision to leave Q&A last week after racism against him intensified following his involvement in a panel discussion about the King’s coronation.
The veteran correspondent was invited to participate in the televised discussion on coronation day, during which he pointed out that the crown represents the invasion and theft of Aboriginal land.
Anderson said he was worried about the ABC’s public-facing staff and flagged a review of whether the organisation was doing enough to support its employees.
“We’re coming to a precipice here, particularly the discussion around how we can protect our people,” he said.
Threats to the personal safety of staff have escalated, with the ABC referring more incidents to the police, according to Anderson.
Online trolling has also intensified, and the broadcaster is increasingly withdrawing from Twitter in response, he said.
Anderson also said he was especially worried about the Indigenous staff at the voice referendum approach.
News Director Justin Stevens read out several headlines attacking ABC’s coronation coverage that had been published and broadcast by commercial media.
There is a link between coverage of the ABC and its staff in commercial media and the abuse they were subjected to online, he said.
While ABC management did not want to give oxygen to media outlets that targeted Stan Grant, according to Anderson, that was no excuse for lack of support.
“I think the time for dignified silence is over. I think for our people we need to be certainly more publicly supportive of them as well as what we do internally,” he said.
Stevens explained that Stan Grant had been subjected to relentless racism for a long time for doing his job, but the coronation coverage led to a particular spike in racial vitriol.
“We’re talking about a really large volume and torrent of racial abuse and threats to Stan and his family over the course of a number of days,” he said.
He also flagged that the organisation would change how it supported staff who were subjected to vitriolic abuse.
