NITV, the free-to-air television channel dedicated to broadcasting content predominantly produced and presented by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, is the latest Australian media organisation to confirm it is exiting Twitter due to the increase in racial abuse and hate speech on the platform.
The NITV official Twitter account made the announcement on Sunday stating:
“You may have noticed we haven’t been using Twitter much lately. We’ve decided to take a break from it. We’ve had enough of the racism and hate that we see and experience every day on this platform.
It’s just not a place we want or need to be, particularly during a time when things are heavy enough.”
Despite their absence on Twitter, NITV affirmed their commitment to continuing their work – providing news, insights, stories and opinions from mob across the continent. For those interested, they directed their followers to visit the NITV website and follow their Instagram and Facebook pages. SBS News and SBS’s Twitter accounts also continue to share NITV’s content.
The bio of NITV’s Twitter account has been updated to reflect the account’s inactivity and directs followers to SBS’s website for latest news and updates.
An SBS representative explained the move, stating,
“The NITV Twitter account is now out of use. The decision to step back from the platform was a direct result of the increasing levels of racism and hate the team encounters daily when performing their roles.”
The spokesperson highlighted that this form of abuse is not a new occurrence, but its intensity has escalated, prompting them to take measures to protect their team and maintain a constructive and respectful conversation on their platforms, particularly in the lead-up to the Referendum. The wellbeing of their team remains their top priority.
The move was supported by Mariam Veiszadeh, CEO of Media Diversity Australia (MDA), a non-profit organisation. She stressed that recent research from MDA indicated heightened levels of abuse directed towards journalists from diverse backgrounds. Veiszadeh concluded by stating, “The status quo is unsustainable.”
