The ABC has moved to defend itself against a wave of intense media scrutiny following the exit of Stan Grant from the network.
In a statement published online, The ABC has cited a “tirade of criticism” from particular media outlets and in particular News Corp as a significant factor in the subsequent abuse experienced by Grant.
The ABC’s statement comes after requests from News Corp journalists to quantify the “tirade” and accusations from The Australian of “peddling false claims about the extent of News Corp’s reporting”. .
A statement released by the ABC on Friday 19 May regarding the media treatment of journalist Stan Grant referred to “a tirade of criticism, particularly in the usual sections of the media that target the ABC” that had contributed to fueling the abuse he subsequently experienced.
The Australian had described its own reporting on the matter as “modest” and demanded the ABC defend its statement.
In response, the ABC has conducted an analysis of News Corp’s reporting from 6 May to 20 May (the same date range used by The Australian). The analysis revealed that over 240 stories were published across the News Corp network, both in print and online.
At least 25 stories were published on news.com.au and Sky News ran at least 30 program episodes discussing the Coronation coverage, with an additional 25+ stories published on Sky News online.
Meanwhile, The Australian has been criticized for publishing thousands of comments on its platform, some of which are offensive and, as Noel Pearson described in The Australian, “borderline casual racist”. It’s presumed that these comments are moderated.
All very well and good but these people live in glass houses and throw stones !
Gavin Wright Oh, you’re victim blaming. 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼
Sally Piracha I can point to a few victims for you…
The Audience !
My Blood, My King !
Stan was polarising as was all the other hosts of Q&A at times, but Stan… took it to another level.
Perhaps NITV would have been a better fit but clearly he wanted the coin and a bigger audience.
Mind you SBS discriminates the same as the ABC so he would not have been any better off.