Channel 7 takes ex-Bachelorette Georgia Love off air after racist social media post

Georgia Love has been taken off air after sharing a racist post on a cat in a restaurant window on social media.

Georgia Love has been taken off air after sharing a racist post on social media.

The former Bachelorette star has been disciplined by employer Channel 7 following backlash over the post earlier this week when Love posted an Instagram image of a cat inside an Asian restaurant with the caption: “Shop attendant or lunch?!” and a laughing emoji.

“We have addressed this matter internally and disciplinary action has been taken,” a Seven spokeswoman said.
“Seven does not condone this inappropriate conduct and all of our staff have the right to work in a safe, nurturing workplace free from prejudice.”

Former Channel 10 journalist Georgia Love is now a 7News reporter.

MasterChef judge Melissa Leong, who knows Love from Channel 10, said she’s disappointed in the former Bachelorette.

After her stint on Ten’s Bachelorette in 2016, TV journalist Love earlier this year landed a dream job as a reporter on 7News Melbourne.

It is understood that after a workplace investigation and being counselled by bosses, Love will work on the news production desk effective immediately.

Love, who married partner Lee Elliott after meeting on the reality show, apologised to colleagues in an email sent by 7News Director Shaun Menegolo.

“It has been a difficult week for many as a consequence of some inappropriate and offensive posts on a staff member’s private account,” Menegolo said.
“Following a workplace investigation that had to follow due process, I want to let you know that Georgia has been counselled and will be reassigned to the production desk, effective

immediately.”

7News reporter Georgia Love has apologised for a racist post shared on Instagram.

7News reporter Georgia Love has apologised for a racist post shared on Instagram

In the email, Love stated: “I want to apologise for an inappropriate post on my personal social media account this week and for an old post which has resurfaced. I’m deeply sorry for the hurt that I’ve caused and, in particular, for offence to the Asian community. It certainly

wasn’t my intention.”

She continued: “My posts were inappropriate and offensive. There is no excuse for perpetuating racist stereotypes in any forum. I am committed to moving forward, learning and growing in my new role and I hope that in time I can earn your trust back.”

Earlier this week, prior to the investigation, Love apologised to her nearly 250,000 Instagram followers.

Not long after, an old post from 2013 that was also racist resurfaced and MasterChef judge Melissa Leong criticised her friend for casual racism.

It came after Seven West Media CEO James Warburton, told staff that racism is “unacceptable and will not be tolerated” after a separate incident involving a staff member who published a racist post on 7News.com.au’s social media pages after the Euro 2020 final.

7News shared this post on Facebook in July which drew criticism before it was edited.

The post accompanied a story on the site about racial abuse directed at three English players who missed their penalty shots in a penalty shootout that went Italy’s way.
The story was initially published with the headline “Three Black players failed in the penalty shootout which England lost 3-2 against Italy.”

It was later deleted and a public apology was issued.

Last year, Channel 7, former Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage and commentator Prue MacSween were sued for racial vilification over a 2018 discussion on the breakfast TV show about Aboriginal adoption that featured an all-white panel.

MacSween said at the time, “We need to do (the Stolen Generation) again, perhaps”.

Armytage began the segment by saying, “Post-Stolen Generation, there’s been a huge move to leave Aboriginal children where they are, even if they’re being neglected in their own families”.

Activists gathered outside Sunrise’s Martin Place studios demanding an apology.

Media watchdog The Australian Communications and Media Authority later ruled that Seven had breached the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice 2015 because the segment “provoked serious contempt on the basis of race”.

Last year, Channel 7, Prue MacSween (left) and Samantha Armytage (centre) were sued for racial vilification over a 2018 discussion on Sunrise about Aboriginal adoption which featured an all-white panel. Supplied

Georgia Love’s ex-Channel 10 colleague Melissa Leong also criticised the former Bachelorette this week.

The MasterChef judge, who is Singaporean-Australian, expressed her disappointment on Wednesday and said she knows Love personally.

“‘Shop attendant or lunch?’” posted on a video of a cat in a Chinese restaurant by someone I know, who also happens to carry a fair amount of influence,” Leong wrote.

“Casual racism from nice people is possibly the most betraying and insidious kind.

“Not angry, just completely bummed that this video exists and that it isn’t the first joke of this kind made by her. Georgia, I really hope your remorse is real and that you grow in the right direction, because this stuff hurts more people, more than you think. We must be allies for each other for a better world for all.”

Leong, 39, was responding to two of the 7News reporter’s social media posts which are being investigated by her employer Channel 7.

A 2013 Instagram post has resurfaced of Georgia Love joking about an animal hospital being next to a Chinese restaurant. The eight-year-old post has since been deleted from Love's feed after she was called out by Instagram account @aussieinfluenceropinions on social media. Supplied

The old post shows an animal hospital next door to a Chinese restaurant called China Chef and a dog with the words “That’s suspicious”.

On Monday, Love shared a similar post on Instagram which showed a cat inside an Asian restaurant with the caption, “Shop attendant or lunch?!” and a laughing emoji.

She deleted the post after widespread criticism and apologised.

Asian-Australian, Tarang Chawla, who works as a Multicultural Commissioner in Melbourne where Love is based, said this kind of casual racism is harmful particularly during a time when there has been growing hostility towards the Asian community during the pandemic.

“Racism can be about impact and not just about intent. I think we need to stop making excuses around casual forms of racism and start looking at solutions,” said Chawla.

“I don’t know what she meant by it because I don’t know her but I do know that the impact of that was relying on a harmful racial stereotype about people from certain parts of Asia and then mocking them for that.

“This is a learning opportunity to talk about what casual racism looks like and what it is. I hope that it’s an opportunity for her and others in a position of power and influence to have a conversation around race and ethnicity and learn and understand what the unfortunate physical and mental health impacts are on people of colour as a result of casual forms of racism.”

Branding expert Nicole Reaney of InsideOut PR said such incidents can be problematic for a TV network.

“Given Georgia is a personality tied to the Seven network there could be some impact,” Reaney said.

“The fact that she immediately responded to the situation with an apology and acknowledged her accountability works in her favour.

“For media organisations where their workforce are personalities in their own right with their own public platforms, it can make it challenging to control individual communications.

“It’s essential the network communicates directly with Georgia and outlines the culture and values it’s seeking to adhere to, while reminding the broader workforce of its policies.”