ABC TV cops backlash against 2021’s line-up of white news presenters
The politically-correct ABC has been torched by social justice warriors for its all-white line-up of news presenters.
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The politically-correct ABC has been torched by social justice warriors for revealing an all-white line-up of news presenters in 2021.
The national broadcaster posted images of next year’s news and current affairs presenter teams on Twitter as part of its 2021 programming schedule launch.
But social media users, including ex-staff, were quick to turn on the ABC after noting presenters for ABC’s Breakfast News, The Drum, 7:30 and Insiders news programs were mostly of caucasian background.
Former deputy editor of ABC Life Osman Faruqi reposted images from the four ABC News programs on Twitter, before calling the line-up “so embarrassing”.
“Do the people who run ABC News not understand how weird this looks?” he wrote. “At some point, when you’re assembling these photos, you’d pause and think ‘Hmm something not quite right here’ … they shouldn’t be able get away with it. But who is going to hold them to account? Everywhere else is even whiter.”
Ex-Four Corners and ABC News journalist Sophie McNeill tweeted a montage of white-led ABC programs, writing the broadcaster’s lack of diversity was “disappointing”.
“It’s disappointing that my beloved @abcnews & @ABCTV has still such a long way to go to ensure (it) accurately reflects the Australian population,” she wrote.
The broadcaster’s programming plan for next year includes a new channel ABCTV Plus to replace ABC Comedy, moving Q+A from Monday to Thursday night prime time and launching a new weekly arts program.
Former Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner and Sydney University cultural strategy professor Tim Soutphommasane said the ABC still had work to do when it came to representation.
“A very long way to go before we see our diversity on screens,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Let’s remember the ABC has it in its charter that it should reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community. So where is it?”
The ABC said that it was proud of its diversity but had work to do to make its team more multicultural.
“Only a small number of ABC News presenters appeared in publicity photos today, the range and diversity of our full line-up is much broader,” a statement said.
“That said, there’s no doubt the ABC has significant work to do to live up to our goal to better reflect the diversity of the Australian community. But we are making progress.”
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