ABC’s Insiders: Host forced to admit its failure to include Indigenous voices

ABC TV’s Insiders host David Speers has responded to criticism the show is racially biased and never had a person of colour on its panel until it was forced to this week.

ABC TV’s Insiders host David Speers has admitted criticism of his show’s failure to include Indigenous people is “valid” and the show “needs to do better”.

Until today, when the ABC’s Indigenous affairs reporter Bridget Brennan, a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung woman appeared, the flagship show had failed to include people of colour on its panel.

Brennan said it was “not good enough any more … to have a panel of white people” with “very little lived experience of discrimination and racism” discussing those very issues.

In an investigation published this week, Junkee Media viewed every Insiders episode on the ABC website and found no person of non-European background made the show’s Sunday morning panels as far back as 2005, and possibly ever.

The analysis followed criticism last week of Insiders’ discussion of the Black Lives Matter movement by an all-white panel of commentators.

On that program aired on June 7, Speers said “our own record of indigenous disadvantage is not one to be proud of” before introducing his panel, journalists Patricia Karvelas, David Crowe and Katharine Murphy.

After the show, journalist and 7am Podcast editor Osman Faruqi tweeted: “Good to see the ABC have a panel of four white journalists analysing the protests here and in the US.

“Not sure if Insiders has ever had an Aboriginal journalist or person of colour on its panel, but at this moment it seems even more absurd.”

ABC Reporter Bridget Brennan became Insiders’ first Indigenous panellist today.

David Speers admitted Insiders ‘needs to do better’. Picture: ABC TV

David Speers and an all-white panel of journalists discussing Black Lives Matters protests last week. Picture: ABC

There are enough excellent Aboriginal journalists at the ABC alone that the entire show could’ve been a discussion amongst a panel of them, and it would’ve been compelling and powerful.

— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) June 6, 2020

I guess Indigenous journalists aren't "insiders". Do any of them get a seat in the Press Gallery? I know Indigenous Australians they never make it onto the exec floors or boardrooms, or climb the ladder in the public sector.

— Kerry Glover (@TheRealKerryG) June 7, 2020

ABC reporter Brennan tweeted in reply: “To my knowledge – never had a black person on the panel.

“Happy to be corrected. We have to be better. This is not about one program, all of our programs need to diversify.”

Faruqi went on to tweet: “There are enough excellent Aboriginal journalists at the ABC alone that the entire show could’ve been a discussion amongst a panel of them, and it would’ve been compelling and powerful.”

Brennan responded: “I woke up a little heartbroken this morning. Like every blackfella in every workplace, you get so tired of raising this, and it’s not easy to always be the angry person and do your actual job at the same time.

“We need all of our colleagues showing up and pointing out the gaps.”

To my knowledge - never had a black person on the panel. Happy to be corrected. We have to be better. This is not about one program, all of our programs need to diversify. https://t.co/fKPzC8mfcb

— Bridget Brennan (@bridgeyb) June 7, 2020

I woke up a little heartbroken this morning. Like every blackfella in every workplace, you get so tired of raising this, and it’s not easy to always be the angry person and do your actual job at the same time. We need all of our colleagues showing up and pointing out the gaps.

— Bridget Brennan (@bridgeyb) June 7, 2020

Among many comments on Twitter, Kerry Glover replied: “I guess Indigenous journalists aren’t ‘insiders’. Do any of them get a seat in the Press Gallery?

“I know Indigenous Australians they never make it onto the exec floors or boardrooms, or climb the ladder in the public sector.”

Junkee Media’s analysis of the ABC’s available archived Insider programs revealed that the only persons of colour on the show were a small number of interviewees, but never panel members.

On today’s show, David Speers addressed the issue in a discussion with Bridget Brennan.

“We received plenty of valid criticism for failing to include an Indigenous journalist on last week’s show as we discussed the Black Lives Matter movement,” he said.

“Our panellists made some excellent points, but as a program, we lacked an important perspective.

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“Insiders does need to do better at bringing more diverse insights into the political debate and it’s something we’re committed to doing.

“Let’s bring in our panel.”

Addressing Brennan, Speers said: “You are amongst those critical of our program last week. Why is it important that shows like this do include that prospective?”

Brennan responded: “I think this is the moment we need to be honest about the state of our

media industry.

“Across the media spectrum really we have a fine tradition of Indigenous journalism in this country, but those voices are often not elevated.

Under former host Barrie Cassidy (above with Bill Shorten), Insiders was criticised for being a ‘left-wing love-in’ but had no indigenous panel members.

“It is not good enough any more, particularly at this moment, but I would say any week, to have a panel of white people speaking about issues when there is very little lived experience of discrimination and racism on that panel.

“So I think it is important that we be honest. I think it is important that we be positive about the many Indigenous journalists in this country doing fine work and it is time to change. So if this week is the week that we can do that and look at that and be honest about it.”

A spokesperson from Media Diversity Australia, a non-profit body of journalists and communications professionals last week told The Feed that “Insiders routinely lack diversity.

“But it was particularly stark the day after tens of thousands of Australians protested around the country calling out injustice and racism.”

The Seven and Nine networks breakfast programs, Sunrise and Today, were also criticised last week for their lack of diversity in covering Black Lives Matter protests.

ABC’s Insiders has been criticised in the past for being regularly ­attacked for a lack of political diversity and being “a left-wing love-in”.

Some critics of the show under its former host Barrie Cassidy said panellists were drawn mostly from the defunct Fairfax organisation (now Nine Newspapers) and the ABC.

Nevertheless, it appears not to have invited any Indigenous commentators or persons of colour on as panellists in that era.

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