Triple J host Michael Hing shares distressing racial abuse

A Triple J host has shared the horrific abuse he receives from social media trolls, including horror messages from the station’s text line.

A Triple J host has shared the horrific abuse he receives from social media trolls, in the wake of veteran colleague Stan Gran’s departure from the ABC, after years of being racially abused and mocked by critics.

Michael Hing told Triple J’s current affairs program Hack he regularly received racial abuse.

The comedian said the first piece of audience feedback he received after being hired on his first TV gig for a gaming show left him particularly despondent.

“The Chinese guy only got it because he is diversity higher,” the viewer wrote.

Hing, who is currently co-hosting Network 10’s The Project and co-host of the Hobba and Hing show on Triple J, said the real reason should have been obvious.

“Never mind I was a comedian and that I had worked in gaming,” Hing said.

He said the abuse is relentless but some comments are truly shocking.

On one occasion, after he criticised Prince Andrew on air, a listener wrote: “Hing Prince Andrew is fantastic. Just because no white women would want your dirty little g*** hands over them doesn’t mean you need to be resentful and jealous of him.”

Michael Hing works is one of the few Asian faces on Australian TV.

Hing said he regularly receives pornography featuring Asian men from the public.

“I get tagged saying ‘This is Hing’”, he said incredulously.

He said the generally all-white management team at the ABC have little understanding for how these situations impact staff and urged the public broadcaster to promote more non-white faces into management positions.

On Friday, Grant penned a tortured article for his employer’s website to announce that after six years with the company, he had chosen to “walk away”.

He wrote that ongoing racism was to blame of this decision and the unwillingness of those in his professional network to defend them.

ABC presenter Stan Grant is standing down from duties following racial abuse. Picture: Jane Dempster

“This year the stakes are higher,” he wrote.

“There is a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament and I am not alone in feeling judged. This is an Australian judhegment on us. Such is politics,” he explained.

“But racism is a crime. Racism is violence. And I have had enough.”

ABC staff have rallied around Grant.

On Monday, dozens of employees gathered in front of the broadcaster’s Sydney headquarters at Ultimo, outside Parliament House at Canberra and outside the Melbourne headquarters to express solidarity with him.

Staffer Dee Jefferson took to Twitter announcing the walkout, saying many staff share the same experience of racial abuse.

“ABC staff are walking out in support of Stan this afternoon,” she wrote.

“Stan’s experience of racist abuse is shared by so many colleagues. Listening is the smallest part of what we can do to help clean up this mess.”

ABC host Patricia Karvelas also tweeted on Monday afternoon in support.

“#istandwithstan #werejectracism,” her tweet wrote.

Federal political reporter Dana Morse wrote: “Enough is enough”.

Staff at the ABC's Ultimo studios walk out in protest over the departure of Q+A host Stan Grant. Picture: Tyron Butson/ Twitter

Meanwhile, co-host of ABC News Breakfast Virginia Trioli also tweeted the hashtags while tagging ABC Melbourne and ABC TV.

Other ABC personalities threw in their support, including Sky News host David Speers, Triple J Hack reporter Kimberly Price and reporter Casey Briggs.

On Tuesday, ABC Breakfast host Michael Rowland shared a powerful monologue Grant delivered at the end of Monday night’s episode of Q&A.

“If you missed this last night, please take time to watch these powerful words from my colleague Stan Grant,” Rowland tweeted on Tuesday.

“Racism is a scourge. We all need to do better in calling it out, and that includes the ABC.”

-with Brooke Rolfe