Stan Grant won’t return as the host of the ABC TV’s Q+A program.
Grant announced in May he would take a break from his media roles, citing an increase in racial abuse of him and his family after his appearance on the ABC’s coverage of the King’s coronation.
He blasted the broadcaster over its lack of support for him.
The ABC confirmed Grant will pursue other projects with the national broadcaster.
The organisation’s Director of News Justin Stevens says it respected Grant and praised the journalist as one of the country’s finest storytellers and broadcasters.
“We want to do all we can to support Stan and ensure he continues to play a major role in Australian media.
He has the ability to lead our media toward a kinder and more constructive conversation.
In Wiradjuri ‘dyiraamalang’ means a teacher and leader. Stan Grant, a proud Wiradjuri man, is both of those things and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does into the future.
We will be delighted to have his contribution across a number of different ABC programs.”
Stand-in presenter and ABC RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas will remain as Q+A host for the rest of the year.
In his closing remarks on his final Q+A show in May, Grant said he was “down right now”, but he would get back up again and challenged the media to do better.
“You can come at me again – and I’ll meet you with the love of my people.
Don’t mistake our love for weakness, it is our strength. We have never stopped loving and fighting for justice and truth.”
The ABC’s independent ombudsman cleared the broadcaster of breaching editorial standards during its coverage of the King’s coronation.
Grant’s announcement about ‘walking away’ sparked a walkout led by Indigenous staff at the ABC’s Sydney headquarters in support of the journalist.
The ABC has pledged to conduct a review into how it handles the racist abuse subjected to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, It’s unknown who will conduct the review or when it will start.
NIRS/AAP
