Q+A host Stan Grant has vowed to “get back up again” as he delivered a powerful parting message on his final night hosting the ABC program.
With red and teary eyes, the veteran journalist looked down the barrel of the camera as he said his soul was hurting and he needed to take a break.
But Grant said he was not stepping aside because of racism and social media hatred.
“I’m not walking away for a while because of racism – we get that far too often. I’m not walking away because of social media hatred,” he said.
“I need a break from the media. I feel like I’m part of the problem. And I need to ask myself how, or if, we can do it better.”
Grant challenged the media to ask itself whether it was honouring a world worth living in.
“Too often we are the poison in the bloodstream of our society. I fear the media does not have the love or the language to speak to the gentle spirits of our land,” he said.
Even though he has been the target of vicious online hate, Grant apologised to those who had hurt him.
“To those who have abused me and my family, I would just say if your aim was to hurt me well, you’ve succeeded, and I’m sorry,” he said.
“I’m sorry that I must have given you so much cause to hate me, to target me and my family, to make threats against me.
“I’m sorry, and that’s what Yindyamarra means; it means that I am not just responsible for what I do but for what you do.”
On Friday in an emotional column for the ABC Grant announced he would step aside from his media roles after Monday’s Q+A, citing the racist abuse directed at him and his family and lack of support from the ABC.
On Monday night he said: “I am down right now, I am am, but I will get back up and you can come at me again and I will meet you with the love of my people.”
He hosted a panel of five first-time politicians – Labor’s Michelle Ananda-Rajah, Liberal Zoe McKenzie, Independent Senator David Pocock, Tammy Tyrrell, from the Jacquie Lambie Network and Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather.
And while the first audience question was to all panel members, it was about the online hate that Grant has been subjected to and what needs to happen to stop hate speech, hate culture, and hate acceptance from continuing?
The panellists all gave heart-felt responses about looking out for one another and the need to do better. But Grant waited until his closing remarks to answer.
“Don’t mistake our love for weakness, it is our strength,” he said.
“We have never stopped loving and fighting for justice and truth.”
Grant thanked those who had sent messages of support.
In his column for the ABC last Friday, Grant criticised the broadcaster for failing to publicly support him throughout his ordeal.
ABC staff rallied outside offices in Sydney and Melbourne on Monday after the renowned broadcaster said the abuse had accelerated following his critical remarks about the monarchy’s role in colonialism and he had had enough.
“It’s really hard to see him struggling and that he’s had to cop the racism and the disgusting filth that has been put online,” daughter Lowanna Grant told the Sydney rally.
“I’m so grateful for everyone here today supporting him … and all other First Nations journalists.”
Tweet from @QandA
The ABC promised to review its response to racism affecting staff, in line with a recommendation from its internal Indigenous advisory committee.
ABC managing director David Anderson on Sunday apologised for failing to publicly support Grant.
“The ABC endeavours to support its staff in the unfortunate moments when there is external abuse directed at them,” he said.
In an email to staff, Mr Anderson said anti-ABC reporting from some commercial media outlets had been “sustained and vitriolic”.
“This has real-world consequences for ABC presenters and journalists who are personally attacked and vilified,” he wrote.
RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas will step in as host of Q+A.
