Change is in the air at the ABC. In the space of five hours on Tuesday, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced that ABC chair Ita Buttrose had decided against seeking a second term, before word got out that Stan Grant had resigned.
Grant told Media Briefs on Wednesday that the move to a dual role of professor of journalism at Monash University and Asia Pacific director of the Constructive Institute — which caught much of the media off-guard — came “completely out of the blue” for him too, but he took the opportunity to use his 40 years’ experience to make “public discourse better”.
“That’s the real motivation,” he said from the airport before boarding a flight to Denmark. “So it’s not really a judgment on the ABC — the ABC does brilliant things and I’ve had a great time there. And I’ll continue to look to collaborate with them in some ways, but this was just, I thought, a better fit for me, a better place for me right now.
“After I stepped away from Q+A, that whole experience that emerged after the king’s coronation was really a chance for me to reflect as well, to reflect on the quality of our public discourse, the toxicity of social media and the media, how we fail, and how as a member of the media I fail to look at my own complicity in this, to how I might do things better.
“And I think stepping away gave me some space to look at those things honestly, and ask myself where I should be, what I should do with that experience.”
Andrew Clennell broke news of Grant’s departure on Sky News late on Tuesday, reading out a text message from Grant live on air, saying the move was “no big deal”, that there’s “no bad blood” between him and his former employer, that he loves the ABC and hopes to collaborate in future. The ABC remained largely silent until Tuesday evening, by which time Monash University had announced its newest staff member.
Until then, the general read on Grant’s return from leave was that he was still employed by the ABC, only not as host of Q+A. That understanding was shared by a number of ABC staff too, who told Media Briefs Grant’s departure was news to many. Later that afternoon, ABC News boss Justin Stevens released a statement to say Grant’s decision “clearly aligns” with his ambitions to help Australia’s next generation of journalists “foster a more constructive and kinder” public discussion.
“We respect Stan’s decision and we hope he will still be a contributor for the ABC in the future from this new role,” Stevens said, just weeks after announcing Grant’s decision to step away from Q+A to work on “new projects” and “a number of different” programs. “The ethos behind it aligns with our endeavour to make our journalism more constructive at a time where the media sector is seeing increasing levels of news avoidance and news fatigue.”
It was the second press release put out by the communications team that day, after Rowland announced that Buttrose, former prime minister Scott Morrison’s 2019 captain’s pick for ABC chair, would not go again when her term expires in March. Buttrose, 81, said in a statement she has “relished” the opportunity, and pointed to the ABC’s 90th birthday celebrations as a “high point” under her watch.
Buttrose’s departure offers the Albanese government a significant opportunity to leave a marked imprint on the ABC as it gets the selection process under way for a new chair — the rumour mill, as you would expect, is in full swing — and continues to field applications for two board directors after the departures of Joseph Gersh and Fiona Balfour.
One role that can offer the government certainty over the next five years, however, is that filled by David Anderson, whose term as managing director was extended in July until mid-2028, according to an ABC spokesperson.
The news
Lachlan Murdoch pays Private Media $1.3m costs, ending high-profile defamation saga (Crikey)
Chinese-language news sites targeted by analysts conceal ownership structures (Crikey)
ABC managing director David Anderson wins another term (The Age)
Stan Grant quits ABC, confirms new role (SMH)
‘Right chair for the right time’: Ita Buttrose’s ABC term to end (Crikey)
Paul ‘Boris’ Whittaker, News Corp’s last newspaperman (AFR)
Southern Cross boss banks on podcast power to steady the ship (SMH)
Matildas loss ends ratings bonanza for Seven and Optus (The Australian)
After Vice‘s downfall, top journalists start their own tech publication (NYT)
In his new book The Fall, author Michael Wolff foresees the demise of Fox News (AP)
CNN considers former New York Times CEO for top job (Semafor)
Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump reunite to try to upstage Fox News (WaPo)
Bloomberg overhauls its executive ranks (The Information)
Axel Springer settles lawsuit against former Bild editor (FT)
The moves
- Del Fordham, who spent the last four years building out News Corp Australia’s on-demand and podcast segment as head of audio, has left the company.
