The shock news that Paul Barry is stepping down from hosting one of the ABC’s most-watched programs, Media Watch, has naturally inspired a slew of speculation over who might be his replacement.
Barry has hosted the program for 11 years, the latest in a long line of experienced journalists to have held the role. Rumours are rife as to who might take his place — including about cartoon blue heelers and former employees — so Crikey asked 14 ABC journalists who they wanted in the job.
While our informal survey remained anonymous so as to protect any professional repercussions for ABC employees, whose scope for public opinion is particularly limited, we made clear we were seeking their thoughts on who they wanted to see in the role, rather than who they thought might in fact fill it when Barry hangs up the microphone in November.
A common theme among ABC reporters was the desire for diversity to be represented in the new host.
“Not a straight white man would be a nice start,” said one reporter.
“Would love to see more diverse voices there,” said another.
It was clear in our interviews that ABC journalists held a deep respect for the program, which still pulls in around 750,000 viewers to its 15 minute Monday night timeslot.
“It’s got to be someone with authority, that role is there to hold the whole media to account” said one journalist.
“If the host flops and the show loses its weight, there are consequences for standards across the industry. Leigh Sales would have the gravitas — Andy Park guest hosted a little bit too and he was pretty good.”
Another common view was that Media Watch could be well served with a shake-up. ABC reporters were open to the host not being a journalist, and for them to not be part of the “media class”.
While previous hosts of Media Watch, including the likes of Stuart Littlemore and Richard Ackland, had been lawyers, every single host of the program had experience as a working journalist before they were handed the reins.
“I don’t want some of the suggested names like Annabel Crabb or Leigh Sales. I feel like the new host could challenge some of the orthodoxy we see in the media from the kinds of stuff that is consistently covered,” said one reporter.
“They are the same boring media class we’ve seen before. Paul Barry’s crusade against News Corp just got so tired, and also a bit meta with him responding to them responding to him.”
“I don’t think you have to be a journo — a lot of journos are pretty dumb,” said another.
One reporter explicitly called for Littlemore’s return, while another suggested RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas (although they qualified it as an “outrageous, never-going-to-happen” suggestion).
Despite the diversity of views presented, one thing was clear: the desire for Media Watch to remain fearless in its coverage was paramount.
One journalist said the new host needed to continue to keep the heat on its own house, with managing director David Anderson recently admitting the broadcaster is failing to meet its standards on bullying and sexual harassment. A recent internal survey of news division employees found 13% of respondents, compromising just under a third of staff in the division, had experienced sexual harassment in the past two years.
“I think Media Watch has a long, great history of holding the media accountable … but [addressing] bullying and harassment is part of the key to creating high-quality journalism,” they said.
“You can’t just talk about content without looking into how staff are treated.”
Some of the other names suggested included recently departed Late Night Live host Phillip Adams, Question Everything host Jan Fran, as well as Antoinette Lattouf, who floated herself in an op-ed in The Sydney Morning Herald last week. Lattouf remains in litigation against the ABC over her sacking in December last year.
“Antoinette [Lattouf] hands down — she’s fearless and has a good nose for bullshit,” said one reporter.
One reporter jokingly told Crikey the job should go to the ABC’s chief content officer Chris Oliver-Taylor, who was part of the team of senior leadership involved in Lattouf’s departure from the broadcaster.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that 13% of ABC news division employees had reported experiencing sexual harassment at the broadcaster in the last two years, according to an internal survey. It has been updated to reflect that the figure was in fact 13% of respondents to the survey, which only comprised 29.1% of news division staff.
Who do you think should be the next host of Media Watch? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
