Days after Stan Grant announced that he would be stepping back from his role as ABC’s Q+A host due to racial abuse, SBS’s NITV has informed Twitter users the team will be taking “a break” from posting content on the platform for the same reason.
“You may have noticed we haven’t been using Twitter much lately,” the official NITV Twitter account posted on Sunday. “We’ve decided to take a break from it. We’ve had enough of the racism and hate that we see and experience every day on this platform. It’s just not a place we want or need to be, particularly during a time when things are heavy enough.
“We’re still doing what we do – news, insights, opinions and stories from mob all over the continent. Head to nitv.com.au, follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and if you are on Twitter @SBS News and @SBS also share NITV content.”
— NITV (@NITV) May 21, 2023
In addition, the account’s bio section now reads “This account is inactive. You can head to http://sbs.com.au/nitv for the latest news and updates.”
An SBS spokesperson said of the decision: “NITV’s use of Twitter has been under review, and effective immediately the NITV Twitter account will no longer be in use. The decision to step away from the platform was made as a result of the ongoing and increasing racism and hate that those teams monitoring and managing the account see and experience every day, when simply doing their jobs.
“This abuse is not new, but it is increasing in its intensity, and this is among measures in place to assist in safeguarding our teams and doing what we can to ensure the conversation in the lead up to the Referendum – at least on our platforms – remains constructive and respectful. The wellbeing of our people remains our highest priority.”
Mariam Veiszadeh, CEO of not-for-profit Media Diversity Australia (MDA), called the announcement “unprecedented and yet unsurprising,” highlighting that recent research from MDA found “amplified abuse faced by journalists of diverse backgrounds.”
She finished by writing that “The status quo is unsustainable.”
On Friday, Stan Grant announced that Monday 22nd will mark his final episode hosting Q+A, and that he will be stepping back from writing columns for the ABC. He cites racial abuse that he has been on the receiving end of since the coronation of King Charles III.
See Also: Stan Grant to leave Q+A, citing racist abuse after ABC’s coronation coverage
Grant went on to speak about how the ABC’s reaction to the abuse helped him come to his decision.
“I am writing this because no one at the ABC — whose producers invited me onto their coronation coverage as a guest — has uttered one word of public support. Not one ABC executive has publicly refuted the lies written or spoken about me. I don’t hold any individual responsible; this is an institutional failure.”