It’s no coincidence that three weeks ago we launched a damning report into the online safety of diverse journalists. The research outlined the constant abuse and harassment that plagues diverse journalists. A staggering 85 per cent of Aboriginal, CALD, LGBTQIA+ and media workers with a disability have experienced personal or professional abuse online. Within just a few weeks of the release of that report, Grant announced he was leaving the ABC.

In Australia, we have moved past the recognition that there is a problem with diversity in the media, but we are unsure as a nation what to do about it. We are leaving the heavy lifting to journalists such as Grant, expecting them to provide us with the deeper and more varied insights we desperately need. Then, when the going gets tough, the institution effectively abandons him. After an outpouring of public support, we did see the ABC’s managing director issue an apology to Grant and a commitment to do better. But if we had more First Nations journalists and more culturally diverse reporters Grant’s departure wouldn’t feel so seismic.

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Instead, to many, it feels like we’ve lost our shining light. When Hamish Macdonald or Leigh Sales step back from the limelight citing “toxicity”, it is also deeply disturbing but there are others to fill the void. With Grant there is an added layer of responsibility. So many journalists of colour pin their hopes and aspirations on a figure such as him, a man with a reputation for helping pave the way for up-and-coming talent from diverse backgrounds. But if even he can’t survive, what hope do the rest of us have?

It can’t be easy carrying that responsibility on your shoulders. It’s also not easy to enact policies that would change this reality, to protect our most vulnerable media workers from harassment and abuse. One of the key recommendations from our report emphasises the need for “workplaces to evaluate and account for the risks to diverse staff using these platforms with greater responsibility placed on processes and training, rather than individuals”.

But no amount of research could have prepared me for the news that Grant was bowing out of public life. His announcement is a gut punch to many of us who see him not only as a trailblazer and venerated journalist. His mere presence occupying the upper echelons of a small and contested space was a comfort and validation that we also deserve a seat at the table.

I now wonder whether I should have followed in my cousin’s footsteps towards a more stable career and regular pay cheque, free from online harassment. What I do know is that Grant’s absence will leave a huge void in public discourse. And Australia will be poorer for it.

Isabel Lo is the founder and chair of Media Diversity Australia. She lives in New York City. Stan Grant is on the advisory board for Media Diversity Australia.

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