‘Counting surnames on TV’ isn’t effective: TV networks respond to media diversity report
This week’s report out of Media Diversity Australia was damning: TV networks have a diversity problem, especially when it comes to those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. But what do those media companies think about the report, and what are they doing to retain and attract diverse talent? Mumbrella’s Brittney Rigby talks through each network’s response, from Nine’s concerns about methodology to the omission of NITV in the research.
The commercial networks and public broadcasters have responded to the notable piece of research, released this week, into TV companies’ lack of cultural diversity. While all TV companies have acknowledged that more work needs to be done to improve the industry’s diversity, Nine has been particularly vocal on its concerns around the methodology of the study, and said the research contains “clear errors”.
The report – produced by four universities in partnership with Media Diversity Australia, and funded by Google – found that every national news director in Australia is a white man, and 96.9% of those in the most senior news management roles have an Anglo-Celtic or European background.
More than 75% of presenters, commentators and reporters are Anglo-Celtic, while only 6% have an Indigenous or non-European background, the ‘Who gets to tell Australian stories?’ report revealed. And of the free-to-air networks’ 39 board members, only one, at SBS, has an Indigenous background, and three a non-European background.
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This is a little problematic in that it doesn’t qualify the reach and impact of each personality. Just the volume.
I would argue the likes of Waleed, Stan Grant, Les Murray and Lee Lin Chin have punched way above their weight in impact on Aussie culture. There are countless more “Anglo Celtic men” on our screens long forgotten.
As an aside, the idea that “European” background is not diverse in 2020 is an insult to the hard work so many media personalities did through the 80s to normalise words like “wog” and encourage Australians to embrace the wonderful cultural contributions of continental Europeans.