ABC chair Ita Buttrose (Image: AAP/Lukas Coch)
ABC chair Ita Buttrose (Image: AAP/Lukas Coch)

ABC chair Ita Buttrose has issued a soft apology in a letter to the Australian Monarchist League (AML) for the broadcaster’s coverage of the coronation of King Charles III in May, after a backlash over including Indigenous perspectives on the effects of colonisation.

Condemnation of the broadcast, largely led by the AML and its chair, former senator Eric Abetz, resulted in “around” 1800 complaints, a Senate estimates hearing was told in late May. Of those, 59 raised issues related to editorial policies, which were referred to the ABC ombudsman’s office for investigation, and 1100 were deemed racist or abusive.

ABC ombudsman Fiona Cameron later cleared the coverage of any editorial breaches but conceded the segment may have been “jarring” for some viewers. In her letter to the AML earlier this month, Buttrose said there “are always lessons to be learnt” from covering significant events.

“I do acknowledge that there are members of our audience who sought to watch the ABC to view and focus on the live feed of the arrivals and were subsequently disappointed,” she wrote. “That appears to be the view of your organisation and those who are signatories to your petition. I am sorry they were disappointed with our coverage.”

The ABC declined a request for comment.

The coverage became the subject of a media storm driven by royalist criticism of the ABC’s panel coverage, which saw the AML launch a petition demanding the broadcaster apologise for its “biased” coverage and that “such hijacking” never happens again.

Abetz said the ABC’s apology was a “Clayton’s apology”, one you give when “you’re not really” apologising, before taking issue with the “stereotyping” of all monarchists as “conservatives”.

“Simply put, living in their bubble the ABC personnel just don’t understand their audience and have no idea how to respond when confronted by their audience’s criticism,” Abetz told Crikey.

The panel coverage, which was hosted by Jeremy Fernandez and Julia Baird, along with Q+A host Stan Grant, was a ratings killing for the ABC, with it beating all commercial competitors on total audience numbers, according to internal numbers seen by Crikey.

Indigenous writer and lawyer Teela Reid joined as a guest, alongside monarchist and Liberal Party backbencher Julian Leeser, as well as Craig Foster, co-chair of the Australian Republic Movement. The panel discussed the role of the monarchy in modern Australia and the consequences of colonialism for Indigenous peoples. It was broadcast for some 45 minutes before the ABC took the BBC’s live feed.

Grant, who became the target of media criticism and racism on social media, later announced that he would take leave from his role as host of Q+A. In a column, Grant said that since appearing on the coronation panel, he had seen “people in the media lie and distort” his words and had faced surging racial abuse on social media, directed at both him and his wife.

Shortly after Grant announced he’d step back, ABC News boss Justin Stevens released a statement urging critics to direct their complaints at him, not Grant.

“Over many months, but particularly in recent days, Stan Grant has been subject to grotesque racist abuse, including threats to his safety. This has become particularly virulent since he appeared as part of the ABC’s coronation coverage,” Stevens said.

Stevens said Grant was only one of a range of panellists and that he was “not the instigator” of the coverage. He had been asked to participate “as a Wiradjuri man to discuss his own family’s” lived experience.

“It is part of the ABC’s role to facilitate such important conversations, however confronting and uncomfortable, and to reflect the diversity of perspectives,” Stevens said.

Should Buttrose have apologised? Let us know 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.