Nat Barr slammed by online abuse after vaccine stance
Sunrise host Natalie Barr says she has been targeted by online trolls in a barrage of "disgusting" abuse over a recent segment discussing Western Australia's new vaccine policy.
The new ban recently came into place that bans unvaccinated parents in WA from visiting their sick children in hospital.
Nat Barr was discussing the new change with Perth Lord Mayor and broadcaster Basil Zempilas and Herald Sun columnist Susie O’Brien on the Seven breakfast show’s “Hot Topics” segment.
All three spoke in favour of the rule, with Barr concluding, “Other states have had various forms of this – and people have had time (to get vaccinated). I mean, really.”
The clip was posted to Twitter by conservative website Caldron Pool, who wrote with the video, “Western Australia bans unvaccinated parents from seeing their sick children in hospital. The media applauds exploiting desperate parents in their darkest hour.”
The video has since racked millions of views, with overseas viewers slamming Australia's vaccine mandates.
Speaking with The Australian, Barr said the online abuse came in a flood after the video had gone viral.
“Once it started hitting US and overseas websites and chat rooms that’s when the abuse started … swearing and negative language,” the 53-year-old said.
“If you’ve taken a stand and you’ve given your opinion, people don’t respect your opinion or they might put a screenshot on and write really disgusting language across the screenshot and then send that to you.”
Since starting at Sunrise last year, Nat said she has often been subject to distressing comments online: a view that is shared by other female journalists in Australia.
ABC's Leigh Sales previously described the amount of online hate she received for her coverage of various states' lockout laws and interviews with politicians.
“In the Australian corner of Twitter, the space is dominated by views that are militantly pro-lockdown, pro-Covid zero and pro-Labor premiers, and even the tamest of questions in those directions prompts an onslaught,” she said.
Image credits: Instagram @natalie_barr7