Laura Tingle shares "regret" over racism comments
Laura Tingle has shared her "regret" over her comments that Australia is "a racist country", as the ABC Director of News responded to her claims.
Tingle caused outrage after she made the claims about Australia being inherently racist during a panel on Sunday as part of the Sydney Writer's Festival.
Now, ABC News director Justin Stevens says her comments did not meet the organisation's editorial standards.
“Although the remarks were conversational, and not made in her work capacity, the ABC and its employees have unique obligations in the Australian media,’’ he said in a statement.
“Today she has explained her remarks in more detail to ensure there is a factual record of the relevant context and detail."
“The ABC’s editorial standards serve a vital role. Laura has been reminded of their application at external events as well as in her work and I have counselled her over the remarks."
In response to much nation-wide backlash over her comments, Tingle issued a lengthy statement clarifying her remarks and also sharing her "regret".
“I did indeed make the observation on Sunday that we are a racist country, in the context of a discussion about the political prospects ahead,’’ Tingle said.
“I wasn’t saying every Australian is a racist. But we clearly have an issue with racism. Without even going into the historic record, there is also ample evidence that racism remains a particular problem in our legal and policing systems."
“In my commentary at the ABC, and at the Sydney Writers’ Festival, I expressed my concern at the risks involved in Peter Dutton pressing the hot button of housing and linking it to migration for these reasons," she continued.
“Political leaders, by their comments, give licence to others to express opinions they may not otherwise express. That does not make them racist, but it has real world implications for many Australians.”
She went on to add a statement of "regret", saying, “I regret that when I was making these observations at the Writers’ Festival the nature of the free-flowing panel discussion means they were not surrounded by every quote substantiating them which would have – and had – been included in what I had said earlier on the ABC."
“This has created the opportunity for yet another anti-ABC pile-on. This is not helpful to me or to the ABC. Or to the national debate. I am proud of my work as a journalist at the ABC, on all its platforms, and I let that work speak for itself.”
ABC News boss Justin Stevens confirmed on Thursday that Tingle had been “counselled over her remarks” and "reminded of their application at external events as well as in her work."
Image credits: ABC News / DANNY CASEY/EPA-EFE / Shutterstock Editorial