Stan Grant critiques the media's handling of the news story involving Sam Kerr, highlighting the lack of grace and humanity. He explores racism in sports media, shares insights on his hiatus from the media world, and discusses the importance of empathy and understanding in addressing racial dynamics. The podcast also delves into personal struggles in the public eye, media responsibilities, and features a farewell to Stan Grant with details on his new column in The Saturday Paper.
Media lacks grace and humanity in covering racism incidents like Sam Kerr's case.
Approaching conversations on racism with good faith and love can foster genuine human interactions.
Deep dives
Reflections on Media Coverage and Racism
Stan Grant reflects on media coverage of racism incidents involving public figures like Sam Kerr and NRL players. He discusses the complexity of such cases where racial dynamics and power structures play a significant role. Grant highlights the media's tendency to reduce individuals to caricatures and the lack of nuance in addressing racism. He emphasizes the importance of approaching these conversations with good faith, generosity, and love to foster genuine human interactions.
Returning to Writing and Addressing Complex Issues
Grant explains his decision to return to writing and engage with complex societal issues in platforms like the Saturday paper. Despite the risks and challenges involved, he believes in offering a different perspective and contributing to meaningful dialogue. Grant stresses the need for enlarging the space for peaceful discussions and avoiding perpetuating conflicts. He also emphasizes the role of media in reflecting and sometimes perpetuating societal divisions and conflicts.
Identity, Truth, and Journalism
In discussing his identity and approach to storytelling, Grant shares his views on journalism, truth, and larger human realities. He expresses discomfort with being labeled solely as a journalist, highlighting his inclination towards philosophy, theology, and storytelling. Grant delves into the concept of truth, suggesting that facts alone do not encapsulate the depth of truths in human experiences. He emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity on a finite planet as a fundamental truth that informs his storytelling.
Stan Grant left the ABC, citing the media had failed — it had failed him and his family, and it had failed the country.
Last week, he was struck by a stark reminder when the news of the charging of Sam Kerr in the UK led to an enormous amount of coverage that failed to deal with the story with grace, humanity and a real interrogation of what racism means.
Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Stan Grant, on his reflections on the media since he left it and where he finds hope.