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| ABC to broadcast clarification after Andrew Bolt racial abuse claim on Q&A | ABC to broadcast clarification after Andrew Bolt racial abuse claim on Q&A |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The ABC is planning to broadcast a clarification on Monday night after the conservative commentator Andrew Bolt demanded an apology over comments made by the Indigenous academic Marcia Langton. | The ABC is planning to broadcast a clarification on Monday night after the conservative commentator Andrew Bolt demanded an apology over comments made by the Indigenous academic Marcia Langton. |
| Langton has since stepped away from some of the claims she made about Bolt on last week’s Q&A program. | Langton has since stepped away from some of the claims she made about Bolt on last week’s Q&A program. |
| During a discussion about racial discrimination laws on the Q&A program last Monday, Langton said Bolt had subjected a fair-skinned Indigenous woman, Misty Jenkins, to “foul abuse” and she withdrew from public life as a result. | During a discussion about racial discrimination laws on the Q&A program last Monday, Langton said Bolt had subjected a fair-skinned Indigenous woman, Misty Jenkins, to “foul abuse” and she withdrew from public life as a result. |
| “Nothing that he said about her was political; it was simply racial abuse,” Langton said. | “Nothing that he said about her was political; it was simply racial abuse,” Langton said. |
| “He argued that she had no right to claim that she was Aboriginal and, like most fools who put this argument in public, we are expected to deny our parents and our grandparents because somebody believes in race theories.” | “He argued that she had no right to claim that she was Aboriginal and, like most fools who put this argument in public, we are expected to deny our parents and our grandparents because somebody believes in race theories.” |
| Bolt subsequently rejected the accusations and extracted a partial apology from Langton, who said she did not believe Bolt was racist. He called on the ABC to “correct the record and apologise for airing what host Tony Jones called ‘those sorts of facts’”. | Bolt subsequently rejected the accusations and extracted a partial apology from Langton, who said she did not believe Bolt was racist. He called on the ABC to “correct the record and apologise for airing what host Tony Jones called ‘those sorts of facts’”. |
| “Langton’s slurs devastated me and were false and defamatory. The damage should be repaired as best the ABC can,” Bolt wrote in a blog post last week. | “Langton’s slurs devastated me and were false and defamatory. The damage should be repaired as best the ABC can,” Bolt wrote in a blog post last week. |
| An ABC spokesman confirmed the next Q&A program would alert viewers to Langton’s new comments. | An ABC spokesman confirmed the next Q&A program would alert viewers to Langton’s new comments. |
| “There will be a clarification based on Marcia Langton’s subsequent clarification,” the spokesman said on Monday. | “There will be a clarification based on Marcia Langton’s subsequent clarification,” the spokesman said on Monday. |
| Bolt wrote last week that he had watched “in horror” as he was denounced as a racist on national television and was so bruised that he did not go to work on Tuesday. | Bolt wrote last week that he had watched “in horror” as he was denounced as a racist on national television and was so bruised that he did not go to work on Tuesday. |
| Bolt has been campaigning for the repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which makes it unlawful to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” a person or group because of their “race, colour or national or ethnic origin”. | Bolt has been campaigning for the repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, which makes it unlawful to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” a person or group because of their “race, colour or national or ethnic origin”. |
| A Federal Court judge in 2011 found that Bolt breached 18C by publishing newspaper articles that questioned the motivations of fair-skinned people who identified as Aboriginal. | A Federal Court judge in 2011 found that Bolt breached 18C by publishing newspaper articles that questioned the motivations of fair-skinned people who identified as Aboriginal. |
| Nine of the 18 individuals who were named in the articles gave evidence in the case. The articles covered in the case did not include the one that mentioned Jenkins. | Nine of the 18 individuals who were named in the articles gave evidence in the case. The articles covered in the case did not include the one that mentioned Jenkins. |
| According to the Federal Court’s ruling, the conduct found to have offended the section was not covered by the legal exemption for making fair comment in good faith, because the articles “contained errors of fact, distortions of the truth and inflammatory and provocative language”. | |
| Bolt’s publisher, the Herald & Weekly Times, argued at the time that an apology should not be compelled by an order of the court. | Bolt’s publisher, the Herald & Weekly Times, argued at the time that an apology should not be compelled by an order of the court. |
| On Wednesday, radio broadcaster Steve Price and Bolt interviewed Langton on 2GB, during which time the pair repeatedly asked her whether she stood by her claims on Q&A. | On Wednesday, radio broadcaster Steve Price and Bolt interviewed Langton on 2GB, during which time the pair repeatedly asked her whether she stood by her claims on Q&A. |
| Bolt said: “Everything you said was false and I’m wondering if I’m going to get an apology from you.” | Bolt said: “Everything you said was false and I’m wondering if I’m going to get an apology from you.” |
| Langton replied: “I will apologise to you, Andrew, but I don’t apologise for the way that way that you … my argument is that you pick on young people and what you do to young Aboriginal people is very dangerous.” | Langton replied: “I will apologise to you, Andrew, but I don’t apologise for the way that way that you … my argument is that you pick on young people and what you do to young Aboriginal people is very dangerous.” |
| Langton said Bolt had displayed a pattern of behaviour and appeared to have an “obsession with young fair-skinned” Indigenous people. | Langton said Bolt had displayed a pattern of behaviour and appeared to have an “obsession with young fair-skinned” Indigenous people. |
| “The original question is this: do I think you’re a racist? I don’t think you’re a racist, but I think what you do is you have a business plan and your business plan is to use vulnerable young Aboriginal people in a kind of weird game to make them feel embarrassed and humiliated because they identify as Aboriginal,” Langton told Bolt. | “The original question is this: do I think you’re a racist? I don’t think you’re a racist, but I think what you do is you have a business plan and your business plan is to use vulnerable young Aboriginal people in a kind of weird game to make them feel embarrassed and humiliated because they identify as Aboriginal,” Langton told Bolt. |
| The original discussion on Q&A was about the government’s plans to amend the Racial Discrimination Act to remove the provisions that allowed Bolt to be pursued in the courts over articles he wrote about light-skinned Indigenous people. | The original discussion on Q&A was about the government’s plans to amend the Racial Discrimination Act to remove the provisions that allowed Bolt to be pursued in the courts over articles he wrote about light-skinned Indigenous people. |
| The attorney general, George Brandis, defended the plan to change section 18C, which makes it unlawful to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” a person or group because of their “race, colour or national or ethnic origin”. Defending free speech, Brandis said the government should not “censor the expression of opinions that are unpopular or offensive to mainstream society”. | The attorney general, George Brandis, defended the plan to change section 18C, which makes it unlawful to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” a person or group because of their “race, colour or national or ethnic origin”. Defending free speech, Brandis said the government should not “censor the expression of opinions that are unpopular or offensive to mainstream society”. |
| “Andrew Bolt is not a racist and to accuse him of being a racist is itself a form of vile abuse of the man,” Brandis said. | “Andrew Bolt is not a racist and to accuse him of being a racist is itself a form of vile abuse of the man,” Brandis said. |
| Bolt wrote last week that the column that mentioned Jenkins was about “the groupthink Leftism at Melbourne University” for which he gave many examples. | Bolt wrote last week that the column that mentioned Jenkins was about “the groupthink Leftism at Melbourne University” for which he gave many examples. |
| Bolt wrote, in part: “Page four has a feature on Dr Misty Jenkins, a blonde and pale science PhD who calls herself Aboriginal and enthuses: ‘I was able to watch the coverage of Kevin Rudd’s [sorry] speech with tears rolling down my cheeks … Recognition of the atrocities caused by Australian government policies was well overdue’.” | Bolt wrote, in part: “Page four has a feature on Dr Misty Jenkins, a blonde and pale science PhD who calls herself Aboriginal and enthuses: ‘I was able to watch the coverage of Kevin Rudd’s [sorry] speech with tears rolling down my cheeks … Recognition of the atrocities caused by Australian government policies was well overdue’.” |
| Bolt is a long-time critic of the ABC. In the past few months the national broadcaster has been subject to strong criticism by conservative politicians and commentators over its approach to reporting on politics, including the Indonesian spying revelations and claims about asylum seeker operations. The Abbott government has launched an efficiency review of the ABC and SBS in a search for possible budget savings. | Bolt is a long-time critic of the ABC. In the past few months the national broadcaster has been subject to strong criticism by conservative politicians and commentators over its approach to reporting on politics, including the Indonesian spying revelations and claims about asylum seeker operations. The Abbott government has launched an efficiency review of the ABC and SBS in a search for possible budget savings. |