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| ABC's Tony Jones walks the tightrope, with Q&A spotlight directly on itself | ABC's Tony Jones walks the tightrope, with Q&A spotlight directly on itself |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Tony Jones had the toughest of gigs: host a live TV show and address your own TV show’s most difficult week. A week in which the prime minister referred to your program as a “lefty lynch mob”. | Tony Jones had the toughest of gigs: host a live TV show and address your own TV show’s most difficult week. A week in which the prime minister referred to your program as a “lefty lynch mob”. |
| During the show – certain to attract more than its usual audience of one million viewers and thousands of tweets – he had to appear even-handed to even the harshest of critics berating him personally. | During the show – certain to attract more than its usual audience of one million viewers and thousands of tweets – he had to appear even-handed to even the harshest of critics berating him personally. |
| With two of Q&A’s guests pulling out at the 11th hour in protest at last week’s appearance of former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah, last-minute arrangements were made for the editor-at-large of the Australia, Paul Kelly, to join the panel. | With two of Q&A’s guests pulling out at the 11th hour in protest at last week’s appearance of former terrorism suspect Zaky Mallah, last-minute arrangements were made for the editor-at-large of the Australia, Paul Kelly, to join the panel. |
| Even these casting movements were the subject of rolling news reports on Monday. | Even these casting movements were the subject of rolling news reports on Monday. |
| The ABC managing director, Mark Scott, well aware of the pressure the Q&A staff were under, posted a supportive tweet: “Good luck to the #qanda team tonight – after a week of enormous pressure and scrutiny.” | |
| Pressure in the form of a PM calling for “heads to roll” over your program is quite some pressure. | |
| Related: Q&A host Tony Jones says Zaky Mallah should not have been allowed on show | Related: Q&A host Tony Jones says Zaky Mallah should not have been allowed on show |
| Jones began by acknowledging his “week of living dangerously” and the unusual situation in which Q&A became the story. | Jones began by acknowledging his “week of living dangerously” and the unusual situation in which Q&A became the story. |
| “I won’t be prosecuting a case tonight, but there are some facts we want to get on the record,” Jones said. | “I won’t be prosecuting a case tonight, but there are some facts we want to get on the record,” Jones said. |
| “The decisions on this program are made by all of us and it is our job to present a diversity of perspective. Safety is always a factor.” | “The decisions on this program are made by all of us and it is our job to present a diversity of perspective. Safety is always a factor.” |
| These bald facts Jones felt moved to present may or may not have been included in the ABC’s submission to the Department of Communications which had been sent off earlier in the day. On Tuesday the results of that urgent government inquiry will be in. | |
| But from Jones there also was a mea culpa: if the Q&A team had known about Mullah’s “very offensive misogynistic tweet” about two female News Corp columnists, he would not have been allowed to ask a question. The misogyny tweet was a deal-breaker, Jones said. | But from Jones there also was a mea culpa: if the Q&A team had known about Mullah’s “very offensive misogynistic tweet” about two female News Corp columnists, he would not have been allowed to ask a question. The misogyny tweet was a deal-breaker, Jones said. |
| Kelly joined a panel made up of US physicist Lawrence Krauss, Australia’s human rights commissioner Tim Wilson, counter-terrorism expert Anne Aly and the deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek. | |
| The first question was, of course, about Q&A, and the matter of Mallah’s role as an audience member and a questioner. Plibersek was first up, saying while the question was an error of judgment the government’s angry response was disproportionate. | The first question was, of course, about Q&A, and the matter of Mallah’s role as an audience member and a questioner. Plibersek was first up, saying while the question was an error of judgment the government’s angry response was disproportionate. |
| It soon became clear why Kelly had accepted the belated invitation. The News Corp political journalist had several points he wanted to make about where the ABC had gone wrong and he was going to make them, repeatedly. This was not an issue of free speech as Scott had “pretended”, Kelly said. This was a “gotcha” tabloid TV moment designed to embarrass the government. | It soon became clear why Kelly had accepted the belated invitation. The News Corp political journalist had several points he wanted to make about where the ABC had gone wrong and he was going to make them, repeatedly. This was not an issue of free speech as Scott had “pretended”, Kelly said. This was a “gotcha” tabloid TV moment designed to embarrass the government. |
| Had it been a dinner party discussion at his own home, Jones might have jumped in and told Kelly what the real thinking behind the question was. Instead he listened intently as Kelly’s anger rose that the ABC had given Mallah a platform, and his words echoed those that had been coming out of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire all week. | Had it been a dinner party discussion at his own home, Jones might have jumped in and told Kelly what the real thinking behind the question was. Instead he listened intently as Kelly’s anger rose that the ABC had given Mallah a platform, and his words echoed those that had been coming out of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire all week. |
| Kelly was having none of Jones’s suggestions that his own newspaper had also given Mallah a platform in the form of a major article in 2012, even declaring Mallah was reformed and was now a man of peace. | Kelly was having none of Jones’s suggestions that his own newspaper had also given Mallah a platform in the form of a major article in 2012, even declaring Mallah was reformed and was now a man of peace. |
| Kelly insisted it was not the same. You put him “up in lights” on live TV to confront a member of the government, he told Jones. | Kelly insisted it was not the same. You put him “up in lights” on live TV to confront a member of the government, he told Jones. |
| Wilson took it up a notch, addressing Jones directly with his “brutally honest” assessment: “I think the producers and yourself should be ashamed of yourself for giving him a platform.” | Wilson took it up a notch, addressing Jones directly with his “brutally honest” assessment: “I think the producers and yourself should be ashamed of yourself for giving him a platform.” |
| Jones’s training as an impartial host served him well. It’s hard to imagine any network but a public broadcaster hosting a program about such a controversial moment in its own history. | Jones’s training as an impartial host served him well. It’s hard to imagine any network but a public broadcaster hosting a program about such a controversial moment in its own history. |
| Later, when Wilson made a point about everyone being entitled to a view, Jones jumped in: “So you think people are entitled to their views?” | Later, when Wilson made a point about everyone being entitled to a view, Jones jumped in: “So you think people are entitled to their views?” |
| Wilson was furious and took the chance to admonish Jones for “using his platform” improperly. | Wilson was furious and took the chance to admonish Jones for “using his platform” improperly. |
| Jones was walking the tightrope of being a moderator and a player all at once. It doesn’t get harder than that. | Jones was walking the tightrope of being a moderator and a player all at once. It doesn’t get harder than that. |