CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
I’LL TAKE THAT AS A REALLY COOL COMMENT: The ABC has this week had to confront the toxic brand of public debate that they have created by hosting weekly arguments between the loudest members of the Australian political class on live television.
This week it was announced that the public broadcaster is again looking for a new host for the flagship panel discussion show, Q&A after Hamish Macdonald’s decision to leave after 18 months.
The journalists decision to leave has reportedly got nothing to do with the ABC’s bizarre decision to move the show to a Thursday night, which is clearly the last night of the week anyone wants to hear about how fucked the world is.
It’s been reported today that abuse and scrutiny, primarily on Twitter, was a key factor in Macdonald’s decision to depart from the broadcaster, not even two years after jumping over from his role as The Sunday Project host on Channel 10.
The ABC now must address the fact that the idea of inviting multimillionaire politicians and media shills, from both sides of politics, each week is not good for the soul of the poor bastard hosting it.
Between the self-fellating neoliberal media progressives and the science-skeptic Murdoch shills who bury every valid point with accusations of political correctness, Australians appear to be growing tired of hearing Sydney and Melbourne Uni alumni tell us why their team is better.
Short of some blue-tick Twitter identities managing to nail a fairly pedestrian soundbite for their own social media content, there is very little achieved each time the programme goes to air.
Today the ABC has unveiled their plans to turn this all around with a much less confrontational format, by gently steering every heated discussion back to veggies gardens and worm farms.
By replacing Macdonald with the ABC legend and Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis, Q&A producers are aiming to bring a much more chilled out vibe to the programme.
Producers are also confident that Costa’s experience as volunteer rugby ref has equipped him the de-escalation tactics needed too settle things down when some low-rent LNP backbencher starts accusing Sarah Hanson-Young of personlly lighting the 2019 Black Summer bushfires.
