![]() ![]() This was incorrect: the broadcaster showed segments of the live stream but not from inside the mosque. Note: A previous version of this article said Sky News played the gunman's live stream of scenes from inside the mosque. Rashna Farrukh is a former Sky News employee. ![]() The news we read, the way we talk about minorities in our community - every decision we make matters and it all adds up.Īs we saw in Christchurch, what happens in our media can have real life consequences. This isn't limited to journalists - it applies to all Australians. They did not realise that the person on the other end of the phone was both of those things.Īnd in the aftermath of Friday's terror attack, Sky's coverage was among Australian media outlets who played parts of the gunman's live stream. I answered calls from viewers who yelled about immigrants and Muslims ruining Australia. I watched as Bronwyn Bishop, following the "terror raids" in Sydney, insisting that "war" had been declared against western culture. I was there when Pauline Hanson proudly talked about how she would, the following day, put forward the "It's OK to Be White" motion to counter the rise of so-called anti-white racism. I was there when Cory Bernardi advocated for banning the burqa, and when he called on the government to remove "offend" and "insult" from 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act under the guise of free speech. I'd walk commentators to the studio where after some very polite chit chat - "how are you?", "how's uni going?"- they'd go on air and talk about my community. I compromised my values and beliefs to stand idly by as I watched commentators and pundits instil more and more fear into their viewers. ![]() ![]() Rather, conservative media commentators came together with current and former right-wing politicians, disseminating misinformation which bordered on conspiracies. I realised pretty quickly though that the Sky News I worked on wasn't focused on reporting facts and informing the public. I didn't do as much research as I should have. I was excited that I would get to work in Parliament House, and there could be a full-time job when I graduated. I was 19, and though I'd heard about Sky News, I had never watched it before. When I started, I did not know what I was getting myself into. I was a liaison for the channel based in their Canberra studio, a junior role helping with studio guests and the running of the office as a casual a few times a week. On Saturday, I finally sent in my letter of resignation. More specifically, Sky News "after dark" - when the rolling coverage of the day's news makes way for conservative commentators to share the "opinions you can't ignore".Īs a young Muslim woman, I had many crises of conscience working here, but the events of Friday snapped me out of the endless cycle of justifying my job to myself. This is because for the past three years, I've worked at Sky News. In the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attack, my social media feeds have filled with people expressing their shock and disbelief that something like this could happen in our part of the world.īut like Waleed Aly, I wasn't shocked and couldn't understand why anyone else would be either. ![]()
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