Vile online abuse has been levelled at revered ABC presenter Leigh Sales within hours she announced she wxjmtzywould be stepping down from the broadcaster’s current affairs flagship.
Ms Sales revealed to viewers on Thursday night’s 7.30 program she would finish her role as the show’s presenter in late June.
“I feel a strong sense of it being time to pass the baton to the next runner in the race and to take a break,” she said.
“I’ve always approached this job with one goal and that is to ask frank questions of people in power, without fear or favour, that a fair-minded, reasonable person with some common sense watching at home might like to ask if they were sitting in my position.”
It marks an end to almost 12 years presenting 7.30 – her stint spanning five prime ministers, nine budgets and two elections with a third on the way.
But amid the well-wishes for her next move came the trolls.
Within minutes of the announcement online barbs were already being fired at Ms Sales, attacking her over perceived bias towards the government.
“Sales‘ hopeless bias has helped keep a transparently corrupt party in government for NINE years!” One Twitter user wrote within an hour of her announcement.
“Anyone else feel it was a bit egocentric of Leigh Sales to make a lengthy detailed announcement of her retirement from #ABC730 about 5 months in advance?? Like she thinks she is more important to us than may actually be the case perhaps??” Another user said.
Another wrote: “I don’t hate her. I have a low regard for her skills as an objective journalist. It began with her surprise appearance at a 2020 Vic Gov daily covid presser.”
Others questioned whether veteran journalist Laura Tingle would take over the role in Ms Sales’ stead.
“Well lets face it Laura Tingle is (sic) Australias foremost journalist and interviewer, able to cut through most arguments. Leigh Sales to me tries to push an agenda and it shows.” A Twitter user wrote in response to the suggestion.
Ms Sales is no stranger to the receiving end of the vile abuse, having publicly revealed some of the messages she received after grilling Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2020.
Ex-Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett even weighed in, accusing Ms Sales of being “disrespectful” and having bad manners.
A piece she wrote last year for the ABC attracted after she said “overwhelmingly left-leaning Twitter users” were targeting her with tweets “goading me to quit, demanding the ABC sack me, telling me I‘m useless, stupid, biased and incompetent”.
“(The bullying) is non-stop, personal, often vile, frequently unhinged and regularly based on fabrications,” she wrote.
An ABC spokeswoman said the online abuse had played no role in Ms Sales’ recent decision.
“The relentless and often politically motivated abuse of journalists and others on social media – often women and culturally diverse journalists in particular – is disgusting and unacceptable,” the spokeswoman said.
“7.30 has 1 million viewers per episode, a small number of whom are on Twitter. Their influence on Leigh’s real-life decisions is zero.”
A two-time Walkley Award winner, Ms Sales joined the ABC in 1995 as a junior reporter in Brisbane before going on to hold senior roles at the network, including National Security Correspondent.
From 2001-2005 she was the ABC’s Washington correspondent, covering major events like the Iraq war and 2004 presidential election.
