Karla Grant has been hosting Australia’s longest running Indigenous current affairs television program, Living Black, for the past twenty years.
Through ground-breaking investigations and inspiring interviews, the show has given a voice to communities, providing an important platform for underrepresented people while collecting a bunch of awards, including an Amnesty International Award, First Nations Media Awards, Kennedy Awards, and a Walkley Award in 2021.
As season 30 kicked off last week, we sat down with the Walkley award-winning presenter, Executive Producer and journalist to ask about recent interviews, First Nations journalism and the importance of representation.
Congratulations on the 30th season of Living Black. Since beginning your role as presenter and Executive Producer two decades ago, how do you think you have changed as a journalist? What would you tell yourself if you could go back and revisit the journalist from when you began?
Over the last 20 years, doing Living Black, and really focusing on my journalism, I’ve learned to listen a lot better. Before when I was a younger journalist, I would listen, but there were a lot of nerves involved. I’d interview a lot of different people but sometimes the nerves would kick in.
Now that I’m more experienced, I don’t feel that nervousness or anxiousness as much, and that enables me to really listen and to take in what people are saying to me, enabling me to ask informed questions off the back of their answers. I have definitely become a better listener.
If I could go back, I would tell myself to have more confidence. I always knew what I wanted to do. Growing up I always wanted to be a journalist. It was at the front of my mind, but I didn’t have the confidence back then that I have now. I think it comes with maturity and experience. I would say to myself to have more confidence and back yourself.
How are you currently feeling about the upcoming Voice to Parliament Referendum?
There’s so much happening with the Voice to Parliament Referendum. It’s really gaining momentum and there’s something happening every day.
It’s being spoken about in the news all the time. For me, it’s really about keeping up to date with the current events and the changes that are happening daily with the debate. I’m keeping up to date with what’s happening so I can stay informed. That will obviously help me with my Living Black interviews and the programs and coverage that NITV is producing around this issue.
Who are the people you turn to when you want to read a solid opinion about a political issue?
I don’t have any particular people that I turn to – I read a lot of articles on various websites because I have to be well-researched for my Living Black interviews. I don’t go to one particular person or publication; I go to many publications and websites. I read The Australian, ABC Online, SBS News and NITV.
I’m also old-school because I watch a lot of television news. I know a lot of people get their news online, and I do as well, but I also watch a lot of television news from ABC, SBS and NITV. I watch a few of the commercial stations too. I’ll channel surf and watch different programs, including a lot of current affairs shows.
How do you select your guests for the show? Is there are checklist or criteria you have in your head?
It depends on what the story is. We need to have interviewees to speak on certain issues. For conversations, we try to get people who have interesting stories to tell. I love delving into people’s lives and their careers – finding out what makes them tick.
It’s about having an interesting story to tell and something that the audience will be interested to hear and learn about. It’s also about making sure that the information we’re getting from that person is correct.
We want to speak to people who the audience can learn something from and be inspired and motivated by. That’s the checklist that goes into the program.
How do you prepare for an interview?
I do a lot of research. I’m covering so many different issues and jumping from one interview to the next, so I have to be well-informed and well-read. I read a lot of articles to find out as much as I can about the issue or the person I’m interviewing.
Do you still get nervous before a big interview?
I don’t get that nervous anymore, but when I was younger I did. I used to get a bit nervous and anxious before a big interview. These days I’m a lot more calm and I guess that’s because I focus on the job at hand. I think about the interview and I focus on that. As long as I’m well-prepared, then I feel quite confident going into an interview.
Sometimes there are a few butterflies depending on who the interviewee is. If it’s someone who you think might be hard on you like a politician, you might get a bit nervous. However, I’m more confident and experienced now.
How do you think about First Nations people in the media? Is representation getting better, or is it stagnating in a problematic way?
Representation in the media is getting better. From the time I started in the media 30 years ago, on-screen representation has certainly improved. There are a lot more First Nations journalists across the board now.
Previously, First Nations journalists might have only been concentrated across ABC and SBS, but now we’ve got so many more people, with some working in commercial television as well. We’re really infiltrating newsrooms right across the country – right across the board.
How do you think we should move forward and get more First Nations people in the media, fronting broadcast news and getting their voices heard?
While things have improved since the time when I first entered the industry, there still needs to be a lot more opportunities for First Nations to get their foot in the door. The industry needs to create more cadetships for journalists and traineeships in other areas of the media to boost our representation.
Once people are given that chance, I have found that they really excel and run with it. The number of cadetships and traineeships available is so minimal and it’s a very competitive industry to get into, so it can be hard for First Nations people to get their start.
In some cases, First Nations people may not have the same education levels as other people competing for those positions. At SBS, you’ve got people applying for the News and Current Affairs cadetship who have might have 2 or 3 degrees and speak several different languages.
First Nations people sometimes may not be able to compete on that same level because they may not have a degree or have had that opportunity to go to university. However, they may have other relevant experience like working in community media or have completed other studies. What they lack in those educational qualifications, they make up for with other life experience or experience in the industry.
Not everyone wants to be in front of the camera and on-screen – some people are interested in other jobs and would like to be an editor, camera operator, producer or director. If we can create more opportunities for those different roles, then we might see more First Nations people in the media.
You can stream the latest episodes of Living Black here.