Q & A apology to Andrew Bolt

Q & A host Tony Jones last night apologised to News Corp columnist and TEN presenter Andrew Bolt following remarks by indigenous academic Marcia Langton last week.

At the time Langton said Bolt had heaped “foul abuse” on indigenous woman Misty Jenkins, which led to her withdrawal from public life.

“Nothing that he said about her was political. It was simply racial abuse,” Professor Langton said on the program.

“He argued that she had no right to claim that she was Aboriginal and, like most fools who put this argument in public, we are expected to deny our parents and our grandparents because somebody believes in race theories.”

But speaking later on 2GB she apologised to Bolt that while she didn’t think he was racist, he was “playing with racist ideas. He goes too far to the line”.

“I will apologise to you,” she added.

As a result Q & A offered an apology last night.

“During a discussion around the Federal Government’s plan to repeal some parts of the Act, Professor Langton made statements suggesting that she believed that Mr Andrew Bolt was a racist,” said Tony Jones.

“But after the program Professor Langton said publicly she did not believe Mr Bolt is a racist, although she profoundly disagrees and disputes his views and his statements on Aboriginality. She apologised to him and as a result the ABC apologised for the broadcasting her remarks.”

Today Andrew Bolt wrote “The ABC’s apology did not go far enough, failing to include a specific acknowledgement that claims I’d subjected Dr Misty Jenkins to “foul abuse” and driven her from “public life” were utterly false. But it is a start.”

Q & A has also invited Bolt to appear on the programme but he is yet to indicate if he will accept.