EXCLUSIVE
Former 7.30 anchor Leigh Sales says she felt her job was “completely pointless”, as politicians dodged her questions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two months after stepping down as anchor of the ABC program, Sales has spoken candidly about her decision to resign at an event on Thursday, hosted by Griffith University and Home of the Arts (HOTA).
While Sales has previously maintained she resigned to spend more time with her family, she revealed on Thursday that she felt her job was “completely pointless” in the middle of 2021.
She says the government line at the height of COVID-19 harks back to the war on terror, where “you were either in favour of our policies or in favour of killing people.”
"I’m sure this played a part in my thinking to step down…"
"I just got tired of trying to get answers."
“I feel really despondent and that what I was doing was completely pointless,” the 49-year-old said.
Sales said she resonated with a quote from Karl Rove, which expresses that politicians “create new realities” while others are left to merely “study” the realities they create.
In the wide-ranging conversation with former 7.30 host Kerry O’Brien, Sales revealed she still has “no idea” what she wants to do next at the ABC.
"Will I keep doing [journalism]?"
“I hope so in some capacity, but that’s what part of taking this six months off is about… what could I do next that makes me feel like I am not contributing to things that I think are bad in the media?”
Sales explained that the highly-selective nature of news magnifies risks that are “statistically negligible”.
“I’m very concerned that the model of what we consider news is making worse the mental health epidemic.”
Sales said she has realised during her break that “news is full of things that are urgent but not important.”
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