Lisa Wilkinson and I have something in common. We’re both former Campbelltown, New South Wales residents. However, that is where the similarities end. I used to admire her as she was a prime example of someone from my original hometown who made it big in journalism. Now, I can no longer support her.
My dislike for Lisa came when she won the Logie regarding her Brittany Higgins interview. At the time, the rape trial was happening, and I remember reading that she was told not to mention it if she won. When she did, she did the opposite of what she was ordered not to do. Anyone with a brain would have followed the orders given. If I had gotten this interview and the Logie nomination, I would have done what the court said, and that is not to say anything.
However, this is not about me. It is about Lisa’s disregard for where she came from. This has come up because a Daily Mail article was recently published that had her say, “I was a nobody from Campbelltown.” She said all this in an audio recording during a conversation with Brittany Higgins.
Lisa, Campbelltown Does NOT Produce Nobodies!
Okay, this is what I get from what she was talking about. She is presumedly making it look like that Campbelltown produces nobodies. I know many people will scream at me, but I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t care what you say. This isn’t very kind to anyone who has ever lived or worked in Campbelltown. Look at actor Tim Campbell. He’s from Campbelltown, too, and he has never once complained. At one time, part of his Instagram handle was ‘Campbelltown’. Look at Benji Marshall. He played for Wests Tigers, whose home ground is Campbelltown Stadium. While not from Campbelltown initially, he played for the local NRL team and has never complained.
Here’s the thing that Lisa didn’t consider. Every town in every part of the country is full of nobodies. You’re somebody only if you’re born into a well-established family. You see it all the time in Hollywood. Look at the Eastwoods and the Pecks as two prime examples.
Working Your Butt Off Doesn’t Mean You Get To Diss Where You Came From
While I appreciate that Lisa had to work her butt off to get where she is now, she forgets what it’s like to be at the bottom of the pile. You see this a lot in Hollywood also with people like Isla Fisher, who has all but renounced being on Home and Away, which gave her the acting start she needed to become the prominent actor she is today.
However, this concerns journalism and how some of its highest achievers behave. Just because you live in a multimillion-dollar house and have a well-paying job on a national television network doesn’t mean jack. People would kill to have been in Lisa’s shoes to have a position where they were paid millions annually.
Also, since went, has Lisa ever been interested in being “a champion of women”? Just because she mentored Mia Freedman and Deborah Thomas and has served as the editor of many magazines, one of which is now defunct (Cleo), doesn’t mean she’s a feminist.
A True Feminist Doesn’t Get Caught Badmouthing People
A true feminist wouldn’t badmouth their partner’s male coworker, regardless of whether they liked them. Also, they wouldn’t be caught in an audio recording and going on to claim, “It was taken out of context.”
If I, as a straight woman who happens to run an entertainment website, wanted to continue to look up to a woman who has so much money and so much privilege, I wouldn’t be saying anything. However, I tried to explain how I feel about Lisa Wilkinson’s privilege because I believe she has overstepped the mark and forgotten that her privilege gets into places where those with power would eagerly close ranks and deny any wrongdoing if something were to do wrong, like being sued for defamation as Wilkinson was by Bruce Lehrmann.
Before I end this post, I am not defending Lehrmann or Higgins either. I genuinely believe that something did happen that night in Parliament House, but I do not think it was an assault of any kind and was milked for media attention—my two cents, of course.
