Not sure which thread to say this in, or even if this revelation is worthy of its own. But it’s time to say something long overdue (even though some would’ve already known this about me):
I’m another Media Spy member who’s on the spectrum, so to speak. I’d be extremely surprised if there weren’t other autistic members on this forum (I wouldn’t even be surprised if there are people with autism working in the Australian media, but have chosen to keep their diagnosis private), but of course I’d never out anyone without their permission.
Why have I been reluctant to make this public for so long? Probably in large part because the Australian media’s track record when it comes to covering/representing those with autism is extremely poor. Sure there’s been those shows from the public broadcasters over the past year or so, but has anyone ever seen a positive representation of an autistic on mainstream Australian commercial television or radio? Because I certainly can’t remember any.
Of course, it’s nothing short of a relief that places like Media Spy exist for me to discuss elements of the media that the general public either ignore or hate. I never would’ve received so many insights (and of course, hope to receive many more in the future) about our TV and radio landscape if I never joined this forum or Twitter. On the flipside, I’m sure there’s occasionally been things I’ve picked up on before anyone else.
To say the least, right now is a very interesting time in history. While there are very few if any opportunities open at the moment, I really hope that at some point in the future I’ll get to meet more people from the media (having only met a few so far) or even actually get to visit a TV or radio network. But at the same time, of course I understand and accept that due to the current pandemic this is likely to be a while off like so many other good things in life.
Finally for now, a completely irrelevant thought which came to mind after being reminded that Sophie Delezio (who alongside Mike Dalton, Samara Gardner and Sarah Navin, is one of the very few media-related people I’ve actually met in real life as I’m sure many know by now) will be one of the subjects in the series of Anh’s Brush with Fame screening soon on ABC-TV: Doesn’t she live in London these days? If so, I personally think it’d be great if the London correspondent for Nine News who just happens to be another Sophie from Sydney did a “Special Report” with her at some point in the future! 