Lisa Wilkinson's very good point about the new Today show line-up
After Nine Network announced the new line-up for the Today show, the team could not have been more excited as they took to social media to share the happy news.
But it was former co-host Lisa Wilkinson who had a few choice words on the highly anticipated announcement.
Channel Nine revealed on Saturday that Deb Knight will be replacing Karl Stefanovic and co-host the program alongside Georgie Gardner. Other new additions include Tom Steinfort who replaces Sylvia Jeffreys as newsreader and Tony Jones taking over Tim Gilbert as sports presenter.
But despite the happy revelations, Lisa Wilkinson – who famously quit the show due to pay disparities in October 2017 made a fair point as she critiqued the reporting style of a newspaper story on the new lineup.
Taking to Instagram, Wilkinson wished the new team good luck alongside a photo of the newspaper report before pointing out the choice of words the publication used.
“Warmest congratulations to the fab new team just announced,” wrote Wilkinson.
“I sincerely wish them all the very best in the breakfast wars ahead.
“But as my media studies daughter noted to me, why oh why oh why, in the reporting of the new team do the ages of the women need to be pointed out while the men’s don’t? Similarly, Deb (Knight) being a mum of three is considered significant, but Tony (Jones) being a dad isn’t?
“I don’t understand,” she wrote.
“We obviously have a long way to go when it comes to gender equity (sic).”
This isn’t the first time Knight and Gardner’s ages have been published, as Nine’s own site, 9Honey have used the same style of reporting as the one Wilkinson deemed problematic.
This is the first time Wilkinson has commented on the Today show since Karl Stefanovic’s sacking, where she offered her well wishes.
Pumped to be joining @TheTodayShow - and how good to be doing it with legends like @GeorgieG & @deborah_knight & @TJch9! We launch at the Aus Open on Jan 14....I propose a high stakes mixed doubles tournament between the new gang on day one 🎾
— Tom Steinfort (@tomsteinfort) January 5, 2019
Excited to say I’m joining @TheTodayShow on a permanent basis - joining @GeorgieG and @tomsteinfort on a show I’ve always loved working on. The team is terrific. #iwakeupwithtoday
— deborah knight (@deborah_knight) January 5, 2019
The show, which is back on air the same time as the Australian Open on January 14, had Steinfort proposing a “high stakes mixed doubles tournament” while Knight took the gracious route and tweeted how she’s “always loved working on” the show.