Why Amanda Rose quit Sunrise, and why women keep working for free

Amanda Rose didn't pick the stories. That's the detail she wants people to sit with, now that her three-year run as a Hot Topics panellist on Sunrise is over.

The commentator walked away from Channel 7's breakfast juggernaut after being handed what she called an "ultimatum" - stay exclusive to the unpaid gig, or watch her appearances get pulled back. 

She said so herself, in a since-viral Instagram video, dating analogies and all. But speaking to Mediaweek, Rose wanted to correct an assumption that had crept into the conversation: that if the segment was doing wonders for her personal brand, at least someone was getting something out of the arrangement.

"The thing is people need to realise that I didn't pick the stories," Rose told Mediaweek. "So the benefit was still limited."

"The benefit was still on the channel, because they picked stories. They knew that I would be passionate about, or that I would go viral on, and so forth - but it's not like I could pick stories that were going to benefit my business."

It's a small distinction with a big implication. The "exposure" argument only holds up if the exposed party has some say in what they're exposed to. Rose is arguing she didn't.

 

 

 

 

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Why are so many women working for free?

Put that question to Rose directly, and she doesn't hesitate.

"They're not valued by the world," she said. 

“They're pretty much told that you need to keep proving yourself. And the irony is the amount of men I have met that are getting paid that are absolutely useless - that really does put a hole in that argument. Because if you did it by merit, there'd be very few men involved. It's as simple as that.”

The exclusivity offer

Rose's public account of the split, laid out in her Instagram video, was more romantic comedy than trade dispute. She said she was told the network had noticed her doing "other media" and wanted her exclusive - a request she initially found flattering, until the fine print arrived.

"It's kind of like, 'I don't want you dating anyone else, but I won't marry you' vibes," she said in the video. "Essentially, I was told, 'Be exclusive with us unpaid, or we'll pull back your appearance.' It's an ultimatum."

She said the arrangement would have curbed her ability to build her own profile while the commercial upside stayed with the network. 

"The audacity of wanting me to be exclusive, then limits my ability to build my profile elsewhere. So the commercial benefit sits with a larger organisation, and I'm carrying all the risk."

Seven responds

A Seven spokesperson told Mediaweek that Rose's appearances, like those of many commentators, were unpaid - but disputed the idea that she'd been boxed in.

"She was absolutely welcome to continue appearing on other morning programs and remain part of the broader rotation of Sunrise guests, just not weekly," the spokesperson said. "She chose what worked best for her, and we respect that."

Rose sees it differently, and says the walkout was never really about her.

"This wasn't just me standing up for myself," she said. “This was me standing up for women.”