Media street: Inside the latest news and moves in AFL media world

A social media rant by the ABC journalist at the centre of the Hawthorn racism allegations didn’t get the reaction he was after.

North Melbourne President Dr Sonja Hood and Alastair Clarkson speak to the media.

The ABC journalist at the centre of the Hawthorn racism allegations has been forced to issue an apology to North Melbourne president Dr Sonja Hood after a social media rant.

Russell Jackson reacted to Hood’s letter to North Melbourne members on Friday where she used the terms “despite the noise of the past fortnight” in reference to the club’s recruiting after the departure of No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis.

He mistakenly believed she was referring to the allegations against newly appointed North coach Alastair Clarkson and Brisbane coach Chris Fagan during their time at Hawthorn.

In a scathing post on his Twitter account Jackson wrote, “The trauma of Hawthorn’s First Nations former players and their families is ‘noise’ to North Melbourne’s self-pitying president Sonja Hood. Her professional CV boasts: ‘Sonja is passionate about enabling women through building community connection’.”

North Melbourne president Sonja Hood with Alastair Clarkson. Picture: Michael Klein

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Hood then sent Jackson a legal letter through her lawyer Andrew Harris which resulted in Jackson deleting the tweet and apologising on Monday night.

“Dr Hood and I have since agreed that my interpretation of an ambiguous sentence in Dr Hood’s letter unintentionally led to allegations about her that were false and defamatory,” Jackson wrote.

“That tweet should never have been published and I have permanently deleted it. I retract those allegations and unreservedly apologise to Dr Hood.”

In Dr Hood’s letter to North Melbourne members last week she wrote, “Quite a bit has happened since I last wrote to you, and I thought it timely to update you on a couple of key issues”.

She spoke of some key recruits to the club including Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker and went on to say, “they’ve been steadfast about joining us despite the noise of the past fortnight, and that speaks volumes about their character”.

Dr Hood, who is also CEO of Community Hubs Australia, went on to reference the Clarkson matter saying the club was liaising with the AFL on when he would be able to start his new role at Arden St.

Clarkson, who is in Scotland on a professional development tour with Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic football club, was scheduled to start on November 1.

Originally published as Media street: Inside the latest news and moves in AFL media world