Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes independent review panel raises eyebrows in media industry

CHANNEL NINE has come under scrutiny for not appointing an independent panel to investigate the 60 Minutes’ child snatch saga.

Gerald Stone, former Nine Network executive and producer of TV show '60 Minutes', who has written book 'Who Killed Channel 9?', at the Pan Australia office in Sydney.

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CHANNEL 9 has raised eyebrows for not appointing an independent panel to investigate the 60 Minutes’ child snatch saga.

Nine Entertainment Co. chief executive Hugh Marks confirmed former founding 60 Minutes boss Gerald Stone, one-time company spin doctor David Hurley and its current general counsel Rachel Launders “to ascertain what went wrong and why our systems, designed to protect staff, failed to do so in this case.”

In a memo to staff yesterday, Mr Marks conceded the current affairs flagship program had: “at no stage ... intend[ed] to act in any way that made them susceptible to charges that they breached the law or to become part of the story that is Sally’s story. But we did become part of the story and we shouldn’t have.”

The embattled NEC boss also singled out 60 Minutes’ new executive producer Kirsty Thomson and Nine’s director of Darren Wick for their rescue efforts in getting the crew of Tara Brown, Stephen Rice, Ben Williamson and David Tallment out of jail, while supporting their anguished families who trusted management “to resolve events.”

Gerald Stone, former Nine executive and producer of 60 Minutes.

David Hurley at Nine’s studios in Sydney.

In a resounding show of support, Mr Marks thanked Mr Wick for his tireless work on the ground in Lebanon for the past week, urging colleagues to “drop in to Wickie’s office when he is back and say thanks.”

Both Thomson and Wick will now surely face questioning over just who approved the botched child recovery mission — as Adam Whittington and the other contracted recovery agents continued their legal fight from Lebanese jail.

Nine, which is under no official obligation to look externally for candidates, said the review panel had been tasked “with recommending the necessary actions to ensure that none of our colleagues are put in a similar position in the future.”

The 60 minutes crew together again: Tara Brown, Stephen Rice, Ben Williamson, Channel 9 Network Director of News and Current Affairs Darren Wick and David Ballment. Picture: Channel 9

Jonathan Holmes, the former host of ABC’s Media Watch program, said of Nine’s review panel appointments: “If they’re going to have an internal review with a couple of mates, then I think Gerald Stone and David Hurley are as good as they’re going to get.”

He continued: “Obviously they are Nine through-and-through; they are both very experienced, both know the business backwards and relatively independent people.”

He defended the network for paying the price for its staffers’ freedom after sending them to do a job “you asked them to do.”

Tara Brown and the 60 Minutes crew with tickets for their flights at Beirut airport. Picture: Liam Kidston.

“The one thing you have to do in those situations where people have got into trouble because they’re doing what you told them to do is you have to get them out,” Mr Holmes said.

Peter Meakin, Channel 10’s news boss and long-time colleague of both Stone and Hurley, suggested the bungle “seems to have happened at a time when there was a bit of regime change going on but I don’t know what’s going to happen there. I’m just glad it’s been resolved because it looked for a while there like it was going to go on for months or even years.”

Remarking on the ratings potential for the story once told by 60 Minutes, Meakin said: “It will no doubt polarise the audience and I’ve got no doubt that when it gets to air it will rate more highly than it otherwise would have.”