‘Shocker’: Nine radio stars address Peter Costello airport incident

Some of Nine Entertainment’s top radio stars have offered words of advice to their chairman Peter Costello after he allegedly knocked a journalist to the ground.

Some of Nine Entertainment’s biggest radio stars have criticised their boss Peter Costello on air after he allegedly knocked a journalist to the ground on Thursday.

2GB host Ben Fordham said Mr Costello had “had a shocker”.

Mr Costello has been accused of pushing over The Australian journalist Liam Mendes at Canberra Airport, a claim Mr Costello denies.

Footage taken by Mr Mendes and posted on The Australian’s website shows Mr Mendes approaching the former federal treasurer inside the terminal and proceeding to follow him through the terminal and ask him a series of questions related to Nine’s handling of harassment allegations against its former news director Darren Wick.

In the video, Mr Costello appears to walk towards Mr Mendes before Mr Mendes falls to the ground.

Footage shows The Australian journalist Liam Mendes falling to the ground. Picture: The Australian.

“You’ve just assaulted me,” Mr Mendes says to Mr Costello while lying on the floor.

Mr Costello said Mr Mendes fell over after he backed into an advertising placard.

“I did not strike him,” Mr Costello told reporters on Thursday.

On Friday morning, Fordham told listeners of his radio show on 2GB, which is owned by Nine, that he had written to his boss to invite him on air to address the incident.

Fordham said he was yet to receive a response from Mr Costello and described to his audience how he thought the “ugly” incident had played out.

“It seems like Peter Costello was taken by surprise. He was not expecting a reporter to be waiting for him inside the terminal at Canberra Airport,” Fordham said.

2GB host Ben Fordham said Mr Costello should have handled the incident better. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“When Liam Mendes fired off questions, the Channel 9 chairman appears to be increasingly frustrated. Mr Costello picks up his pace and walks into Liam Mendes.

“Liam falls over some advertising billboards and falls on his backside.

“Mr Costello does not stop to offer assistance or check that he’s OK.”

Fordham said the incident was “not a good look” and Mr Costello “should have handled it better”.

Fordham said if Mr Costello was to come on his show, he would say: “Boss, you’ve had a shocker.”

2GB host Ray Hadley also addressed the incident, saying from the company’s point of view, “it’s not really good when the chair is accused, let alone acted in the way that he allegedly acted”.

2GB host Ray Hadley also addressed the incident. Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles

In Melbourne, Tom Elliot, who hosts a show on 3AW, which is also owned by Nine, said there would almost certainly be CCTV footage of the incident that would prove who was correct.

“If Mr Mendes is right, and he was pushed over by Peter Costello, that is a very, very bad look for Peter Costello,” Elliot said.

“You might not like having a microphone shoved in your face, Mr Costello might have been tired after his flight, I don’t know, but you don’t push people over.

“To Peter Costello I say, if you did push Mr Mendes over, apologise and be done with it. If you didn’t, stand your ground.”

Originally published as ‘Shocker’: Nine radio stars address Peter Costello airport incident