Age management intervenes after senior journalists embroiled in heated newsroom incident

Two senior Age journalists have been involved in a heated newsroom incident forcing management to intervene.

The Age offices in the Nine Network building in Docklands. Picture: AAP

Two senior Age journalists have been involved in a heated newsroom incident after Indigenous affairs journalist Jack Latimore allegedly directed obscene language at the newspaper’s culture editor, Osman Faruqi, resulting in management intervening.

The workplace incident, which took place last month, has been the subject of much discussion within the Nine Entertainment-owned newspaper and media circles in Melbourne and resulted in action by the newspaper’s editor Patrick Elligett.

Multiple sources, who requested anonymity, told The Australian the matter was over a misunderstanding Latimore had in relation to editorial content Faruqi had been working on.

It is understood that after a meeting at the newspaper’s Docklands’ headquarters, Latimore lashed out at Faruqi and directed offensive language at him.

Indigenous rap star Adam Briggs.

Sources claimed the language Latimore used included the words “f.....g” and “c....”

The content Faruqi was working on involved Indigenous rapper Adam Briggs.

Elligett has since dealt with the fallout between the two senior Age reporters.

On Monday, Elligett said: “There was an incident where one staff member was subjected to inappropriate language.

“The person on the receiving end of the outburst was offered the appropriate support and reasonable management action was taken regarding the person who used the inappropriate language.”

Latimore, a Biripi man, was appointed The Age’s Indigenous affairs reporter in July 2021 and at the time his role was supported by the now-defunct Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.

An editorial The Age ran on Friday noted Latimore gathered information from people across the state in the lead-up to the Voice referendum and that his “own expert view had guided The Age’s position” which encouraged readers to vote Yes for a Voice to Parliament. Despite Latimore being the paper’s key Indigenous affairs reporter, he filed only three articles about the Voice in the past month, according to The Age’s website.

It is understood he was on leave despite it being during the most critical part of the referendum debate.

On Sunday, Latimore wrote a column titled, “The Nation said No. What do I say to my kids?”

Both Latimore and Faruqi were contacted by The Australian but neither responded.

Originally published as Age management intervenes after senior journalists embroiled in heated newsroom incident