Nine Network, Age journalists Caroline Wilson, Sam McClure issue apologies to Collective Mind over Adelaide Crows camp stories
His TV network and his newspaper were forced to apologise for coverage of a 2018 Adelaide Crows camp, but reporter Sam McClure says he is unrepentant.
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Nine journalist Sam McClure said he did not regret writing stories about the Adelaide Crows 2018 pre-season camp despite the network having to issue an apology to Collective Mind over a series of articles and broadcasts.
EXCLUSIVE: COLLECTIVE MIND’S VERSION OF EVENTS REVEALED
McClure said on 3AW he still stood by his reporting of the camp.
His comments came three days after it was revealed that Nine and The Age were issuing a series of retractions over broadcasts on Nine and articles written by Age journalists McClure and Caroline Wilson.
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It came after Collective Mind and its directors — Amon Woulfe and Derek Leddie — launched legal action against the Nine network.
A Collective Mind statement said Nine had expressed regret if the articles “caused hurt and offence to Mr Woulfe, Mr Leddie and Collective Mind” and had acknowledged “that the camp was run in good faith and with the players’ interest in front of mind”.
McClure said “commercial decisions are made by media outlets every day of the year”.
“It was a no liability decision and it was a decision made for the betterment of the situation,” McClure said.
“Caro and I spent a lot of time talking to people and working on what we thought and still believe is an important story and I would urge anyone who has interest in this to please go back and read the actual statement that was published in The Age.
“There was a conditional apology offered if it caused hurt to certain people, despite some of the despicable reporting around it there has been no retractions made.
“That is incorrect these decisions, while journos aren’t necessarily comfortable with them they happen all the time.
“It has been a really difficult and challenging weekend for me to be honest and I haven’t had too many of them.”
The Age has withdrawn publications from McClure and Wilson regarding the camp.
McClure won a Quill Award for his reporting of the issue last year.
Melbourne Press Club is set to meet this week to review the award after the apology by The Age.
McClure said he would wait to speak with the board.
“I am going to wait until I have the opportunity to speak to the board of the Melbourne Press Club who sounds like they are meeting this week,” he said.
“I am really proud of the journalism that goes on in this country every day and I hope we have the opportunity to continue to support quality journalism.”
The apology has prompted ex-Crow head of football Brett Burton to say he feels a sense of “vindication” over the camp.
Ex-Crows footy boss ‘vindicated’ by infamous camp verdict
—Glenn McFarlane and Jon Ralph
Former Adelaide head of football Brett Burton feels a sense of “vindication” for the individuals involved in the contentious 2018 pre-season camp – and “relief” for Crows fans – following an apology from the Nine Network over its reporting of the trip.
Burton, who was one of several Crows staffers including coach Don Pyke to lose their jobs in the wake of the controversy, said he was pleased that Nine Network had finally acknowledged “that the camp was run in good faith with the players’ interests front of mind”.
Burton told News Corp he didn’t hold a grudge, but said the apology would bring closure for the parties involved, especially Crows fans.
“We had the AFL investigation, we had the integrity investigation, we had the Workplace SA (investigation), this now puts a full stop on it and closes the book,” Burton said.
“Everyone can move on now, knowing the intent of what happened was all above board … there were no ethical or moral issues.
“The intent (the camp) was all about making the players look within to improve.”
Burton said he had long since moved on from the furore surrounding the club’s Gold Coast camp, which came months after the Crows lost to Richmond in the 2017 Grand Final.
But he stressed he was pleased for the fans to finally get some clarity after Collective Mind – a high-performance consultancy business — took legal action against Nine Network.
The Crows declined to comment about the apology on Friday.
The club says it is focusing on current priorities including winning AFLW games, finding a new location for a football facility and rebuilding the men’s program.
Adelaide has long acknowledged the camp was not executed perfectly and led to frustration from a cross-section of the list.
Since that time the club has appointed a new coach, football boss, chairman and rebuilt its football list with major changes across the board.
Collective Mind released a statement at midnight on Thursday, saying Nine and two of its football journalists — Caroline Wilson and Sam McClure — had issued an apology and a retraction over 13 publications, including two videos interviews, between 2018 and 2021.
They have also agreed to pay legal costs to Collective Mind and its directors Amon Woulfe and Derek Leddie.
The statement also said the Nine network, Wilson and McClure had expressed regret if the articles “caused hurt and offence to Mr Woulfe, Mr Leddie and Collective Mind”.
“Clearly, it was a challenging period of my life, as it was for a lot of people, but I have moved on,” Burton said.
“I am happy in my life and happy doing what I am doing now.
“I am not holding any grudges, and life goes on, but there is definitely a sense of vindication.
“The club, the supporters and the sponsors all went through a lot of unrest and uncertainty with so much rumour and innuendo, which wasn’t nice at the time.
“But the overwhelming sense now is that it is good for the supporters to get some closure.
“I am a life member (of the Crows). I wouldn’t want anyone to think we did anything to harm the players. The intent was right and to have that finally resolved is a good thing.”
Pyke, former Crows chairman Rob Chapman and former Crows chief executive Andrew Fagan were all contacted for comment.
Several Crows players left the club following the camp and the trip became the subject of intense speculation after the club missed the finals in 2018.
Burton said he remained in close contact with a number of players who were a part of the 2018 camp.
He “commended” Collective Mind for “backing what they believe to be the truth” by launching legal action against the Nine Network.
McClure posted a Winston Churchill quote on social media just hours after it was revealed that the Nine Network and The Age have apologised to Collective Mind for articles and broadcasts about an Adelaide Crows pre-season camp.
McClure, who writes for Nine newspapers, cited one of the legendary wartime leader’s quotes on his Twitter account.
“Winston Churchill: ‘The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack, ignorance deride it, but in the end, there it is.’,” McLure tweeted.
JOURNO QUOTES CHURCHILL AFTER CAMP STORY APOLOGY
Journalist Sam McClure has posted a Winston Churchill quote on social media hours after it was revealed that the Nine Network and The Age have apologised to Collective Mind for articles and broadcasts about an Adelaide Crows pre-season camp.
McClure, who writes for Nine newspapers, cited one of the legendary wartime leader’s quotes on his Twitter account.
“Winston Churchill: ‘The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack, ignorance deride it, but in the end, there it is.’,” McLure tweeted.
He has since deleted the tweet.
McClure’s social media post follows a Collective Minds statement on Thursday, saying that the Nine Network and two football journalists from The Age have issued apologies and retractions to Collective Mind for articles and broadcasts about an Adelaide Crows pre-season camp.
They have also agreed to pay legal costs.
The statement also said the Nine network, journalist Caroline Wilson and McClure had expressed regret if the articles “caused hurt and offence to Mr Woulfe, Mr Leddie and Collective Mind”.
It comes after the Nine Network and two football journalists from The Age issued apologies and retractions to Collective Mind for articles and broadcasts about the Crows pre-season camp.
They have also agreed to pay legal costs.
Collective Mind – a high-performance consultancy business – and its directors Amon Woulfe and Derek Leddie launched legal action against Nine and journalists Caroline Wilson and Sam McClure for their reporting of the 2018 Gold Coast camp.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE APOLOGIES
In a statement Collective Mind said that after lengthy legal discussions, the media company and journalists now acknowledge “that the camp was run in good faith and with the players’ interests front of mind”.
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The statement also said the Nine network, Wilson and McClure had expressed regret if the articles “caused hurt and offence to Mr Woulfe, Mr Leddie and Collective Mind”.
Nine will now retract 13 publications, including two video interviews published between 2018 and 2021, including McClure and Wilson’s feature stories and TV interviews in July 2020.
Collective Mind co-director Amon Woulfe said while the apology was welcome, his business suffered during the time.
“It’s been a pretty drawn out legal process, and I’ve just been reflecting this morning, it’s been four years in two days since day camp was run, so what a saga,” he told 5AA Adelaide.
“It was sort of a completely unmanageable situation for everyone involved.”
Mr Woulfe said responses from his company to allegations of what unfolded at the camp “weren’t believed or were twisted in to something else”.
He said the media outlets responsible “manufactured outrage”.
“The rumour mill just went insanely crazy, and everything was viable and on the table,” he added.
“I think the most disappointing thing for us, you know, all through this whole four years is that no one’s picked up the phone to have a chat to us.”
Mr Woulfe and Mr Leddie said the apologies from the media company and journalists was vindication but was an overdue acknowledgment of the truth of the matter.
“This outcome is also a vindication for all those involved, both at the Club and our partner organisations, who can now finally move on and put this unsavoury chapter behind them,” they said.
“Large media organisations and journalists don’t apologise easily, so this is clearly a significant victory for our personal reputations, our brand and our business.”
The pre-season camp on the Gold Coast was heavily received heavy speculation, especially about just what happened at it, especially as the Crows fell away from grand finalists in 2017 to missing finals in 2018.
Nine and The Age will publish statements on page 3 of the Sunday Age on February 6 and on Nine’s the Wide World of Sports website and The Age website on Monday, February 7 for a week apologising and expressing regret if they caused Mr Woulfe and Mr Leddie any hurt or offence.
The camp by the Crows and Collective Mind was investigated and cleared by the AFL’s Integrity Unit and SafeWork SA.
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