7.30 host Leigh Sales hits back at Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ supporters

The 7.30 host has hit back at the abuse journalists are suffering from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ aggressive supporters.

ABC presenter Leigh Sales has hit back at the months-long abuse many journalists have been experiencing around their questioning of Victoria’s handling of coronavirus.

The 7.30 host is no stranger to criticism on Twitter, with Sales previously calling out “the river of disgusting, sexist and relentless abuse” she received during the federal election campaign in 2016.

But when she announced she would be interviewing Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last Tuesday, she copped it from his #IStandWithDan supporters who have become known for their aggressive backing of Mr Andrews.

Earlier this year, journalists grilling Mr Andrews at his daily press conferences during the state’s second lockdown were subjected to trolling and one even received death and rape threats.

Sales highlighted the attitude of some of Mr Andrews’ supporters after she announced her forthcoming interview, retweeting one comment that said: “For the love of god please don’t ask about HQ and maybe congratulate him. There’s been enough negative BS already, be different.”

In response, Sales wrote: “This kind of attitude below has been endemic on Twitter this year – it’s disturbing and a profound misunderstanding of what the role of journalists should be in a democracy.”

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7.30 host Leigh Sales interviewed Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

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The Premier has been under pressure over his handling of the second wave of coronavirus infections, which was caused by the state’s botched hotel quarantine system.

New documents released on Friday revealed the state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton was unhappy that the program had been put in place “without even getting my approval or even input’’, The Herald Sun reports.

The failure of the quarantine program forced Victoria to enter a second lockdown with some residents living under movement restrictions for almost four months. Those in Melbourne were also put under a curfew that lasted eight weeks.

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Daniel Andrews has been under pressure over the botched hotel quarantine program.

During her interview Sales questioned Mr Andrews about whether his decision to run the lockdown longer than was necessary had caused more economic carnage.

“You simply can’t have a situation where you can repair economic damage, get people back to work, start to create confidence and investment, get back to a normal economy – you just can’t do that unless you get the sequence right. You need to bring your health challenge under control first,” Mr Andrews said.