60 Minutes: Nine chief Hugh Marks calls for full review of Beirut story

Nine boss Hugh Marks says the network “shouldn’t have” become part of mother Sally Faulkner’s story.

Former Nine Network executive and producer of 60 Minutes Gerald Stone will lead a review into the botched child recovery story in Lebanon.

Nine boss Hugh Marks has called a full review of the 60 Minutes case headed by former executive producer Gerald Stone, and said the network “shouldn’t have” become part of mother Sally Faulkner’s story.

In an email obtained by The Australian, the Nine chief executive said the investigation will be also carried out by David Hurley, former boss of A Current Affair, and the network’s general counsel Rachel Launders.

The review will “ascertain what went wrong and why our systems, designed to protect staff, failed to do so in this case”, Marks said.

To prevent another incident, Marks said the review will be tasked “with recommending the necessary actions to ensure that none of our colleagues are put in a similar position in the future”.

Former Nine Network executive and producer of 60 Minutes Gerald Stone will lead a review into the botched child recovery story in Lebanon.

Having conducted an audit it no the ABC’s coverage of asylum seekers, Stone has previous experience of reviewing a news and current affairs division at a major broadcaster. Most recently, Hurley was former Nine CEO David Gyngell’s spokesman.

After kidnapping and physical assault charges were dropped against Ms Faulkner, 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown and her crew, Marks told staff they didn’t set out to break any laws.

“It is important to reiterate that at no stage did anyone from Nine or 60 Minutes intend 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,” Marks said. “But we did become part of the story and we shouldn’t have.”

The email continued: ”I would like to personally thank the Australian Government, the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, the Australian Ambassador to Lebanon, Glenn Miles, and his consular staff in Beirut and staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra for their advice and assistance.

“I also pass on my thanks to our local team in Lebanon, and those who supported them from Australia (particularly Kirsty Thomson and the 60 Minutes team) who have worked around the clock in securing our team’s release.

“You should know that the crew has asked me to thank the officials in Lebanon who were involved in their detention for their professionalism and for treating them with dignity and respect.

“This has been an extraordinarily stressful time for the crew and for their families and I want to very publicly acknowledge how much they have been through and thank them for their courage, their perseverance and for the trust they placed in us to resolve events.

“What has happened to Sally happens all too often and affects thousands of Australian families. It is a story that not only is profoundly in the public interest but also one the public is interested in. It’s an issue that we will continue to highlight.

“Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank our head of news and current affairs Darren Wick who has been in Lebanon since early last week. We should all drop in to Wickie’s office when he is back and say thanks.”