Diary can reveal that in the lead-up to the story, emails have been fired off by the government to the ABC, addressing or copying-in the public broadcaster’s managing director David Anderson, news chief Gaven Morris, Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour and researcher Lucy Carter.
They may not have been legal letters, but the tone of some has even raised the unprecedented prospect of the government going to court against the ABC. As one source puts it: “It has been strongly pointed out to the ABC that they run the risk of defamation.” Diary also hears ABC board members have been informally contacted.
The story has been teased by its reporter Louise Milligan in a brief ad as: “Inside the Canberra bubble: an investigation that questions the conduct of some of the most senior politicians in the nation”.
Some ABC insiders are adamant that the Four Corners episode must run in the face of the government’s anger, as an assertion of ABC independence.
Meanwhile, when Diary reached an ABC spokesman on Sunday, he refused to comment on its correspondence with the government, but simply said: “The ABC stands by its journalism.”
A prominent part of the Four Corners story is Turnbull himself, who also appears straight after the episode on Q&A to talk about some of his former colleagues. And there’s apparently no love lost. It is understood the ex-PM will talk in the Four Corners episode about calling in one of the ministers after a function at Canberra’s Public Bar in Manuka in mid-2017, also attended by one of his staffers.
Diary hears that Turnbull will also make the case in the story that his now-famous 2018 “bonk ban” was driven by more than the affair between ex-deputy PM Barnaby Joyce and his former staffer Vikki Campion. The Four Corners episode also features Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.
But in a case of fascinating timing, the ABC is being recalled to Senate Estimates late on Monday afternoon, with an in-person appearance by David Anderson — hours before the story appears.
It is understood there are likely to be questions in the hearing relating to the Four Corners story — with questions likely to be asked about whether it is in the public interest.
Should be a lively week.
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Mooch: Trump to make TV great again
Diary managed to catch Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci, perhaps Donald Trump’s highest-profile ex-communications director, for a chat in the thick of last week’s US election. We wanted the answer to a simple question: will Trump head back into the media when he (finally) leaves the White House?
Scaramucci, of course, made global front pages way back in 2017 when Trump told him “You’re fired” after 11 days.
And now, The Mooch believes Trump — with whom he has a very terse relationship these days — will soon be ‘‘making TV great again’’ by uttering his most famous line once more. Only this time, it will be in a political version of The Apprentice.
“It’ll definitely be a reality show,” the president’s one-time spinner-in-chief tells Diary. “I really think he will do a political edition of The Apprentice. Trump and (creator of The Apprentice) Mark (Burnett) could put that together.”
And The Mooch believes Trump’s political version of The Apprentice will be targeted specifically at hurting not the Democrats, but establishment figures in his own Republican Party, with whom he has frequently butted heads. “I think he’ll want to do something that could really devastate the Republicans,” Scaramucci says.
“He could host a version of the show where they come to him to try to be anointed by him and endorsed by him. In this version, he would get all of his sycophants like Marco Rubio and these jerk-offs to go see him and try to get his approval. That’s more what I see than anything else.”
Despite Scaramucci’s disdain these days for Trump and his “sycophants” who would appear on a political Apprentice, he nonetheless forecasts the show would be a monster hit. “I can definitely see someone buying it,” Scaramucci says. “It would get huge numbers of eyeballs, no question.”
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Don gives Aunty hack heart scare
For media watchers, there was only one place to be on election day: on their computers, watching the endlessly entertaining live updates from Matt Bevan, Radio National breakfast show newsreader and host of the ABC’s podcast “America, are you listening?”
To say that Bevan became nervous as the results started rolling in on Wednesday would be a significant understatement.
On Wednesday morning, Bevan was trying to provide an oasis of calm for his anxious followers, even after a Republican victory in Florida seemed to be signalling four more years for Trump.
He tweeted to his followers: “Stop panicking. Florida staying with Trump just means it’s going to take a while before we know what’s happening nationally.”
But shortly after 2pm, Bevan abandoned any sense of calm, with momentum at that point seemingly with Trump. At that moment, ‘‘The Donald’’ was a prohibitive $1.30 favourite with Aussie bookmakers to win the election, while Biden had drifted to $3.10.
My mentions are full of people asking stuff like “what do you think the odds are of Trump stealing a tank and leading police in an OJ-style pursuit on the Capital Beltway†or “can Trump use secret Area 51 technology to make himself impervious to arrest?â€Seriously everyone chill.
— Matt Bevan 🎙 (@MatthewBevan) November 7, 2020
At that point, so stressed was Bevan that it was picked up by his smart watch — which repeatedly alerted him he might be having a serious medical episode. Bevan tweeted: “My smart watch just asked me again if I might be having a heart attack.”
One alarmed follower tweeted to the rescue, posting some urgent medical advice: “Breathe slowly … in for two, out for 4. After a few slightly increase number maintaining 1:2 ratio. Promise it works quickly. Love your work Matt. We need you around for yonks.”
As we all know now, with counting of postal votes on Thursday, Trump’s hopes of victory seemed to vanish. And so did Bevan’s heart problems.
That’ll do me I think. Night night, all.
— Matt Bevan 🎙 (@MatthewBevan) November 6, 2020
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Angry 2SM host trolls ‘leftie’ 2GB
Ben Fordham comfortably retained his position as Sydney’s top rating breakfast broadcaster in last week’s radio ratings — but you wouldn’t know it from listening to 2SM breakfast host Marcus Paul.
An audibly-frustrated Paul, John Laws’s warm-up man on 2SM (which is owned by reclusive media mogul Bill Caralis) recently went on an epic on-air rant about PM Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian dodging his show, and going on Fordham’s.
Paul told his listeners he was “pissed off” about “favouritism” ScoMo and Gladys are showing for Fordham, despite what he alleges is evidence that the 2GB host’s listeners have been switching to him in their droves.
Paul’s evidence for that claim isn’t exactly clear, as 2SM doesn’t participate in the radio ratings these days.
But Paul was on the long run-up. His next move was to hint that his show could be on some type of government blacklist.
“It’s really frustrating when I see so many listeners coming over from 2GB, and yet some of these key politicians won’t come over. It’s really starting to piss me off, it really is …. But we can’t get the Prime Minister, we can’t get the Premier. We’re on a list apparently. What the bloody hell does that mean? I’m on a list. A list of what? A list of who not to talk to?”
Paul says that the listeners who he alleges have been switching to 2SM in their “thousands” don’t like that “9GB” has moved “a long way to the left”.
Paul said he didn’t blame ScoMo or Gladys for their absences — but he does blame their gatekeepers. “I’m looking at the people who put up the gates … Have 2GB or Channel 9 told you: ‘Don’t speak to that bloke. Don’t go on little 2SM. What’s that? Who are they?’… Rant over.”
But when we put the 2SM host’s rant to Fordham, he offered to help him land the political big fish. “Seriously, I’m happy to lend a hand to help him get some interviews. Feel free to pass on my number. Or he could just walk down the hallway and ask John Laws. Lawsie has no dramas securing big guests.”
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SBS’s bonuses dwarf ABC and ‘Cartiers’
There’s been plenty of discussion about bonuses at government-owned corporations like the ABC and Australia Post.
But Diary has discovered there’s one entity seemingly putting the others in the shade when it comes to everyday government rewards: the ABC’s low-key media sibling, SBS.
Remember, gifting Cartier watches worth $5000 each to four executives as a bonus forced Christine Holgate to fall on her sword at Australia Post.
But over at SBS, rich rewards seem to be a way of life, with seemingly dozens of executives making five or six-digit bonuses.
One lucky unnamed SBS executive on a base salary of $296,510 managed to make a whopping $113,000 bonus — or nearly 23 Cartier watches — on top of their base, according to the SBS annual report. That sent their total package for the year to June soaring above $445,000.
But that was just the biggest of a veritable bonanza of bonuses at SBS. Two more SBS staff on an average base salary of $265,000 sweetened their package with an average bonus of nearly $83,000 each — or nearly 17 Cartiers. That boosted their packages to an average of just under $400,000.
A further two on a base of $254,000 nudged their packages up to $350,000-odd with average bonuses of more than $63,000 each, or nearly 13 Cartiers.
And there were still dozens more. A total of 33 more ‘‘highly-paid’’ SBS staff averaged annual bonuses of between $21,446 and $27,762 — a mere four or five Cartiers each.
But spare a thought for the two SBS slave-labourers on an average base of only $268,329. They got a bonus of just $5625 — enough only for a single Cartier each. Someone, please, pass around the hat.
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Sales compares The Donald to Mugabe
Donald Trump’s decision to bitterly dispute the results of the US election has polarised not only the American public but the media as well.
There have been repeated claims by Trump — continually called out in the media — of “fraud” and that the Democrats were trying to “steal” the election. Vanity Fair magazine even made the extraordinary suggestion that Trump will look to “barricade” himself in the White House come January.
It has all been enough to prompt ABC 7.30 host Leigh Sales, normally a model of restraint on Twitter about political matters, to give a rare forthright opinion, comparing Trump to a certain notorious late African dictator known for disputing election results. “Robert Mugabe keeps coming to my mind,” she said.
Robert Mugabe keeps coming to my mind.
— Leigh Sales (@leighsales) November 6, 2020
Sales also categorised Trump’s claims as “lies”, pointing to a nearly unprecedented development: the major US TV networks NBC, ABC and CBS all cutting off Trump as he attempted to discredit the integrity of the US election system.
Sales stated: “Heartening to see American media immediately calling out lies”, in reference to MSNBC news anchor Brian Williams’s comments while cutting off Trump’s briefing. “Here we are again in the unusual position of not only interrupting the President of the United States — but correcting the President of the United States.”
CNN’s Anderson Cooper went further on Friday, comparing him to an “obese turtle on his back flailing in the hot sun, realising his time is over”.
By Sunday, some conservative commentators who have long been among Trump’s most vocal supporters — and had supported some of his fraud claims — were starting to take a different tack by suggesting he should leave.
The change was most evident with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham. On Friday, she had alleged electoral system “abuse” by “corrupt officials” that could ensure a Republican president is never elected again. But by the weekend, she was noting that Trump should accept “the unfavourable outcome” of the election with “grace and composure”.
But some conservative commentators in Australia continued to talk up the electoral fraud line and defend Trump’s continued comments that disputed the results.
Sky News Outsiders co-host James Morrow even noted that his Christmas motif this year would be “Santa dropping off big sacks of Democrat ballots in the middle of the night”.
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The AFR’s free-Mason
Change is coming to media coverage at Nine’s Australian Financial Review.
In the coming weeks, the AFR’s media and marketing editor Max Mason will soon be free of the role.
While Mason will stay with the paper, we’re told it will be as a senior writer — ending more than five years on the media beat for him.
But the person who Diary has learnt will take over Mason’s role from next year will raise the odd murmur at Nine newspapers’ North Sydney bunker. It’s none other than the woman who used to run the PR for Nine’s newspapers, Miranda Ward.
A few weeks ago, Ward quietly crossed to the other side of the fence to join the AFR.
And Ward’s first story for the paper last month wasn’t a million miles from the press releases she used to write for Nine. The debut article talked up the achievements of AFR journalists at the recent National Press Club financial journalism awards.
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McKenzie: ‘Brownfinger’ turns Goldfinger
Nick McKenzie may have cleaned up some of the big gongs, including TPG Journalist of the Year, at Friday’s Kennedy Awards for his explosive 60 Minutes investigation into Crown Resorts, which has caused such carnage for James Packer and the Crown board.
But the gun Nine journalist gave hope to struggling cub reporters when he confessed in his Zoom acceptance speech — beamed from Melbourne into the glittering ceremony at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse — that he was once viewed as a journalistic ‘kiss of death’.
He said that when he was starting out, he was even dubbed in the newsroom as “Brownfinger — because everything I touched turned to shit”. Nine Walkleys and two Kennedys later, the brown has turned to gold.
More Coverage
Huge congrats to Nick McKenzie. @Ageinvestigates https://t.co/dkCG23LYFa
— Peter Cronau (@PeterCronau) November 6, 2020
ABC urgently needs more cash, says Kim Williams
In an address to the Melbourne Press Club to mark his one-year anniversary as chairman, Kim Williams bemoaned the fact that the ABC’s funding has dwindled over the past decade.
Premier says no to Tech Bros ban push
The architect of Australia’s world-leading ban on children using social media has urged both sides of politics to stand up to the ‘Tech Bros’ and Donald Trump.
Relations between the federal government and the ABC were already at an all-time low over Aunty’s much-publicised funding freeze. But a Four Corners #MeToo-style story coming up on Monday night, starring none other than ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull, is threatening to start all-out war between the ABC and the Coalition, by investigating the alleged mingling of the personal and professional lives of two senior cabinet ministers.