Media Diary: Senior Age journalists in heated newsroom incident
The workplace incident between Jack Latimore and Osman Faruqi has been the subject of much discussion in media circles and resulted in action by the newspaper’s editor.
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.
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.
Reported by Sophie Elsworth
‘We’re sharpening our spears’: triple j host slams voice decision
The ABC‘s youth radio network triple j played Yothu Yindi’s song Treaty on loop for an hour on Sunday following the defeat of the government and the Yes campaign’s quest to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament.
“Last night was the most overt, most unconcealed manifestation of racism I’ve ever experienced in my whole life,” triple j presenter Nooky said.
Treaty was then played on repeat for the entire hour of Blak Out – the weekly show hosted by the Yuin and Thunghutti man from Nowra in NSW.
The program is dedicated each week to platforming new and emerging Indigenous artists. On Sunday Nooky chose to play Treaty for the whole show after expressing his hurt and disappointment at the result of the voice referendum.
The 1991 song was the first song by an Aboriginal band to reach the mainstream music charts in Australia. It was originally released as a protest against the lack of a treaty with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, promised by then prime minister Bob Hawke’s signing of the Barunga Statement in 1988.
Nooky said the song was now an important call to arms for Indigenous Australians.
“We haven’t lost a thing. You all knew what the outcome was going to be. We all know the reality that we live in, it’s just now more apparent,” Nooky said.
“We ain’t licking our wounds today, we’re sharpening our spears. See the colour of our skin, that’s our pride and joy and they could never change the river of our souls.
“Our people are the most caring, welcoming, loving, generous, strong and resilient people. And in that darkness, where you hold the light, we always have the oldest culture on earth.
“We have survived the white man’s world. We do not give up this land and the planting of the Union Jack has never changed our law at all and it’s that message of hope and survival that you’re gonna hear for the next hour.
“It isn’t a mistake. We’re going to repeat this message until it rings true. We will not sit in silence. They will hear us rejoice as a people and light our sacred fire in the face of their broken promises. Treaty now.”
The show ended with his young daughter signing off for him and a portion of Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney’s referendum night speech.
“To all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, I want to say this: I know the last few months have been tough but be proud of who you are. Be proud of your identity. Be proud of the 65,000 years of history and culture that you are and your rightful place in this country,” Ms Burney said.
You’re worth it ladies, just not at the Walkleys
A diverse range of reports, photographs, illustrations and packages by a range of scribes including The Australian’s Liam Mendes and Greg Bearup, made the cut for this year’s Walkley Awards.
The nominations for journalism’s Logies were revealed late last week via X, formerly Twitter, posts.
This will be the first time those with the XY chromosomes will not be eligible for one category, as “the directors will only consider women nominees for the Outstanding Contribution to Journalism award as they seek to redress the gender balance in recipients”, that’s according to the terms and conditions.
Far be it for Diary – an awards watcher rather than winner – to offer some advice, but maybe one way of doing that would be to consider more work by women in the first place?
This year about 93 men are up for prizes, while 45 female journalists are in the hunt.
Speaking of T&Cs, all entries must also “declare any requests that have been made for corrections or challenges to the accuracy of work entered for an award, any claims of plagiarism that have been made against the work, and any published corrections or statements made concerning the work’s accuracy or authorship”, they state.
However, this is less of a deal-breaker and is more of a nice-to-have: “This will not necessarily disqualify an entry – transparency is important for the judging process,” the paperwork says.
Keeping Australia Post in business
Diary can confirm at least one entry in this year’s Walkley Awards was the subject of those “challenges” and didn’t make the finalists cut.
A joint investigation by The Age’s Charlotte Grieve and 60 Minutes presenter Tom Steinfort and producer Natalie Clancy into the work and conduct of specialist orthopaedic surgeon Munjed Al Muderis had been submitted for consideration, which saw lawyers swing into action.
“The allegations the subject of the publications are the subject of defamation proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia. Professor Al Muderis alleges that the publications are indefensibly defamatory,” top defamation lawyer Rebekah Giles wrote in a letter to the Walkley board and chief executive Shona Martyn.
The letter, seen by Diary, outlines the body of work at the centre of a 12-week trial.
“A number of allegations have already been made in the proceedings about the conduct of the journalists and publishers,” Ms Giles wrote.
According to the statement of claim, quoted in the letter to the board, Grieve did not disclose in her initial reporting she had a personal interest and that her father was once a patient of Professor Al Muderis.
“Ms Grieve’s father, Donald Grieve,KC, happens to be an amputee, and in 2018 he sought an opinion from Prof. Al Muderis about undergoing osseointegration surgery, but Ms Grieve did not disclose this personal interest until a month after the first of the Publications were published.
“Ms Grieve eventually disclosed her personal interest in an article titled ‘Behind the scenes: exposing the downside of a celebrity surgeon’s practice’, published on 21 October 2022.
“In that article, she claimed that Prof. Al Muderis told her father that if he did not immediately have osseointegration surgery, he would soon be in a wheelchair.”
The letter said the professor maintained “that he advised Mr Grieve that while he was a good candidate for the surgery, he should not have it at that time because he was coping well with his existing prosthesis”.
The Age editor, Patrick Elligett, told Diary: “We will not comment on the matter as it is before the court. Any questions about the integrity of the Walkley’s judging process should be directed to that organisation.”
A Walkley representative said: “I am only very briefly across this legal letter.”
Journalism set to be probed again
One story that made the cut was from former ABC federal political editor Andrew Probyn.
Probyn’s investigation last year uncovered then Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe was in an undisclosed relationship with ex-Rebels president Dean Martin while she was serving on the joint parliamentary law enforcement committee.
It has been nominated for scoop of the year. It was a team effort with now former colleague Jake Evans.
Just nine months after the exclusive, Probyn was made redundant as the national broadcaster claimed it no longer requires a political editor for TV.
The Australian has already reported that Aunty’s management was hesitant to publish one of Probyn’s swan songs but, according to everyone involved in the Thorpe story, it was a “long, protracted process” and they were “just happy it ended with the publication”.
Interestingly, the ABC is yet to issue a press release congratulating its charges as it does every year, and did last week for the recent WA Media Awards.
Public acknowledgment from his former bosses or not, it may be a case of third time’s a charm for Probyn when it comes to Walkley glory.
He was last nominated in 2022 for his coverage of the Emmanuel Macron and Scott Morrison spat, and also was nominated for the “Mediscare” campaign back in 2016 when he was at the helm of The West Australian’s Canberra bureau.
No word yet if he’ll attend the Walkley awards this year, but Diary has it on good authority he’ll be back on the tools “very soon”.
Aston closes the rear window
Rear Window columnist Joe Aston consciously uncoupled from the The Australian Financial Review last week after editor-in-chief Michael Stutchbury released a glowing press release citing how he evolved from doing Rockpool’s marketing to serving up corporate analysis that was sharper than one of Neil Perry’s steak knives.
Twelve years is a long time in one gig, even for a business reporting wunderkind who took the mantle as a baby-faced 28-year-old, so naturally all focus has turned to what will the 40 year old do in his next act?
Chris Janz might have the answer.
The former Nine executive who branched out with his own financial publication, Capital Brief, couldn’t be reached when Diary noticed his minions were seemingly doing the official comms for the start-up.
Capital Brief journalist Jack Derwin announced to his 700-odd social media followers that Aston was joining the team.
“Can’t wait to begin working with you on the new Capital Brief column,” Derwin said.
Unfortunately X doesn’t have a sarcasm font and when Diary called Janz to confirm what would be the biggest coup for his fledgling venture we were sent to voicemail.
Not since Geri Halliwell left the Spice Girls has there been so much speculation and tawdry gossip about a gossip columnist.
Aston quit the Fin on October 3 – three days before news broke he was leaving.
Chatting to Geraldine Doogue on the ABC he likened the Rear Window’s daily feedback loop to “a drug” and wanted to get off it while “people still value highly what I do”.
He also doubled down on his favourite topic – former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce.
“Alan Joyce has a history of those kind of hissy fits,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham, reminiscing about the time Qantas removed the Fin from its lounges and wi-fi network.
He also touched on another story that hit a nerve in Canberra this year when Anthony Albanese’s young son Nathan was granted access to the airline’s Chairman’s Lounge.
“I weigh up any story that involves people’s families deeply,” Aston said.
“The Prime Minister is quite cynically trying to muddy the waters and say, ‘Oh, how dare you attack my son?’ I’m not attacking Albanese’s son. This is not even about his son. It’s about the Prime Minister using his public office to seek benefits that ordinary people can’t get.
“It’s not an ordinary benefit even for other politicians. No other politicians have their children in the Chairman’s Lounge and they get a plus one – their spouse – which, by the way, Anthony Albanese already has for his girlfriend (Jodie Haydon). The real issue as well is even beyond the fact that he asked Alan Joyce for this. It’s that he didn’t ever disclose it. I mean, why keep it a secret?”
Cost of living bites Sandilands
After spending more than $500,000 on his recent three-week honeymoon, Kyle Sandilands is almost on the bread line.
Sure, the bread for one of Australia’s most well-paid personalities would be artisan, but the grind was the reason behind his absence from radio’s night of nights in Sydney on Saturday night.
Sandilands won the Individual Talent of the Year prize and submitted a recorded thank you message, with a special shout out to his ratings rival, Ben Fordham.
“You know how it is in these tough economic times – people have to take on a second side hustle,” Sandilands said.
“Mine is TV. Ben Fordham, for example, you might order an Uber pool on a Saturday and then Ben shows up in the Hyundai Getz and what a treat that is,” he said, referencing Fordham’s commercial deal with the ride-sharing platform.
This new award should bode well for Sandilands, who together with his co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, are both poised to sign new multimillion dollar contracts in the coming weeks that may see their top rating Sydney breakfast show syndicated to the Melbourne airwaves.
After quitting her nightly Southern Cross Austereo radio show, Abbie Chatfield was named the inaugural podcast host of the year for her It’s a Lot podcast.
WSFM breakfast duo Amanda Keller and Brendan Jones claimed the top prize of best on-air team for the fourth time.
Got a tip? Get in touch: jenna.clarke@news.com.au
Nick Tabakoff is on leave.
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