Damning report: Nine lives for network of creeps and bullies
Furious staff at Nine Entertainment have accused the media giant of failing to act on serious workplace instances of unwanted sexual touching, indecent exposure, bullying and stalking, with alleged perpetrators still holding senior positions.
Furious staff at Nine Entertainment have accused the media giant of failing to act on serious workplace instances of unwanted sexual touching, indecent exposure, bullying and stalking, with alleged perpetrators still holding senior positions despite the release of a damning report into the organisation’s culture.
Nine could now face a barrage of civil claims from former and current staff after a landmark review of the company’s workplace culture found it had “a systemic cultural issue with abuse of power and authority, bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment”.
There was widespread anger among Nine staff on Thursday when the findings of the report were released, as it emerged that the review didn’t identify some of the alleged workplace offenders, some of whom are understood to have been the subject of multiple complaints from employees, past and present.
The report, conducted by external firm Intersection, stated that it “did not extend to investigating or making findings about any individual incident or allegation”.
Some current staff told The Australian they were left so distressed by the treatment by their bosses at Nine that they contemplated suicide, and are now considering pursuing compensation through the courts after being left dissatisfied by the outcome of the external review.
“Everyone was extremely disappointed and can’t quite believe that not a single head has rolled,” said one Nine staffer, who made a submission to the review.
“What was the point of doing the report if you haven’t taken the cancer out of the building? It’s like forgiving someone who has cheated on you. They’re going to do it again. We’re not going to see a change in behaviour.”
Nine TV and radio employees openly expressed frustrations with the review when acting chief executive Matt Stanton addressed newsroom staff on Thursday afternoon. Radio host Deb Knight, TV presenters Amelia Adams, Tom Steinfort and Today executive producer Kendall Bora were among those to speak up.
One insider at the newsroom meeting said: “No-one will be held personally accountable from this. The report was a farce to make it look like Nine was responding.
“They kept responding by saying: ‘This is the beginning of change. This behaviour is not acceptable’.”
Intersection’s principal Natasha de Silva was present at the staff meeting. The Australian was told Ms de Silva confirmed that some senior company figures were the subject of multiple complaints to the review.
More than 1000 past and present employees of Nine made submissions to the review, through face-to-face interviews, written complaints and survey responses, with 57 per cent of current employees in the television news and current affairs division claiming to have “experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment”.
The review found 49 per cent of staff in the radio division – which includes 2GB, 3AW, 4BC and 6PR – experienced bullying, while 43 per cent of employees in Nine’s publishing arm, which includes The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, also claimed to have been bullied.
At Stan, Nine’s streaming service, 55 per cent of staff reported instances of bullying.
The review made 22 recommendations, including the need for Nine to engage an independent external investigator for the next 12 months. It also recommended that the company develop an external process for complaints against board members and senior managers; continuing investment into an external complaints system; a transparent process for allocating stories to broadcasting staff to ensure they have required breaks; and updated mandatory training relating to inappropriate workplace behaviour.
Nine chair Catherine West said the company would adopt all 22 recommendations.
One anonymous complainant quoted in the report told of the mistreatment they encountered in the workplace.
“The anxiety I experienced before (each workday) was debilitating. He (unnamed offender) would humiliate me in front of everyone else on the team,” the complainant said. “I have endured thousands of micro-aggressions over time. It is death by a thousand cuts. … There was a point when I wanted to kill myself.”
Another participant in the report said: “While we like to believe that the #MeToo movement improved working conditions for women, Nine’s newsroom reeked of a man’s locker room. “I had regularly overheard men … boisterously joke about sexual assault … and objectify women in general … I knew it was a ‘man’s place’.”
Another staffer was quoted about inappropriate dialogue in the newsroom: “It would not be uncommon to be asked or to hear: ‘Who did you f. k last night?’”
In an email to staff on Thursday afternoon, Ms West said: “There is no place for this behaviour at Nine. For those engaging in this conduct, it needs to stop. The drivers of these behaviours are broad, however the report has told us there is a lack of leadership accountability; power imbalances; gender inequality and a lack of diversity; and a significant lack of trust in the organisation and leadership at all levels of the business.
“To our past and present employees who have experienced unacceptable conduct in the workplace, as a board, we are deeply sorry. We unreservedly apologise. You should not have had to endure this conduct.
“We produce world-class content that is vitally important to Australians and we have the best and most innovative people in the industry, but we also have undeniable problems with our workplace culture.
“We have asked Matt Stanton and the management team to come back to the board in November with a comprehensive response plan to address the issues raised by the Intersection report.”
In May, The Australian revealed that Nine’s former news boss Darren Wick departed the company two months prior, after a complaint of inappropriate conduct was lodged against him by a female staff member. Many other women – past and present employees – subsequently came forward with separate allegations of bullying, misogyny, harassment and inappropriate behaviour at the network.
At the time of Wick’s departure in March, he said in an email to staff: “After many long beach walks and even longer conversations, I know in my heart that this is the right time for me to step down and leave Nine.”
The company’s former chief executive, Mike Sneesby, commissioned Intersection to conduct an independent review into misconduct at the network following the revelation of the allegations against Wick.
The media company has been dogged by bad headlines for the past five months. In June, Nine chairman Peter Costello resigned three days after he barged into The Australian’s Liam Mendes at Canberra Airport. Costello had taken umbrage at Mendes’s questions about Nine’s handling of Wick’s departure from the company.
Mr Sneesby left the company at the end of September, telling staff that “the timing was right to commence a leadership transition”.
“To give some context, this year has been one of the most challenging in my career – one where our resilience has been tested,” he said.
Earlier this week, Nine announced that head of communications, Victoria Buchan, had been made redundant and would leave the company next month. Buchan has been at Nine for 15 years and had close ties to Wick.
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