Nine’s TV news boss Fiona Dear ‘angry’ she had to clean up ‘someone else’s shit’ after exit of Darren Wick
The head of Nine Entertainment’s TV news division has voiced her fury after the exit of Darren Wick and said she felt ‘cheated’ after taking over from him.
Journalists within Channel 9’s TV newsrooms have expressed outrage at claims by network’s news boss Fiona Dear that she was “angered” by the rotten workplace culture that developed under her disgraced predecessor Darren Wick, amid allegations Dear herself was complicit in the mistreatment of staff.
Several Nine employees spoke to The Australian on Wednesday after an interview with Dear was published in a report by the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, on the subject of gender bias.
In that interview, Dear repeatedly said she was “angry” after taking over from Wick in May.
“I was angry myself. I worked in the newsroom in that period (under Wick),” she said. “I was angry. I was angry as a woman who worked in that environment at that time.
“I was angry that I was given this opportunity and had to clean up someone else’s shit. This sounds selfish but I was angry.”
Dear was appointed Nine’s director of news and current affairs two months after Wick left the company in March.
Prior to that, Dear had served as deputy news director and newsroom chief of staff under Wick, who was the subject of multiple sexual harassment and bullying complaints from staff.
A significant cohort of staff from Nine’s TV newsrooms spoke to The Australian on Wednesday to express disbelief at Dear’s claims.
Among allegations made by the employees against Dear was that she failed to intervene to stop Wick’s predatory behaviour, even when staff complained directly to her about his misconduct; that she repeatedly bullied and belittled staff; and that she contributed to the culture of fear among newsroom staff.
In the interview published on Wednesday, Dear said after she was appointed as Wick’s replacement, her first priority was to “change the culture and change it within this newsroom … I want this newsroom to be the poster child for this business.”
One former senior male staffer was aghast when learning of Dear’s comments, telling The Australian: “She’s angry because Nine has been found out … it sounds like a ‘poor me’ scenario”.
“We knew Wick was a leech and no one said anything about it,” he said.
“Everyone turned a blind eye to his bad behaviour.”
Another network source said Dear was a big “part of the culture at Nine”.
“She’s part of the past, so (how) can she be part of the future?”
In the interview with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, Dear also said she was angry she was “cheated of the experience” when she was promoted to take over from Wick, who had been at the company 29 years and head of news and current affairs for 13 years.
“I was angry that the time that I get a dream job, there was no time for me to step back and say: ‘Wow, you got that. You achieved that, that’s a pretty significant thing that you just achieved’,” she said. “There was no time for me to mark that moment.
“I’m angry at certain people that I feel a bit cheated of that experience.”
Dear, who is on leave this week, sent an after-hours email to newsroom employees on Monday night telling them she understood they were “hurting” following scathing findings by consulting firm Intersection’s external review into the company’s workplace culture.
That review was prompted by a slew of serious misconduct allegations levelled against Wick following his departure.
The review found there was evidence of a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and misconduct across Nine’s entire business, including TV, newspapers, radio and its streaming business Stan.
Dear did not respond to The Australian’s request for comment on Wednesday, nor did Nine’s interim chief executive Matt Stanton.
A Nine spokesman also did not comment.
Nine will hold its annual Upfronts event in Sydney on Thursday, where it will reveal its programming content for 2025.
More Coverage
Tonagh quits ABC board early
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and an independent panel will now need to find a replacement for the ABC’s deputy chairman just months out from a federal election.
The Australian’s 50 Best Photos of 2024
From the US election to the Paris Olympics, from natural disasters to wars, and from tragedies to triumphs, as well as the 60th Anniversary of The Australian, 2024 was the best of times and worst of times.