Regrets? Nine boss Hugh Marks has a few as staff go feral over Lib shindig

Hugh Marks has admitted that hosting a $10,000 a head Liberal fundraiser was a ‘mistake’.

Nine Entertainment chief executive Hugh Marks. Picture: AAP

Nine chief executive Hugh Marks has admitted that hosting a $10,000-a-head Liberal fundraising event was a “mistake” after a widespread backlash from current and former editors.

But Nine Entertainment’s newspapers could still face action from staff, who are planning to hold another meeting amid fallout from the unprecedented political fundraiser on the set of the Today show at Nine’s studios in Sydney.

In an email to staff on Wednesday, James Chessell, group executive editor of group metro publishing at mastheads including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Brisbane Times, said he raised specific concerns with Mr Marks about the fundraiser that took place at Nine’s Willoughby Park studio on Monday night.

Chessell said Mr Marks told him it was a “mistake” to host the function and “could have been handled better”, claiming one of the reasons the fundraiser needed to take place was to discuss issues such as press freedom and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s report into digital platforms, despite the fact all media companies have been given opportunities to talk to the government about both issues.

“I raised my concerns with Nine chief executive Hugh Marks yesterday morning,” Chessell wrote.

“He has responded by telling me it was a mistake to host the function. Hugh made the point Nine’s primary motivation was to engage with the government on ­issues of importance to the ­newsrooms — such as press ­freedom and the ACCC’s inquiry into digital platforms — which is a valid ­argument for management to make. But he agrees it could have been handled better.”

Guests at the fundraiser — which is estimated to have raised $700,000 for the Liberal Party — included Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher and NSW powerbroker Michael Photios.

Chessell also told staff that “perception” of the event was ­important and the function “was regrettable”.

“Perception does matter, particularly when it comes to our relationship with subscribers, contacts and others who rely on our journalism. In this sense the Monday function was regrettable,” he wrote.

“I note the house committee’s statement from yesterday, which reflects the views of many staff worried the event could temporarily tarnish our reputation for ­independence. We have already seen rival outlets attempt to capitalise on the story even when they have no evidence to support their allegations.”

The Australian understands Nine Entertainment volunteered the Willoughby Park studio to the Liberal Party as the venue for the fundraiser.

Nine chairman Peter Costello — who did not attend the function — has declined to comment on the matter and whether he had any role in arranging the fundraiser.

The hosting of the function has been attacked by current and former staff and unions, with two former editors-in-chief expressing concern.

The journalists on the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance house committees plan to hold another meeting on a yet-to-be- determined date to discuss the matter further.

Darren Goodsir, former editor-in-chief of the Sydney Morning Herald, said it was clearly a mistake to host the fundraiser.

“I think this has been a serious error of judgment, and I would hope that on reflection Nine would also see it in that light,” he said.

“It’s one thing to be deeply ­engaged in politics and in the democratic process, it’s another thing as a media organisation to be perceived as being an active player and participant in the body of politics itself.”

Peter Fray, a former Sydney Morning Herald editor-in-chief and publisher, former deputy editor of The Australian and chair of journalism at University of Technology Sydney, said he was surprised by the decision and it was symptomatic of a “new culture” of Nine Entertainment newspapers.

“Journalists have a right and obligation to express their concerns, but they have to understand they are now part of a large company with a different corporate identity and different culture,” he said.

“It’s encouraging Hugh Marks has signed up to the independence charter, but it is a different company now with a different character.”

A former senior Fairfax executive told The Australian he was mystified by the decision, calling it “not the done thing” and “dumb”.

“It’s all right for a company that runs Married At First Sight to run one of these fundraisers but not one that now owns the platforms of the AFR, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,” he said.

Fairfax would previously host lunches and dinners for members of government and the opposition, but it would never go so far as to host a fundraiser in the past.

“We never would’ve thought twice about doing something like this. We had to be meticulous about fairness for these mastheads,” the former executive said.

Journalists serving on the MEAA house committees at Nine’s newspapers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, ­expressed dismay at Nine’s ­decision to host a political fundraiser.

The decision was “completely unacceptable”, said a journalist, adding it would not have happened during Fairfax Media’s ownership.

“They just wouldn’t have done that. They would have known what the perception would have looked like. I was quite shocked actually, really surprised to see a media company hosting a political fundraiser,” the journalist said.