Staff at Nine Entertainment ’devastated’ after findings of review handed down
Nine Entertainment’s past and present employees have spoken about their frustration at the handling of the company’s independent review and said ‘no heads will roll’.
Frustrated participants of Nine’s sexual harassment and bullying review said they had been left “devastated”, with many concerned “no heads will roll” as a result of the damning findings.
Sources told The Australian there was “anger” among staff who gathered around the country on Thursday at an all-staff meeting where the mood was “tense” as they were addressed by acting chief executive Matt Stanton.
Multiple women – who did not wish to be named – spoke to The Australian shortly after the review was made public on Thursday and one former female employee fought back tears, saying: “Is that all they are going to do? My life is so screwed, it’s ruined.
“Everyone can see this report but it doesn’t make any difference, there’s no repercussions, there’s no accountability. They are protecting the protected species because they bring in the money.”
The woman said the findings were damning for the “public to see … it’s sobering but how’s it actually going to help?”
Another former staffer who took part in the review said on Thursday: “It’s empowering to finally see Nine’s dirty laundry aired for all to see.
“There are, however, still some people in powerful positions in the news department who were the ringleaders of the bullying and harassment outlined in this report.
“Until they are dealt with, this report is meaningless.
“More heads need to roll to ensure the culture really changes.”
Some staff who attended the meeting with Mr Stanton on Thursday left feeling despondent and annoyed.
“Everyone in that meeting came away with a feeling that no one would be held accountable, that people confided for no reason,” a female staffer said. “The report was a farce to make it look like Nine was responding.”
One employee who took part in the review said: “There’s a raw sense of infuriation at what’s been handed down today. People are utterly exhausted by this whole process. As staff, we’ve been treading water all year while they wasted time on a superficial process that’s damaged all of us individually and the brand we are all supposed to work so hard to uphold.”
A former Nine employee in the company’s radio division said she was “not surprised at all” by the findings.
“This bullying, rude behaviour has always been accepted as ‘part of the rough and tumble of a newsroom’,’ she said.
“Presenters being demanding or belittling their underlings was excused as the result of them being under pressure.”
The former employee also said “This exercise hasn’t gone far enough. I don’t necessarily believe in naming and shaming, but how can anyone have confidence going back into work without knowing that the perpetrators have been counselled, punished, or even sacked.”
Another former staffer in Nine’s television division said she took part in the review and told investigators Intersection “Nothing revealed today is particularly surprising”.
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