The Project ignores the Sofronoff inquiry into the handling of Bruce Lehrmann’s rape trial

The Ten show completely overlooked the Sofronoff inquiry, despite running widespread coverage of the rape allegations against Bruce Lehrmann when the story broke.

Channel 10’s flagship prime time news and a current affairs program, The Project, has completely ignored the Sofronoff inquiry into the handling of the rape case against Bruce Lehrmann, despite the network being the first media outlet to air an interview with the complainant Brittany Higgins.

The weeknight show, predominantly hosted by Sarah Harris and Waleed Aly, last week did not make a single mention of the high-profile inquiry which has dominated newspaper front pages and TV and radio bulletins headlines all over the country since it began last Monday.

Former co-host of The Project, Lisa Wilkinson, had the first exclusive television interview with Higgins on February 15, 2021, following an online story published earlier that day by news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden.

During the TV interview, for which Wilkinson won a Logie award, Higgins alleged she was raped by a male colleague – later identified as Bruce Lehrmann – in the parliamentary office of the then defence minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019. Mr Lehrmann has vehemently denied the allegations and charges were dropped against him in 2022 after his rape trial was aborted.

Prosecutor Shane Drumgold decided against a retrial because of concerns that the courtroom strain on Ms Higgins presented a “significant and unacceptable” risk to her life.

The Project hosts Waleed Aly and Sarah Harris. Picture: Network 10

The Project’s failure last week to report critical developments in a story of significant public interest raises questions about the independence of its news coverage.

The Sofronoff inquiry has highlighted legal failings that may have prevented Mr Lehrmann from receiving a fair trial – a development that sits uneasily with the show’s support for Higgins.

University of Melbourne senior research fellow at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, Denis Muller, said the inquiry has “illicited some highly newsworthy material” but some media might be cautious to cover it.

The Project is headed up by executive producer Christopher Bendall.

He did not respond to questions from The Australian, nor did Ten’s spokesperson, despite multiple requests for comment. The Australian also sought comment from Wilkinson about The Project’s lack of coverage of the ongoing story for which she won her Logie, but did not hear back.

Brittany Higgins and Lisa Wilkinson attend the marie claire International Women's Day breakfast last year in Sydney. Picture: Getty Images/Lisa Maree Williams

Wilkinson, one of the nation’s highest profile TV stars, announced in an emotional on-air monologue in November she would be departing The Project but would remain at the network. She has been absent from TV screens since then.

Despite The Project ignoring the high-profile Sofronoff inquiry last week, the show did however cover other high-profile criminal cases including the jailing of former NRL star Jarryd Hayne for four years and nine months for sexual assault.

It reported on this case multiple times during the week.

“Yes, in principle media organisations should report all things impartially,” Dr Muller said.

The Project’s decision to shun such a big story is not the only example of major media outlets ignoring matters of significant public interest in recent weeks.

The Australian’s month-long rolling coverage of the biggest art scandal in recent years – the extent of white involvement in the making of black art in the studios of the APY Arts Centre Collective – has been given scant coverage in other media outlets, most notably the ABC and the Nine-owned Sydney Morning Herald.

The SMH’s coverage – or lack thereof – of the scandal was sensationally called out by the masthead’s own art expert John McDonald last month, who said on his blog: “My own paper, the SMH, has fallen into the trap of feeling it has to be ‘supportive’ of institutions such as the NGA, running a week-long ‘campaign’ to argue the case for more government funding.”