Karl Stefanovic has issued a powerful on-air message about on his own employer, the Nine Network, in the wake of an independent investigation into the company’s systemic toxic culture.
The report, conducted by workplace culture firm Intersection, found Nine’s embattled media empire had ‘a systemic issue with abuse of power and authority; bullying, discrimination and harassment; and sexual harassment’.
More than 120 past and present employees participated in the review and reported their own experiences of inappropriate workplace behaviour within the media and entertainment giant.
Daily Mail Australia revealed on Thursday that 60 Minutes star reporter Dimity Clancey, Melbourne newsreader Tom Steinfort and weekend A Current Affair host were vocal about the company’s perceived failings in an all-staff call about the report.
On Friday morning, Today Show host Stefanovic – wearing glasses – said ‘many people’ at Nine were hurting at the revelation that, despite the investigation, none of the complaints would lead to swift action being taken against individual perpetrators.
A sombre Karl Stefanovic said ‘it’s going to be up to all of us now to do better, to say: Enough, this stops now’
‘They feel like what was the point of speaking out if perpetrators are not called out. I asked the same question yesterday and it’s my understanding several investigations are now underway and we have to be patient for the process of all that.
‘It’s essential and it’s critical.
‘I want to say it’s not about us, but there are good men who do work here at Nine who find what happened absolutely intolerable and who struggle to understand how we didn’t know more and do something, how it grieved you.
‘I feel like we have all in a way, let you down. I love my work colleagues here. Women I have the honour to present with, women on the floor of this great show, women behind the scenes who make us all better.
‘I’m grateful women are this company and they are the way forward. They will show the way. We just have to listen and act. But it’s going to be up to all of us now to do better, to say enough. This stops now.’
Dimity Clancey unleashes
The Intersection investigation found 57 per cent of staff in the media company’s broadcast division had experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment over the past five years, with a third saying they had been sexually harassed in the same time frame.
The report said the company’s toxic culture had been enabled by ‘a lack of leadership accountability; power imbalances; gender inequality and a lack of diversity; and significant distrust in leaders at all levels of the business’.
It is understood staff were told that because the review had been conducted by an external company, none of the complaints would lead to action being taken against individual perpetrators without a separate internal investigation.
During an all-staff call on Thursday, 60 Minutes star reporter Dimity Clancey took the lead in sharply critcising the company’s perceived lack of action.
60 Minutes star Dimity Clancey was outraged by Nine’s response to a damning independent investigation that found the media empire has ‘a systemic issue with abuse of power and authority; bullying, discrimination and harassment; and sexual harassment’
Sources told Daily Mail Australia that Clancey complained that many Nine staffers had ‘poured their souls out’ for hours, complaining about specific executives, only for Nine to once again fail to act.
Nine’s board said that the report had made 22 recommendations for resetting its business’s culture and that it had committed to implementing all of them.
The recommendations included reviewing and updating the company’s code of conduct, investigating an external complaints management system, establishing a best practice process for recruitment and updating mandatory training on inappropriate workplace behaviours.
But angry staff said the recommendations did little to address the deeply personal complaints made during the investigation and failed to take action against those who had behaved inappropriately.
Welcome to ‘Punishment Island’
Many of the complaints related to both male and female managers in the network’s television news and current affairs division, with staff describing horrific examples of rampant bullying.
‘I have been on ice [by my manager] for speaking up about a story,’ one staffer told the investigators.
‘Everyone calls it ‘Punishment Island’. When I was younger I would be in tears about something like this.
‘I have now became disengaged. I am exhausted by the games.’
Another described ‘Punishment Island’ as ‘typically … picking on one employee for a period of time and moving onto someone else.
‘If you’re not on Punishment Island that month, seeing your friends and colleagues there is just as distressing.’
Respected Nine star Deborah Knight also wanted more answers at the meeting
Another said of their newsroom manager: ‘[She is a] toxic bully. I would cry in my car when I arrived at work because I knew I had to deal with her.
‘She would set you up to look stupid. She would constantly undermine you … She had a real disregard for people’s wellbeing. She would say: “A thousand people would kill for this job.”‘
Many believed male reporters at the company were given all the serious stories while females were ‘there just to look pretty’.
Have you even worked at Nine News … if [Individual] hasn’t grabbed your a**?’.’
Individual complainant in the Nine Intersection report
‘Women’s right to report seems tied to appearance,’ one staffer said.
‘A woman presenter was told when she got pregnant “why would you go and do that?” What is more important – the news content or what I look like?’
There were repeated complaints about unwanted sexual advances made by predominantly senior male staff towards younger female colleagues.
Some of the perpetrators’ behaviour was so well-known that newcomers were warned about them soon after joining the company.
‘I had been warned about him… I was in my 20s… his comments about my body were constant,’ one female staffer told the investigation.
‘He made me feel like I was just a piece of meat to be ogled at… and that he was the credible one just because he was the older man… over time, this eroded my confidence… it just chipped away at it.’
Melbourne newsreader Tom Steinfort- pictured with co-presenter Alicia Loxley – was among those who spoke up at Nine’s meeting with staff about the report
Another said: ‘[My supervisor] said to me “don’t let him touch your boobs”. He mainly targeted young women. Women were constantly in tears about their interactions with [Individual]. Younger women were scared to speak up.’
A third recalled: ‘When I was in [location] [Individual] tried to groom me. He also touched me on the bum at the Xmas party and at other times he would rub my legs under the table. In [location] I saw him do it to other women.’
Yet another staff member said: ‘On my first day working in the… newsroom, I overheard some of the other female reporters talking about [Individual]. One of them said “Have you even worked at Nine News … if [Individual] hasn’t grabbed your a**?”‘
Cover-up culture
Almost as bad, some claimed, was the company’s culture of cover up with senior executives deployed to ensure no one spoke out about the bullying and harrassment.
‘The day after it [the inappropriate workplace behaviour] happened, [individual] came up to me to talk about it,’ one staffer said.
‘I thought she wanted to see if I was OK or if I wanted to do anything about it, but no. She was there to make sure that I didn’t say anything, that I didn’t complain.
‘She made it very clear that it would not be in my best interests to make an issue out of it.’
The outgoing executive – pictured at the Paris Olympic Games with Today show host Karl Stefanovic – has been under fire a string of ‘tone deaf’ decisions this year
Nine’s employees said the toxic culture at the network was so engrained ‘we used to talk about being bullied, harassed or publicly humiliated like you’d talk about the weather’.
‘Now when I look back it horrifies me how normalised it had become,’ one staff member told the investigation.
They also complained the network had a booze-fuelled culture and that instances of alcohol abuse were laughed off or not dealt with appropriately.
‘There was a work function… known for plenty of heavy drinking. At one point in the evening, [Individual] was standing in a circle with myself, my boyfriend at the time… and a few other newsroom colleagues,’ one said.
‘There were a few harmless jokes about the relationship etc., before [Individual] said to my partner … “You can f*** her in my office if you want … just tell me when you’ve done it”. I don’t need to comment on how disgusting this is.’
The independent investigation was commissioned by Nine’s former chief Mike Sneesby in June following a string of damaging accusations about the network’s disgraced head of news and current affairs, Darren Wick (pictured)
Another said: ‘I’ve been repeatedly propositioned by my direct manager at Nine over a sustained period of time and I felt like I couldn’t say no in a forceful manner because he controlled my pay.’
Nine chair Catherine West issued an unequivocal apology to the company’s 5,000 employees for being forced to endure the system bullying and harassment.
‘Today is an incredibly difficult day for Nine as we confront these findings and reflect on serious cultural issues as an organisation,’ she said.
‘The behaviour outlined in the report is unacceptable. Abuse of power, bullying, sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct is not okay. This behaviour has no place at Nine.
‘We acknowledge that too many of our past and present employees have been harmed by poor workplace culture, the prevalence of inappropriate workplace behaviours, and an inadequate response in the past from Nine to those behaviours.
‘To any individual who has experienced inappropriate conduct that does not meet the values of Nine, we are deeply sorry. On behalf of the board, I unreservedly apologise.’
The report was commissioned by Nine’s recently departed chief executive Mike Sneesby in June following a string of allegations against the network’s former head of news and current affairs Darren Wick but he quit last month weeks before it was released.
