The Nine board on Friday met to discuss the future of embattled chairman Peter Costello as some of the media company’s biggest names and senior politicians censured his alleged assault of a young journalist at Canberra Airport.
As senior figures from both sides of politics said Mr Costello appeared to have behaved inappropriately, Sydney’s prominent morning radio tag-team Ben Fordham and Ray Hadley said on Nine-owned 2GB that Mr Costello had questions to answer over the incident with News Corp reporter Liam Mendes.
Shocking video appears to show Mr Costello pushing Mr Mendes over as the reporter peppered him with questions about the sexual harassment and bullying scandals dogging Nine, which have led to the departure of TV news boss Darren Wick and cast a cloud over the future of CEO Mike Sneesby.
Nine’s battered share price, which has been falling for the past month amid complaints by several high profile female staffers that their concerns of a toxic culture were ignored by management, on Friday hit a 52 week low of $1.40.
Amid calls for him to step down over the incident, Mr Costello has denied making any contact with the reporter, saying “I did not lay a finger or a fist or anything on him” and that Mr Mendes had fallen after walking backwards into an advertising placard.
The incident was on Friday inserted into the agenda of a scheduled meeting of the Nine board.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers criticised Mr Costello and said it was a matter for Mr Mendes about whether a complaint should be made to police.
“I think it’s really important that we treat journalists with respect, that journalists are safe in their workplace,” Mr Chalmers said in Brisbane.
“And if anyone should know that, it should be the chairman of a major media organisation.”
Mr Hadley said Mr Costello’s behaviour was “not really good” and called on him to clarify what happened.
He said the video published on The Australian shows Mr Costello “appearing to push a News Ltd journalist to the ground. He refused to answer the reporter’s questions relating to the rolling harassment scandal at the company”.
“Look, I mean I know what would happen to me if I dropped my shoulder into someone who was trying to interrogate me somewhere. You wouldn’t hear the end of it,” Mr Hadley said.
“Now he says that he didn’t do it.
“From a company’s point of view, it’s not really good when the chairman is accused, let alone acted in the way that he allegedly acted. So as I said we are owned by the same interest.
“It’s a reportable matter and needs to be dealt with.”
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