Business of Media
Sky News employees caught in cyber breach
Foxtel’s cable news channel Sky News Australia has become the latest media company to suffer a cybersecurity incident, with personal identification details of staff stolen following a major hack of a third-party provider, reports SMH’s Zoe Samios.
Staff at the Rupert Murdoch-owned news channel were told that their personal information may have been caught in the cybersecurity breach at payroll provider Frontier Software late last year.
A letter, seen by this masthead, apologised for the breach, but it is unclear how many employees were affected.
“While we have received no reports from Frontier that any of this information has been published online or any other unwanted or harmful behaviour, we think it is important to let you know about this so that you can take steps to protect this information and we would like to apologise to you that this may have happened,” the letter said. Sky News was approached for comment but did not respond before deadline.
10 denies claims of bullying by reporter Tegan George at its Canberra bureau
Network 10 has denied bullying claims by political reporter Tegan George and described many of her allegations as “vague and embarrassing and liable to be struck out”, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
In court documents lodged with the Federal Court on Friday, the broadcaster denied George’s claims that she had been bullied by multiple staff members while working in 10’s Canberra Press Gallery bureau between 2019 and 2021.
George, who is still employed by 10 but has been on leave since June last year, launched legal action against the network last month, claiming she suffered stress and humiliation during her employment and named colleagues including the network’s political editor Peter van Onselen, also co-host of The Project and contributing editor at The Australian, as bullying her during her time working at Parliament House.
10’s defence documents responded to claims about George’s involvement in a sexual harassment investigation, revealing that she conceded she would not participate in any way.
The documents claim a text message sent by George on May 10, 2021 to Canberra bureau chief Achim Bormann explained she did not want to escalate investigations to her managers relating to a sexually lewd comment made by a male colleague and friend of hers about another female in the office.
Activist group ABC Friends warned to stop using public broadcaster’s logo in lead-up to federal election
Activist group ABC Friends has had its pre-election campaign derailed after it was caught inappropriately using the public broadcaster’s distinctive logo to launch partisan attacks on the Coalition, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
The group has been forced to take urgent action to overhaul their campaigning material just months out from the federal election after the ABC’s managing director David Anderson was recently quizzed at senate estimates about the group’s questionable use of the logo.
For years, ABC Friends has been using it on its website, publications, letterheads, campaigning material and merchandise, but the group must now revise their digital advertising, flyers, social media ads, banners, billboards and branding on buses.
Publishing
Sydney Morning Herald editor v staff over use of the word ‘strike’
Cracks have started to open up in the editorial ranks at Nine Entertainment’s publishing house following the departure of popular Sydney Morning Herald editor Lisa Davies last year, reports News Corp’s Annette Sharp.
An internal group chat leaked to media last week, and published on Twitter by YouTube political commentator FriendlyJordies, has revealed staff previously loyal to Davies are pushing back against the authority of her “polarising and blunt” replacement Bevan Shields — and perceived editorial influence from the pro-Lib bosses who promoted Shields in November.
The trigger for last week’s defiant leak was Monday’s train dispute between the NSW government’s transport department and the Rail Train and Bus Union (RTBU), resulting in the government cancelling all train services after midnight Sunday in the interests, it said, of public safety.
Television
Michael Pell to leave Seven’s Sunrise after 11 years for LA posting
Michael Pell will step down from his role as executive producer of Sunrise at Easter, reports News Corp’s Briana Domjen and Annette Sharp.
Discussions are well underway about a new role within the Seven Network which will see Pell move to Los Angeles.
Yesterday sources denied the new role would be attached to the news division, and said it would likely be more aligned to programming.
Network bosses have decided that after 11 years in the high-pressure job, the time is right for change in the management ranks at the nation’s top-rated breakfast show.
Sunrise sources insist 39-year-old Pell has been agitating for an LA role for more than a year and may yet baulk at Seven’s final offer.
Executives at Seven are still thrashing out a new role.
Neil Balnaves died falling from boat on day trip from mega-cruiser The World
Australian film and television executive Neil Balnaves is believed to have met his tragic death after a tender boat he was travelling in while day-tripping from The World cruise ship to Tahiti started to capsize, prompting Balnaves to fall and hit his head fatally, reports News Corp’s Annette Sharp.
Balnaves’ star rose in the 1970s after the former PR man and advertising creative teamed with publisher, philanthropist and marketing genius Paul Weldon at Weldon’s Paul Hamlyn Group. In the 1970s the company took control of animation production house Hanna Barbera Australia, and 30-year-old Balnaves was appointed MD.
Later that decade he backed the construction of theme park Australia’s Wonderland, and in 1979 he moved into videotape production in a 50/50 venture with Hollywood studios Paramount Pictures and MCA Universal, called CIC-Rigby.
Radio
It’s a boy for King Kyle Sandilands and fiancée Tegan Kynaston
The King of breakfast radio will welcome a little prince in August, reports News Corp’s Briana Domjen.
Not one to do things by halves, Kyle Sandilands and his fiancée Tegan Kynaston on Friday boarded the $4000-per-hour Oneworld superyacht for an extravagant gender reveal, with two fighter jets shooting blue smoke across Sydney Harbour.
The rain did nothing to dampen celebrations, with guests including his KIIS FM co-host Jackie O Henderson and best friend John Ibrahim snacking on baby blue and pink strawberries, a lavish gender themed lolly bar and a five-tiered cake, while listening to a solo saxophonist and a DJ.
Sport Media
Caroline Wilson lashes out over reporting on annulment of Sam McClure’s Quill award
Veteran football journalist Caroline Wilson has criticised media reports on the annulment of colleague Sam McClure’s Quill award as “inaccurate” but declined to identify any specific flaws in the stories covering the fallout, reports News Corp’s Sophie Elsworth.
Speaking on her latest podcast, Don’t Shoot the Messenger last week, the former Age chief football reporter discussed her colleague being stripped of his 2020 Quill award in the sports news category.
“For people who aren’t across the story it’s probably a little bit dull but it was a big issue last week and the Herald Sun made an absolute meal out of the story and inaccurately reported some of it,” she said on the podcast with co-host Corrie Perkin.
“But anyway, the point is this has now been deferred to another authority, an independent authority who are going to look at this whole question of removing awards after legal settlements or acknowledgments.”