ABC Insiders: David Speers caught in hot mic moment as he blasts ‘horrible’ trolls

ABC presenter David Speers was caught complaining about ‘horrible, horrible’ social media trolls in a ‘hot mic’ moment that wasn’t supposed to air.

The Insiders host took a photo with panelists Katharine Murphy, James Campbell, Samantha Maiden and LNP politician Jane Hume before the episode began.

The moment wasn’t included in the televised broadcast on Sunday, but was accidentally screened on the ABC’s streaming platform iview, reports TV Tonight.

‘Let’s get a photo… just for those lovely folk on social media,’ Speers, 48, could be heard saying. 

His colleagues laughed in response, with Speers saying: ‘It’s a horrible, horrible place and after years of copping it, you just have to tell yourself there are hundreds of thousands watching and a few hundred who tweet [unintelligible].’

Speers then said the show has about 15 regular trolls on Twitter, but ‘there are far more who are just loving our work’.

The ABC Insiders host took a photo with panelists Katharine Murphy (centre), James Campbell (left), Samantha Maiden (centre left) and Jane Hume (centre right) before the episode began

A technical issue saw this footage accidentally go to air on iview. It was later shared by the Twitter user @SquizzSTK, whose followers mocked Speers’ remarks.  

‘I can’t understand why they need to tell themselves this convenient lie, and never actually delve into the questions and issues raised,’ one person said of the panelists’ belief only a handful of outspoken viewers disagree with them. 

Another said: ‘Damn, I never realised I was on here talking to three other versions of myself.’

‘Let’s get a photo… just for those lovely folk on social media,’ Speers could be heard saying in the accidentally aired footage. ‘It’s a horrible, horrible place and after years of copping it, you have to tell yourself there are hundreds of thousands watching and a few hundred who tweet’

Someone else took issue with Speers saying Insiders has ‘hundreds of thousands’ of viewers.

‘Think he’s having delusions of grandeur about those figures,’ they said. ‘He’s pretty much dropped Insiders in the toilet and flushed.’ 

Neither David Speers nor the ABC has publicly commented on the leak. 

A technical issue saw this footage accidentally go to air on iview. It was later shared by the Twitter user @SquizzSTK , whose followers mocked Speers’ remarks