Recently sacked Channel Seven newsreader Sharyn Ghidella has revealed she wasn’t shocked to hear about allegations of harassment and bullying at the network.
Seven was thrown under the spotlight in an expose by the ABC’s Four Corners this week, with many female employees describing it as a ‘toxic’ and ‘soul-crushing’ work environment.
One journalist said she jumped in front of a moving car after claiming she was left with ‘crippling’ anxiety, while another labelled Seven one of the most ‘degrading’ workplaces.
Ghidella, one of 150 Seven West Media staff to get the chop last month amid widespread redundancies, admitted she’d seen problematic behaviour during her 17 years at Seven.
‘I did watch it. A lot of that was information that I already sort of knew about,’ she told The Courier Mail.
‘You see things sometimes that you may think are questionable. And I certainly speak up. I’m not someone who would ever sit back and allow things to happen to me that I didn’t feel were right.’
Ghidella, who has since announced she’ll joining Network 10 to anchor the 5pm Queensland news bulletin, clarified she personally had had a pleasant experience working in television but was saddened by those who hadn’t.
The issue of toxicity within the journalism industry was also highlighted by veteran TV presenter Tracy Grimshaw at the Kennedy Awards on Friday night.
Recently sacked Channel Seven newsreader Sharyn Ghidella has revealed she wasn’t shocked to hear about allegations of harassment and bullying at the network
Grimshaw used her acceptance speech for the lifetime achievement award to warn those who act inappropriately that ‘the jig is up’.
‘Let all of this be a shot over the bow over anyone in any workplace anywhere who still thinks it’s the wild frontier land out there, because the truth is it’s just a phone call away from your own career-ending headline now,’ she told the crowd.
‘The jig is up, so cogitate on that.
‘And I’m also not comfortable with young women being told they should somehow expect to leave their dignity and self-determination at the door when they get into this industry.
‘They certainly should not and telling them that sets them up for failure. Think about it, if you’re told you’ll be bullied and harassed and you better not say anything about it when it happens, well guess what? You won’t say anything about it.’
The issue of toxicity within the journalism industry was also highlighted by veteran TV presenter Tracy Grimshaw at the Kennedy Awards on Friday night
As many as 200 current and former Seven employees spoke to the ABC for award-winning journalist Louise Milligan’s investigative piece Don’t Speak.
One woman who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she had been working ‘extremely long’ hours for a salary slightly higher than minimum wage and that her life began to ‘spiral’.
On March 8, the journalist had informed her superiors at the network’s Brisbane office atop Mt Coot-tha that she wanted to find another job. But she claims she was told to stay for another six months.
‘The only way I can describe it is I felt like I had a noose around my neck,’ she said.
‘[I] felt like she was in a committed domestic violence relationship with [Seven News].’
At 10.45am that day, her concerned colleague received a call saying ‘they won’t let me go’, ‘I’ve f**ked up my career’, ‘I want to be hit by a car’.
Just five minutes later, the reporter threw herself in front of a vehicle.
‘I just spiralled,’ the woman said.
Seven reporter Olivia Babb (pictured) claimed she – like other women – had been ‘harassed and bullied’ during her time at Seven
‘I saw a car driving towards me up the road, I ran in front of it and hoped it would hit me.
‘It stopped. I kept running to find another car. I saw the edge of the cliff at Mt Coot-tha and I jumped. I tumbled down the hill, through the bush.’
She was taken to hospital and never returned to work at Seven.
The bombshell allegations come amid a tumultuous time for the TV station, with mass job cuts, plummeting ratings and recent civil court testimony from a former Spotlight producer claiming interview subject Bruce Lehrman was provided with prostitutes and cocaine.
Mr Lehrmann and Channel Seven have denied the allegations.
‘It is one of the most degrading, soul-crushing places you can work,’ former Channel Seven reporter Olivia Babb told the program.
‘I feel like sometimes I’m dying on the inside when I go to work every day.’
The journalist claimed she – like other women – had been ‘harassed and bullied’ during her time at Seven.
‘I’ve been verbally assaulted. I’ve been put in situations where I don’t feel safe multiple times.
‘This cameraman got in my face and told me, ‘I don’t like you. I hate you. You are a s**t person’. And I will never forget it.’
Babb told one of her bosses she wanted to go to HR about it.
‘My boss looked me in the face and said, ‘Well, this is going to be more work for me if we go to HR’,’ she said.
‘You really think #MeToo has made any difference to Seven?’
‘I have never seen anything come through that makes us think that it even happened, that Seven even knew about #MeToo.’
Seven West Media released a brief statement shortly after the Four Corners investigation aired on Monday night.
‘While we are clearly concerned about allegations of poor behaviour and any mistreatment of employees, a number of matters raised represent old issues that have been well aired and dealt with, in some cases many years ago,’ it read
‘A number of people who have displayed behaviour not reflective of SWM’s values have already been removed from the organisation.
‘We encourage all Seven West Media team members to call out any behaviour that does not reflect our values. Whistle-blower protections are in place and are regularly re-emphasised with all staff.
‘We have a great team at SWM and the actions of some individuals do not reflect the values, behaviour and attitude of the business as a whole, which is home to some of the best, hardest working and most passionate media professionals in Australia.
‘Our focus is to build a stronger culture that enables our great people to thrive, and where unacceptable behaviour is not tolerated.’
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