A bizarre new detail has emerged in the Twitter scandal involving Channel Seven’s Edwina Bartholomew and Channel Nine’s Seb Costello.
While the journalist has apologised to Seb for her ‘errant Tweet’ on social media, Nine have reportedly requested a public apology from Seven via a legal letter.
A source close to Seb told the Herald Sun on Sunday: ‘He doesn’t even know her, they aren’t friends. It doesn’t even make sense.’
‘He doesn’t even know her!’ Bizarre details emerge in feud between Edwina Bartholomew and Seb Costello(ABOVE) as Nine ‘aren’t satisfied’ with the Seven journalist’s apology
According to the publication, Nine ‘aren’t satisfied’ with Edwina’s ‘so-called apology’ after she posted a derogatory tweet about Seb last week.
Nine reportedly sent a legal letter to Seven requesting an apology from the network, but Seven ignored it, causing tension between the two networks.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Seven and Nine for comment.
Not happy: According to the Herald Sun, Nine ‘aren’t satisfied’ with Edwina Bartholomew’s (above) apology, and have sent a legal letter to Seven requested a formal apology
Senior management are apparently ‘sympathetic’ to Edwina’s situation and ‘will continue to back her 100 per cent’, according to network sources.
Furthermore, contrary to reports that Seven bosses were ‘amused’ by Nine’s threats of legal action, Daily Mail Australia understands the matter is being taken seriously by all parties.
‘Edwina is mortified about what happened and has apologised to Seb personally,’ said a Channel Seven source.
‘She is a kind-hearted person who made a mistake. She works hard and has been filing stories from a different time zone while also dealing with jet lag that comes with flying to London and heading straight to work.’
It’s serious: Furthermore, contrary to reports that Seven bosses were ‘amused’ by Nine’s threats of legal action, Daily Mail Australia understands the matter is being taken seriously by all parties
Support: Senior management figures are ‘sympathetic’ to Edwina’s situation and ‘will continue to back her 100 per cent’, according to network sources. Pictured: Seb Costello
It comes after TV Blackbox reported that Channel Nine was unsatisfied with Edwina’s apology after she insulted Seb in her since-deleted Twitter post.
A Nine insider told the website that ‘there has been no proper apology as far as we’re concerned’, after Edwina released a statement blaming her ‘errant tweet’ on tiredness while reporting on The Ashes in London.
The saga began last Saturday, when Edwina, 36, posted a shocking tweet about Seb, who is the son of Nine Chairman and former Treasurer Peter Costello, before deleting it an hour later.
The tweet, which cannot be republished for legal reasons, was in response to one of Seb’s Nine News reports and stated: ‘Surprisingly articulate for a [censored].’
Edwina, who fell asleep after uploading the tweet, deleted the post after receiving ‘frantic calls from people at Seven’.
After the social media post caught the attention of the wider media, Edwina told the Herald Sun: ‘I was half asleep and on the other side of the world. It was clearly a mistake and the errant tweet has been deleted.’
After this apology, she reportedly called Seb personally and left a voicemail.
Back and forth: It comes after TV Blackbox reported that Channel Nine was unsatisfied with Edwina’s apology after she insulted Seb in a since-deleted Twitter post
Also on Monday morning, Seb addressed the Twitter scandal for the first time on Triple M’s Hot Breakfast radio show.
‘It’s not ideal what was said, I spent the weekend with family and it’s not ideal for them either,’ he said, adding that he would be talking with lawyers this week.
It comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed that Edwina’s tweet was actually meant to be a private message to a friend.
Channel Nine is now said to be considering legal action on behalf of its reporter and former Europe correspondent.
A network spokesperson told The Australian: ‘Seb and Nine are devastated and shocked at the damaging and false nature of this personal attack on a public platform.’
Whoops! The saga began on Saturday when Edwina, 36, posted a shocking tweet about Seb, who is the son of Nine Chairman Peter Costello, before deleting it an hour later
Insulting: Channel Nine is now said to be considering legal action on behalf of its reporter and former Europe correspondent. Pictured: Seb Costello in Melbourne’s Triple M studios
On Sunday, The Daily Telegraph reported that Seven was apparently not taking these threats seriously.
A source told the newspaper: ‘There is no way Nine will have this play out in a courtroom. They are bluffing by saying they will take legal action.’
The following afternoon, a Channel Nine insider told Daily Mail Australia that network bosses were ‘most certainly not bluffing’.
‘We don’t consider Edwina’s apology to be particularly sincere and this isn’t a matter anyone should find amusing given the seriousness of what was tweeted,’ they said.
Serious: Meanwhile, contrary to reports that Seven bosses were ‘amused’ by Nine’s threats of legal action, Daily Mail Australia understands the situation is being taken seriously by all parties. Pictured: Seb and Peter Costello