A young Channel Seven reporter suffering from ‘crippling’ anxiety stepped in front of a moving car earlier this year, moments after complaining about her treatment at the network.
The woman who wished to remain anonymous, claimed she had been working ‘extremely long’ hours for a salary slightly higher minimum wage and that her life began to ‘spiral’.
She was just one of several other women who spoke to the ABC’s Four Corners about the workplace culture at Seven – which they described as ‘toxic’ and ‘soul crushing’.
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.
A young Channel Seven reporter suffering from ‘crippling’ anxiety stepped in front of a moving car earlier this year, moments after complaining about her treatment at the network. Pictured: The network’s Brisbane office atop Mt Coot-tha
It is one of the most degrading, soul-crushing places you can work – former Channel Seven reporter Olivia Babb said
‘I just spiralled,’ the woman said.
‘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.
Seven reporter Olivia Babb (pictured) claimed she – like other women – had been ‘harassed and bullied’ during her time at Seven
The journalist claimed she – like other women – had been ‘harassed and bullied’ during her time at Seven.
‘I wanted to go to HR about being verbally assaulted,’ she said.
‘My boss looked me in the face and said, ‘Well, this is going to be more work for me if we go to HR’.’
‘You really think #MeToo has made any difference to Seven?’ she asks. ‘I have never seen anything come through that makes us think that it even happened, that Seven even knew about #MeToo.’
One senior TV reporter who sacked in June as part of a cull of 150 personnel at Seven West – allegedly sent a series of strange doctored images to a young female journalist before he was dumped by the network.
The veteran crime reporter reportedly took images from a producer’s personal Instagram page and turned them into a ‘caricature’ before sharing them with her, according to a former colleague
‘The pictures weren’t doctored in a sexual manner – they were just strange,’ the source recently told Daily Mail Australia.
One senior TV reporter who sacked in June as part of a cull of 150 personnel at Seven West – allegedly sent a series of strange doctored images to a young female journalist before he was dumped by the network
‘They showed [the young woman] in a slinky cocktail dress holding a champagne flute in cartoon and him in a cape with a sword and shield like he was some kind of knight (in) shining armour.’
Ovadia, had worked at the network for 23 years and was dismissed after the program learnt about the images and started inquiring about it.
It’s understood the junior producer, who no longer works at Channel 7, never officially complained about the image.
Ovadia strenuously denies any allegation of inappropriate conduct and is now suing the network.
Another reporter who worked in Sydney, and also wished to remain anonymous, claimed she was ‘sexually harassed’ by a cameraman, told not to wear glasses on air and made to handover stories to her male colleagues.
She is now suing the network after being hospitalised when her mental health unravelled.
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
Solicitor Josh Bornstein, who has multiple clients who have worked at Seven, said the network requires staff to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) if they’ve alleged sexual harassment or bullying.
‘They’re trying to present an illusion of being robust, happy workplaces, performing a public interest in cutting-edge journalism,’ Mr Bornstein said.
‘What the NDAs do is mask the reality of a brutal workplace culture in which women particularly are mistreated very badly and routinely.
‘It’s an unusually brutal culture. I haven’t actually seen anything like it.’
Prior to Monday’s Four Corners episode, the network’s newly appointed boss issued an apology to staff and vowed to do better.
Seven West Media chief executive and managing director Jeff Howard addressed all employees in the email and assured them that management are reviewing its policies, procedures and culture.
‘A number of people who have displayed behaviour not reflective of SWM’s values have already been removed from the organisation,’ he wrote.
‘I want to be really clear that 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.’
Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Seven for further comment.
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