‘Just try me’: The text messages that sparked News24’s on-air clash

In this week’s On Background, a News24 journo joins One Nation’s naughty list; Senator Sarah Henderson’s clarification; and a former interview subject of Karl Stefanovic gets convicted of harassing journalists.

Behind One Nation’s blacklist

On Tuesday night this week, viewers of News24 saw the unusual spectacle of its highest-profile presenters tearing shreds off each other.

Political editor Andrew Clennell was clearly upset. He went onto Peta Credlin’s program with a pre-written statement and couldn’t wait for the host to get to the topic he really wanted to address: One Nation’s national director James Ashby.

What was it that got Clennell’s goat? Was it being called a “dickhead” by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson via Ashby over SMS on Monday morning? Maybe. Was it Credlin not challenging Ashby when she had him on her show that night and he doubled down? That probably contributed, too.

But it’s also likely that in the full text exchange between Clennell and Ashby – which has been seen by On Background – he tried to stand up to Ashby after his access to Hanson was pulled, and it hasn’t worked. Moreover, none of his colleagues publicly stood up for him after Ashby told Credlin that he, too, thinks Clennell is a dickhead, as do a number of people “within News24”. That must sting.

The messages reveal some of the power dynamics playing out in Canberra, but also how One Nation’s growing journalistic naughty list gets made.

All it took initially was Clennell pointing out that the party’s Please Explain cartoons depicting violence, specifically ones like those showing Hanson running over Lidia Thorpe, are “unhelpful”, particularly in the context of the Helen Haines attack.

Look, “unhelpful” isn’t exactly a hosing down. But it was enough for Clennell to receive an early morning text message from Ashby saying the leader of the nation’s second most popular party thinks he is a “dickhead”, and as such, she wouldn’t be appearing on his show as planned that day.

The text messages show the subsequent pushback from Clennell left him stranded in the same spot as the ABC and The Guardian have been this year, struck off from access to One Nation’s leader. Other journalists in the gallery have also copped individual bans from Ashby.

“You might be able to intimidate other journos but you’re not doing it to me champ. Just try me,” Clennell said. Fighting words!

“Easier we don’t have anything to do with each other from this point forward, Andrew,” Ahsby responded.

“That’ll work well for you in politics,” the sign-off from Clennell read.

But kicking journalists out of press conferences or telling Four Corners’ Steve Cannane to “f— off” on camera suggests Ashby believes this is exactly what will work well.

Apparently still hot from the exchange, Clennell put out a public call to arms on his own show, asking viewers for other examples of “run-ins” with Ashby. Then, during an interview with Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, he couldn’t get a bite on questions like “What do you think of James Ashby?” and “You told Andrew Bolt earlier this year a One Nation official called you in April and warned you of an online campaign to be launched against you. Can you confirm that was James Ashby and what did he say?”

And then there was Clennell’s pre-written statement and “hijacking” of Credlin’s show, which handed him an almighty smack-down that left him looking like a sad puppy told off by his owner. The whole exchange was embarrassing, and sources inside News24 reckon it made the network look entirely amateur.

On Background went to Clennell, Credlin and Ashby for comment this week, but none wanted to talk.

On the plus side for News24, it’s never had so much publicity.

Welcome to the party, pal

On Monday, Clennell said the response “raises questions about whether Ms Hanson or Mr Ashby have glass jaws”.

“Feels a bit like Mr Ashby can dish it out, but he isn’t so good at taking it,” Clennell continued on his program.

On Background applauds Clennell for calling out One Nation’s bullying behaviour to the media, even if it took him becoming the target.

It’s been their M.O. for a while. You speak out, you lose access. It is why Ashby and Hanson prefer to speak to News24’s late-night opinion line-up, where there are fewer challenges, or directly to their prospective voters on social media where there is no push-back at all.

This is a recalibration of traditional media norms happening in real time, with One Nation increasingly unwilling to play by the established set of rules. This might work for them in opposition, but with major gains expected in Victoria next month and Ashby himself expected to run for the federal seat of Capricornia in 2028, that dynamic becomes even more challenging.

Anyway, at least News24’s leadership stood up for its political editor. Oh wait, Hanson was invited back the next night.

Mea culpa

This week at Senate Estimates, shadow communications spokesperson and Victorian Liberal senator Sarah Henderson spent much of her allotted, limited time pressing the ABC on its apparent hiring of a “Hamas operative” to help put together some content for 7.30 in 2023.

That stringer’s name is Roshdi Sarraj, a Palestinian journalist who was briefly engaged by the ABC to help the broadcaster on the ground in Gaza before he was killed by an Israeli airstrike on October 22, 2023, just 15 days after the Hamas attacks on October 7 prompted a new phase of this long-running conflict.

Central to Henderson’s 25 questions was her claim that the Israeli Defence Force has Sarraj’s “Hamas ID card”. This was, as Henderson put it, prima facie evidence the ABC had employed a terrorist, and they should answer for it. While the ABC’s boss, Hugh Marks, and editorial director Gavin Fang stated several times they had no evidence to suggest Sarraj was anything other than a journalist killed by an Israeli strike, they did seek further evidence from the IDF, but never got any back.

“We have spoken to the IDF and have received some feedback from them, but we have not been provided with anything from them that, to date, is evidence of the claim that the fixer that we worked with was a member of Hamas,” Fang said.

Those answers were not satisfactory for Henderson, who directed her ire towards Fang for being “flippant” about the topic. She cited a report, The Press Files, released by the IDF seeking to debunk claims it deliberately targets journalists (almost 300 have been killed by Israeli strikes in three years). It named Sarraj as one of 170 “military operatives” who had been killed while posing as media workers since 2023. There was, however, no information provided to support this claim.

“The IDF has their Hamas ID card. The fact that you’re not regarding, seriously, this work is deeply concerning,” Henderson said. “I’m really shocked by this.”

“This is the work of the defence force of one of our closest allies in Israel. Their work includes the fact that Mr Al Sarraj has a Hamas ID card, and you don’t think that’s sufficient evidence?” Henderson said.

And as it turns out, it wasn’t sufficient evidence. Henderson’s claim that Sarraj held a “Hamas ID card” held no truth. On Thursday, Henderson clarified: “I incorrectly said he held a Hamas ID card rather than the two Al Jazeera journalists I referenced in the hearing who had Hamas military ID numbers.” Henderson said she stood by the claim Sarraj had been a terrorist.

It is a good thing taxpayers spent all that money clearing that up, then. Of course, this mea culpa came after Henderson’s questions prompted a flurry of news articles across the spectrum from The Australian, The Nightly, News24, Mediaweek and 7News.

With such serious claims being made and subsequently filtered throughout Australian media, the shadow communications spokesperson could heed her own advice and avoid being so flippant with the facts.

God, I love ya

Karl Stefanovic’s lovey-dovey interview with British far-right activist and thug Tommy Robinson continues to age poorly.

Robinson was this week convicted of harassing two journalists, causing two Daily Mail reporters to employ security out of fears for their safety.

Stefanovic’s infamous “God, I love ya” line to Robinson in the interview which ultimately got him sacked from Nine must have softened the heart of the British criminal because he didn’t treat Stefanovic like those other poor journos, if you can even call him that these days.

Robinson will face court again next month, and a potential jail term of up to 10 years.

Meanwhile back home, Stefanovic’s erstwhile business partner, Keshnee Kemp, has an issue with the media herself. She called out a “male journo” for “obsessively going after” her this week after her legal case against Stefanovic was settled weeks ago.

“This is obviously an orchestrated attack but I’m just not interested in someone trying to tear down my achievements,” Kemp posted on Instagram. The post came one day after an article in The Australian dissected Kemp’s LinkedIn account, claiming that she had invented or embellished large parts of her CV, as listed on LinkedIn.

Kemp said the beat-up was “a little strangely personal” and that it would likely have been different “if I weren’t a female”.

We asked Kemp whether she wanted to expand on the post, but we didn’t hear back.

ABC D-Day

In under one month’s time, ABC chief Marks will present his new strategy to the broadcaster’s staff in a town hall briefing.

In that briefing, Marks is expected to lay out how he will recalibrate the broadcaster to produce more distinctive, local and live content.

The extent of the changes – what it will be doing more of, less of and cutting completely – is still unknown.

What we won’t hear next month, however, is how new News boss Simon Robinson intends to revamp his division. That is to come in the first quarter of next year, when Robinson approaches six months at the desk.

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