On Tuesday night News24’s political editor Andrew Clennell confronted One Nation’s national director James Ashby on air after a set of text messages led to party leader Pauline Hanson withdrawing from an appearance.
Clennell’s criticism of One Nation’s Please Explain cartoons, which he described as “unhelpful” in the context of the recent attack on federal MP Helen Haines, prompted a morning text from Ashby saying Hanson considered Clennell a “dickhead” and would not go on his program that day.
The messages, seen by On Background, show Clennell pressing back after Ashby cut off his access to Hanson, a move that mirrors other bans some journalists have experienced from the party. Clennell says he found himself isolated after the exchange, with little public support from colleagues within News24.
Clennell escalated the matter on Peta Credlin’s program, delivering a pre-prepared statement and asking viewers for examples of other run-ins with Ashby. That interview turned tense when Ashby was also interviewed and stood by his comments, leaving News24 sources to say the on-air confrontation looked poorly handled.
Clennell left one of his on-air lines framed as a challenge to Ashby and his tactics.
"You might be able to intimidate other journos but you’re not doing it to me champ. Just try me," Clennell said.
Ashby’s approach has included barring journalists from press conferences and provocative on-camera exchanges, actions that have heightened debate in Canberra about how One Nation engages with the parliamentary press gallery.
At Senate Estimates this week, Liberal senator Sarah Henderson pressed the ABC over the employment of a Gaza-based fixer, Roshdi Sarraj, after reports claimed Israeli authorities held identification linking him to Hamas. ABC managing director Hugh Marks and editorial director Gavin Fang repeatedly told the committee they had no evidence Sarraj was anything other than a journalist and sought further information from the Israeli Defence Force.
"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.
Henderson later clarified she had incorrectly said Sarraj held a Hamas ID card and that she had intended to refer to two Al Jazeera journalists who reportedly had Hamas military ID numbers, while maintaining her view that Sarraj had been a terrorist. Her questioning triggered a wave of coverage across multiple outlets.
The week also saw renewed scrutiny of past interview decisions. British activist Tommy Robinson was convicted this week of harassing two journalists and will face court again next month, potentially facing up to 10 years behind bars. The outcome casts fresh attention on the decision by broadcaster Karl Stefanovic to give Robinson a sympathetic platform in a now-notorious interview.
Separately, former podcast partner Keshnee Kemp said this week she felt pursued by a “male journo” after her legal dispute with Stefanovic was settled, and disputed recent reporting that questioned elements of her LinkedIn profile.
Inside the public broadcasters, Hugh Marks is due to lay out a new strategy at an all-staff town hall within a month, with a stated aim of producing more distinctive, local and live content. At News, new boss Simon Robinson is expected to unveil his plans for that division in the first quarter of next year, around six months into his role.
