ABC offers another apology and to pay Chris Kenny’s costs over Chaser dog sex stoush
News Corp Columnist Chris Kenny. Image supplied
The ABC has offered to settle its ongoing legal stoush with The Australian columnist Chris Kenny who is suing the broadcaster and members of The Chaser after an episode of The Hamster Wheel depicted a manipulated image of him having sex with a dog.
A letter from the public broadcaster’s legal department sent today and obtained by Mumbrella proposes to pay Kenny’s legal costs up to the date of the letter and read out a formal apology in court, and points out he has already received a public apology from the managing director Mark Scott.
It adds Kenny has publicly stated he does not want taxpayer’s money wasted by the ABC in it’s defence of the matter, which on Monday had a hearing date set for one of the matters before the NSW Supreme Court.
” We understand from various media coverage of the Proceedings that your client has stated that an apology from the ABC would have avoided litigation. Further, we note that your client stated in an interview given to Channel 9 on 5 March 2014 that he did not believe that taxpayers should be paying for the ABC to defend this matter,” states the letter which carries today’s date.
The letter also states the ABC does not believe Kenny will be successful in his appeal of the matter.
Scott apologised to Kenny in April after resisting calls to do so after the incident in September last year following a broadcast of the show by The Chaser team.
Kenny, who is associate editor of The Australian and an ardent critic of the public broadcaster has consistently demanded an apology and launched defamation proceedings against the ABC which began in the Supreme Court last month.
Read the ABC letter in full.
Chris Kenny has been contacted for comment by Mumbrella.
A spokeswoman for The Australian’s publisher News Corp said the company would not comment on the ABC’s offer.
I thought the Liberals were all for fredom of speech and the right to insult, make fun of and offend others. Claiming that to make it illegal would be censorship and destroy our democratic rights and principles.
But when it’s a Liberal on the receiving end – time to SUE!
Can’t have it both ways..
User ID not verified.
There’s some version of the Streisand effect going on here.
The faux outrage of a moron being amplified by his own actions to make him look even sillier.
Is it the Bolt Effect?
User ID not verified.
You’re free to say or print what you will. You are also free to be sued for defamation.
User ID not verified.
@MartinG – point noted.
Though if anyone honestly thinks Chris Kenny was “defamed” by a representation of him humping a dog, rather than knowing what it is – a (lewd) joke so obvious that they used a cut & paste headshot on the offending picture.
This is not defamation, this is an insult. Very big difference.
If we start allowing people to sue for insulting others, we start to become the sort of society libertarians like Chris Kenny purport to ensure we don’t become. Hence the delicious hypocracy in all this.
User ID not verified.
so did he fuck the dog or not, im confused
User ID not verified.
Yep. Worst I’ve ever had. I’m going back to humping legs.
User ID not verified.
Good on him. That was absolutely disgusting.
User ID not verified.
The court will take a harsh view to the ABC releasing the letter in public and question the motive and could see it as damaging.
User ID not verified.
Take it out of Mark Scott’s $805,000 per annum salary.
That’s right – a public servant, job for life, no accountability, no KPIs, no possibility of review – $15,500 a week.
I hope Chris Kenny crucifies them.
It’s time the ABC was punished for its grotesque behaviour over the past 5 years.
User ID not verified.
Bravo, Mike. I and thousands others agree with you.
Nick Halley, grow up.
User ID not verified.
AdGrunt – anyone who thinks Chris Kenny is a “moron” is a complete fwit themselves.
If you can’t post sensible comment, stick to facebook
User ID not verified.