Don Burke story reveals the pernicious culture of men protecting each other in the media
Men almost exclusively own, run, and give voice to the media industry. This is the reason men like Don Burke are protected, explains the University of Melbourne’s Gael Jennings in the crossposting from The Conversation.
It was such a cliché. At the office Christmas party of the national TV show where I worked, I emerged from the loo out the back to find one of my bosses straddling the doorway, blocking my way and waiting to pounce.
I was shocked, not so much by his sexual harassment (that was de rigueur in the newsroom cultures of the day, the 1990s), as by the extent of his male entitlement and misogyny. At the time I was still breastfeeding my baby daughter, who was next door at the party with her dad and my colleagues.
This week’s revelations that TV’s darling of nearly 20 years, Don Burke of Burke’s backyard, was allegedly ‘a “psychotic bully”, a “misogynist” and a “sexual predator” who indecently assaulted, sexually harassed and bullied a string of female employees comes as no surprise to women in Australian media. According to last year’s Women in Media Report, nearly half of us have been abused, intimidated or harassed in our working lives.
Once sexual assault allegations against Hollywood boss Harvey Weinstein exploded in the media, the open secret of male abuse of power over women was out. Social media was awash with #Metoo; in France, #BalanceTonPorc (“expose your pig”) flooded Twitter with stories of sexual harassment and assault.
There is nothing heroic about Chisholm, Meakin and Leckie. On the contrary, they are responsible. They were bosses who knew what Burke did and did nothing to stop it. They ran nine like a Hollywood bar: glamour and grog 24×7. Stars were feted. Everyone else was fodder. Burke knew that and played to it.
Agreed 100% with Nined. The 3 executives who have made these comments publicly about this despicable man’s alleged behaviour, where in fact as guilty as Burke, frankly what they thought they would gain by this knight in shining armour approach defies any logic.
There was 2 network CEO’s and a head of news and current affairs at the network when this alleged reprehensible behaviour took place. So on their watch of the time they knew it was happening, now publicly declare, and are seen as great guys for what they have done. As has been publicly reported the late and great media man Kerry Packer reportedly phoned Burke to tell him “to pull his head in”
Funny at the time for many long years the show rated 30 plus homes on a friday night at 7.30pm which was mega. Had it rated half of that it was off air and Burke would be in gaol.