Nine drops Pauline Hanson following ‘controversial’ comments about Melbourne COVID-19 lockdown
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson has been dropped from her regular contributor role on Nine’s The Today Show after comments she made this morning about the Melbourne residents currently in lockdown following a COVID-19 outbreak.
Hanson called the residents locked in the Melbourne towers drug addicts and alcoholics, and said they don’t speak English, which is why they didn’t follow social distancing regulations.
https://twitter.com/joshgnosis/status/1279911568856104960
Speaking to Today host Allison Langdon, Hanson refuted claims the residents haven’t been given access to food and amenities, saying a “truckload” of food had been delivered to them. She also said people were sick of the “bleeding hearts” and dismissed comments that the government should have attempted to reach out to residents in other languages to ensure the message was understood.
The Today Show was so disturbed by Pauline Hanson's racism they posted her comments TWICE.
Any doubt that the @TheTodayShow is using racism as a ratings booster?
and @AllisonLangdon is sooooo shocked Pauline Hanson would punch down against migrants & the vulnerable.#Auspol pic.twitter.com/ZtywDeYmNS
— ☮️💧 Sleeping Giants Oz 📣 (@slpng_giants_oz) July 5, 2020
“Why should we? Why should we put everything out in someone else’s language when you come to Australia,” Hanson said.
“We should not be putting out literature in their own language. Learn to speak English when you come here to this country. That’s a big problem that we have in Australia.”
Nine’s director of news and current affairs, Darren Wick, said Hanson would no longer be a regular contributor to the show following her comments.
https://twitter.com/SylviaJeffreys/status/1279973252777959424
“We don’t shy away from diverse opinions and robust debate on the Today Show. But this morning’s accusations from Pauline Hanson were ill-informed and divisive. At a time of uncertainty in this national and global health crisis, Australians have to be united and supportive of one another. We need to get through this together,” he said.
Hanson is a former regular contributor to Seven’s Sunrise, but quit the segment in 2019 over her treatment by presenter David Koch. Hanson’s fee for the show was being donated to charity at the time she quit. It isn’t known how she is paid for her work with Nine.
Pauline Hanson sacked from the Today Show for her racist and nasty rants about poor people.
Good, about bloody time.
— 💚🌏 Sarah Hanson-Young (@sarahinthesen8) July 6, 2020
Nine also dropped Sam Newman from its lineup earlier this year over his comments about George Floyd, who Newman called a “piece of shit”, “crackhead”, and a “pornstar”.
It really is about time to differentiate between ratings, social commentary and sensationalism. Channel 9 has been happy enough to have Ms Hanson’s commentary, be it for amusement, controversy or a bit of social and possibly controversial discussion around morning coffee for those who really don’t care that much. There’s a thin dividing line that suddenly puts boundaries in place. Absolutely no one should be spruiking personal opinions or making assumptions about those who struggle in any manner whatsoever. At a time when cohesiveness should be tantamount, there is no place for bigots. At a time when Channel Mine’s morning show is struggling with Karl and “off the cuff” Ally, this decision is going to be seen as a backdrop and spin, before savvy viewers spit the dummy and leave an already struggling breakfast show
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Why is ‘controversial’ inside apostrophes.
Way to sit on the sidelines guys.
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Hi Jacqueline,
In headlines if something is a quote, our style is to use the single quotation marks. “Controversial” was the adjective Nine used to describe the comments (despite inviting her on for said controversy), so that’s why it appears that way.
Thanks,
Vivienne – Mumbrella
I find it convenient that we sack people in this country who disagree or speak their own mind… its a pity we can do this with most of the politicians. Once again I find the nanny state rules in Australia, we are obviously unable to make our own judgement on what is rude, unfair, biased etc…. the ‘media’ need to make this decision for us. Booo channel nine, its becoming a very left led media agenda, based on biased political correctness. (FYI – there are drug addicts living in that building – FACT). Not everyone residing there is a drug addict or alcoholic, not everyone there speaks English either, another fact. Is it the reason they didn’t follow social distancing regulations? I don’t know? She stated facts as well as her personal opinion. I thought that was the purpose of the segment? She is not a journalist, she is a social commentator.
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I agree with Lioness.
There is clearly a purge of particular inconvenient views from Nine at the moment. Both Hanson and Newman expressed factually correct statements in the tone that they have been known for over the years. They are doing what they were hired for and now being fired for it.
Were their deliveries as tactful as they could be? No
Would it be realistic to expect Newman or Hanson to be tactful given the track record that Nine has endured? No
Who’s going to be next to speak an inconvenient truth and get fired?
Advice for Nine (from admittedly no place of authority) – let the coverage of the ‘controversy’ bring you ratings rather than purging until your shows are monotone, boring, lefty back slapping fests.
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What a shock – a known racist says racist things. The Today Show should be ashamed for giving Hanson a platform in the first place. There’s a big difference between diverse opinions and blatant racism.
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Lioness, I disagree. You’re sacked.
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Pauline Hanson is a white supremacist who is trying to take Australia back to the the good ol’ “White Australia” days. She is dangerous because she normalises racist views by claiming it is just ‘freedom of speech’. I used to think she was harmless but she is just like Hitler dreaming of a ‘pure aryan nation’.
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“There’s a big difference between diverse opinions and blatant racism.”
SO TRUE.. Hanson is the Queen of the racists hoping to rule a Whites only Australia..
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Can I be one of the first to thank Channel Nine? Not for their reasoning for taking Pauline Hanson off their show, but for saving me from having to use my own reasoning skills so early in the morning? While I burn my toast, I don’t want to be subject to any content that I have to think about!
Can they please file more stories like ‘Alien baby found in Jam Jar” or “3cm dog ate my wife” stories? Because that’s all that Nine’s morning program is good for now.
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Channel 9 and 2GB have now become irrelevant. The radio station has lost it’s ‘hard-edge’ in favour of a ‘family-friendly’ format and the once proud Ch9 now chooses rubbish ‘reality TV’ over news and current affairs.
A sad end for both.
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Wendy… Do you have anything constructive to say that isn’t a smear or name calling? I’m afraid that your facile response is proving the point of the comment you are responding to.
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There is a difference between ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘hate speech’. Nobody in their right mind wants to limit freedom of speech, but when that speech is inciting violence and hatred towards minority groups, it’s time to kick the soapbox from under their feet.
We don’t need another incredibly dumbed down, Nazi, fascist truth-denier state. If you like that, move to America. Or Britain. Or… oh wait. Yes we have that here in Australia.
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Imagine being in Germany in the 30s where a breakfast show has Goebbels casually commenting on the ‘ghettos’.
But it’s Channel 9 supporting this, not some fringe, nazi-supported paper. Although an ex-Liberal treasurer is on the board and it took them aeons to oust Alan Jones.
Have we not learned anything from history?
Aside from the irony of ‘patriots’ using ‘free speech’ to support Nazi views when their grandparents fought and to prevent Nazism, why was Channel 9, truly knowing her racist condescending character, condoning this kind of BS by giving her a platform in the first place?
Do they not like Jewish advertising dollars on SMH, 9 or Macquarie? Asian advertising dollars? Black advertising dollars? Conscientious advertising dollars?
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Are you paying job keeper, job seeker or job maker?
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