Nine’s review into 60 Minutes’ case to be led by former A Current Affair and 60 Minutes bosses
The former boss of Nine’s tabloid television show A Current Affair and the man who launched 60 Minutes in Australia are to lead the review in to how its 60 Minutes’ crew came to be charged with kidnapping in Lebanon, Nine network boss Hugh Marks has announced.
Former A Current Affair EP David Hurley, who retired in 2015 after spending some years acting as a key advisor former Nine CEO David Gyngell and Gerald Stone will also be joined in the review by the company’s legal adviser Rachel Launders.
Freed 60 minutes reporter Tara Brown and mother Sally Faulkner.
Reporter Tara Brown and her crew were freed overnight after what is believed multimillion dollar deal was made between Nine and the Lebanese father of Australian mother Sally Faulkner’s children Ali Elamine.
The crew are expected back in Australia later today with Marks sending an email to staff this morning in which he conceded mistakes were made, writing: “At no stage did anyone from Nine or 60 Minutes intend to act in any way that made them susceptible to charges that they breached the law or to become part of the story that is Sally’s story.
“But we did become part of the story and we shouldn’t have.”
Last week authorities in Lebanon filed multiple charges against the crew, Faulkner and members of a child recovery team, among the charges was the allegation of kidnap, over their involvement in the attempt by Brisbane mother Faulkner to retrieve her two children.
“Nine will conduct a full review that will be headed by Gerald Stone, with David Hurley and General Counsel Rachel Launders, to ascertain what went wrong and why our systems, designed to protect staff, failed to do so in this case” wrote Marks.
“We will task the review with recommending the necessary actions to ensure that none of our colleagues are put in a similar position in the future.
“This has been an extraordinarily stressful time for the crew and for their families and I want to very publicly acknowledge how much they have been through and thank them for their courage, their perseverance and for the trust they placed in us to resolve events.”
Marks went on to thank the Australian government and departmental officials for their help along with a number of key staff in working to secure the Australian crew’s release.
Throughout the controversy the Nine Network has played down allegations it paid $120,000 to the agency or mother, money which is thought to have helped fund the child recovery operation.
Marks’s email did not address this point but the Nine CEO also said that he did believe child recovery and the laws governing taking children overseas remains an important area of public interest and one Nine would continue to cover.
“What has happened to Sally happens all too often and affects thousands of Australian families,” he wrote. “It is a story that not only is profoundly in the public interest but also one the public is interested in. It’s an issue that we will continue to highlight.”
The chief planner of the kidnap operation Adam Whittington and one of crew employed by him to snatch Faulkner’s children Craig Michael remain in prison in Lebanon.
Nic Christensen
Marks’s full email to staff:
Dear All
As you would all by now be aware our 60 Minutes team, together with Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner, are out of detention and on their way home. It is an enormous relief for all involved but particularly the families and loved ones of our 60 Minutes team who have suffered a great deal over these last two weeks.
I would like to personally thank the Australian Government, the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, the Australian Ambassador to Lebanon, Glenn Miles, and his consular staff in Beirut and staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra for their advice and assistance.
I also pass on my thanks to our local team in Lebanon, and those who supported them from Australia (particularly Kirsty Thomson and the 60 Minutes team) who have worked around the clock in securing our team’s release.
You should know that the crew has asked me to thank the officials in Lebanon who were involved in their detention for their professionalism and for treating them with dignity and respect.
It is important to reiterate that at no stage did anyone from Nine or 60 Minutes intend to act in any way that made them susceptible to charges that they breached the law or to become part of the story that is Sally’s story. But we did become part of the story and we shouldn’t have.
Nine will conduct a full review that will be headed by Gerald Stone, with David Hurley and General Counsel Rachel Launders, to ascertain what went wrong and why our systems, designed to protect staff, failed to do so in this case. We will task the review with recommending the necessary actions to ensure that none of our colleagues are put in a similar position in the future.
This has been an extraordinarily stressful time for the crew and for their families and I want to very publicly acknowledge how much they have been through and thank them for their courage, their perseverance and for the trust they placed in us to resolve events.
What has happened to Sally happens all too often and affects thousands of Australian families. It is a story that not only is profoundly in the public interest but also one the public is interested in. It’s an issue that we will continue to highlight.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge and thank our head of news and current affairs Darren Wick who has been in Lebanon since early last week. We should all drop in to Wickie’s office when he is back and say thanks.
Hugh
He’s having a laugh.
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9’s going to investigate the 60 minute fiasco, a bit like Police investigating corrupt cops, or Labor investigating corrupt Unions, sure, sure, we are all Mushrooms, being fed more BS.
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Hasn’t Sally seen Not Without My Daughter? That was based on a true story and has happened many times since.
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What a load of rubbish having former, dedicated 60 minutes and channel 9 staff investigating, we all know what the outcome will be.
Channel 9 and 60 minutes will come out smelling of roses.
Well that is what they will want us to think.
They think we are all idiots believing this propaganda.
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‘affects thousands of Australian families’
so, at the very minimum, 2000 Australian children have been taken against one parent’s wishes by the other parents to another country
would love to see that substantiated
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Somehow, I knew 9 would choose staff who likely have prior relationships with those responsible. Transparent much? No.
They need to appoint an outsider with strong investigative skills who is not part of the TV coterie to really go through the systems from top to bottom, without fear of favour. And who will not be in awe of “celebrities” and the BS that goes with commercial networks.
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heads should roll. pity the crew and Ch9 were let off so easily.
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Nic this very tabloid. The quoted email bears little resemblance to the actual one. At the end of the day though at least the kids aren’t being used anymore
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Now a big decision for Marks and his tabloid journo team.
Looking for an advertiser to sponsor the on-air story.
Why not continue the embarrassment. 9 certainly need the ratings.
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A Current Affair reviews 60 mins. Oh dear.
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Why didn’t they give the gig to Ray Martin? He did such a bang-up job with ABC’s ‘independent’ review I thought he’d be a monty for this. Hahahahaha
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Why are these 60Mins people out walking the streets??? They have apparently paid people to kidnap kids at gunpoint, tearing them away from the poor grandmother. If I did this I would be in prison for decades.
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To be honest I think the whole thing is just one big load of crap with all involved acting as willing participants in some pathetically staged TV event….journalism? What a load of total crap.
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This is the investigation you have when you are not having an investigation.
However, am glad all are out……after all how much hummus can you eat???
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An investigation into this sordid Channel 9 mess should be headed by a learned QC.
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This is the kind of gutter behaviour that i would expect of Channel 9 and 60 minutes – anything for ratings – anything for a buck. That said, the way they handle it is a lessoon to us all in terms of how to rationalise poor behaviour and obsene cheque book journalism
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The only outrage that will work here is to stop watching 60 Minutes.
Let the ratings do the talking. Punish their lazy arses
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Nine and 60 minutes are a disgrace, Tara Brown arriving back in Australia with a big arrogant smile is an insult to all, they, Brown and others committed a very serious offence in another Country, and what about the psychological and emotional damage that channel Nine and 60 minutes including Tara Brown and others, put these Children through during there botched kidnapping process. If they had any principles at all, channel Nine should not allow any media promotion of this very sorry event.
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