Nine’s A Current Affair boss steps down after Logies misstep
Amy McCarthy, the executive producer of Nine’s A Current Affair, has officially resigned, following “a rough tough week” where a series of social media posts she made during the Logies were published in News Corp mastheads.
ACA reporter Steve Marshall will step in as interim executive producer while a replacement is sought. McCarthy will stay at Nine, joining the news production team.
During the Logies, McCarthy took to her Facebook page, which is set to private, to declare: “I can get drunk now. You thought you’d been spammed before! Standby!”
This was followed by an image of Jimmy Barnes performing and the caption “Deserves a spot on the grid! #wouldstilldohim.” Later, she wrote “Luckily my phone died before any evidence could be recorded.”
Needless to say, evidence was recorded and found its way to The Australian.
Amy McCarthy
The paper published the messages, quoting an insider, who reportedly mused: “Imagine if a male news boss had made comments like that about a female singer like Delta Goodrem – it’s totally inappropriate.”
McCarthy replaced current Nine news director Fiona Dear as ACA’s executive producer last June, after then news director Darren Wick stood down. More than a dozen former and current Nine TV journalists had alleged sexual misconduct by Wick. This alleged misconduct includes widely-reported claims he sexually harassed an on-air Nine personality at a Logies after-party on the Gold Coast.
The episode led to a complete overhaul of the company’s culture and a third-party investigation – which found “concerning levels of inappropriate workplace behaviours at Nine” and “very high prevalence rates of abuse of power or authority” in Nine’s broadcast division.
After The Australian report, McCarthy promptly went on extended leave, before offering her resignation on Thursday.
In an email to staff, McCarthy acknowledged the misstep.
“I made a stupid mistake – one that was not meant to be hurtful or harmful in any way. But it has brought unwanted negative attention to a show I love and a team I adore. For that, I am very sorry.
“With the support of my family, I’ve had time to reflect on this and after talking with Fiona [Dear, director of news and current affairs] about what’s appropriate for me and the show going forward, I am stepping down as EP of A Current Affair, effective immediately.
“I’ve worked really hard over the past 12 months to make sure ACA is the best it can be. I made a huge commitment to this show and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together.
“I’m not leaving Nine, I’m heading back to the newsroom – a place I’ve loved for over a decade. I’ll be joining the News production team and I’m really looking forward to jumping straight back into it.”
Dear confirmed McCarthy’s role change in a note to staff, acknowledging: “It’s been a difficult time for Amy and the ACA team but it’s important our senior people lead by example.
“I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone about Nine’s policies, including our social media guidelines and expectations of behaviour at Nine.”
Read the Intersection report findings into Nine’s workplace culture here.
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Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023.
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