Outsiders presenters apologise for handling of Leyonhjelm’s attack on Sarah Hanson-Young
The presenters of Sky News show Outsiders, Rowan Dean and Ross Cameron, have issued an on-air apology over their handling of comments made by Senator David Leyonhjelm about the sex life of Greens politician Sarah Hanson-Young.
The apology came a day after Dean smirked on camera as Leyonhjelm discussed “rumours” in Parliament about Hanson-Young “shagging men”.
At the time Dean laughed at Leyonhjelm’s comments
On Sunday, Sky News, owned by News Corp, apologised in a statement and suspended a producer after the allegation was also repeated via an on-screen caption. The caption was up for much of the 17-minute interview, alternating with another featuring Leyonhjelm calling on alpha males to stand up for themselves.
During the broadcast, Leyonhjelm’s comments were not challenged, while Dean openly smirked at what was being said.
On Monday night, Sky News put Dean and Cameron back on air to apologise.
.@rowandean and @RossCameron4: Yesterday we issued an apology to @sarahinthesen8. We want to make it clear that apology is sincerely made. We could have, and should have, handled it better.
MORE: https://t.co/NSNdboQK9j #Outsiders pic.twitter.com/qAYIVOggST
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) July 2, 2018
Dean said: “This program is called Outsiders. We tackle stories the mainstream media tends to avoid with observations which are not always popular.
“There is a line which shouldn’t be crossed and yesterday that line was crossed.”
Cameron added: “Rowan and I responded perhaps later than would have been ideal in dissociating ourselves from unverified rumour and innuendo. We issued an apology to Senator Hanson Young. That apology is sincerely made by Rowan and I.”
“We could have and should have handled it better. We will do better.”
Before reinventing himself as a political commentator, Dean was executive creative director of ad agency Euro RSCG, now Havas. Cameron is a former Liberal politician.
The row has also triggered a petition calling on Qantas to stop airing Sky News in its lounges. At the time of posting, the petition had received nearly 9,000 backers.
The original broadcast:
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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the ex adman in particular looked like he was hating every minute of that
I’m generally a moderate conservative but find that show and that presenter in particular very difficult to watch for the meanness and anger that seems to emerge from the majority of his commentary
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Isn’t this a case of a minority railing against the majority? Utter nonsense
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those poor old men. Does the $35k they each receive per year from Sky to carry on like muppets mean that much to them that they have to eat humble pie in the most spectacular way.
Im glad these guys exist as it makes all of other blokes look relatively good by comparison.
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It is just disgraceful – sorry but they should ALL be sacked, on the spot, the presenters, senator included. I am so fed up of hearing , seeing and listening to these sorts of comments, in the media from male presenters – and their interviewees. We seem to be stuck in the 1980’s. Have some respect and self dignity – all of you and for everyone around you, if you cannot behave like professional adults then you should not be given a platform like this.
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Call a spade a spade, Rowan Dean is a mean-spirited [edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy].
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What about the female producer who was “stood down”? Has Sky apologised to her for having to put up with those presenter and a guest who they invited onto the show?
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Rowan Dean : all class and talent aye!
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These two are giving the whole Foxtel platform a bad image. I have Foxtel and want a refund for the Sky News Channel as it is quickly becoming a replica of Fox News and all its subtle sexist and racist messages.
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Sky and Newscorp are probably doing handstands of delight that one of their least-watched, least-talented shows is being discussed so widely. But to take a broader view, this episode just reinforces the channel’s declining image. It is one thing to try to ape Fox News, but at least the Americans (a) do it better, and (b) have a significant right-wing audience (watching its own views being confirmed) to attract advertisers. Australia certainly has a rusted-on right too, but I suspect in this less-polarised, more tolerant nation, the reasonable, “fair go” middle is greater. All Sky News is doing is driving their opinion of it into decline and that’s ultimately a risky move.
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Seems to me this is an example of a long trend in media in which people pursue celebrity by any means. Jones did it, Bolt did it, both in very rewarding ways. Now in the social media era it’s goibg feral. Dean seems to have no judgment at all and is columns reflect remarkable immaturity. Another at the AFR, Aston, seems to be a throwback to the yellow press era. And of course there are heaps of tedious blowhards of left and right filling media spaces with pretentious, repetitive guff.
Given that sky has hired such a flock of these folk I wonder who is in charge? If it’s lachlan Murdoch then I suspect he is on a fast train to becoming an ex mogul.
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These losers are so stupid and unlikable they aren’t even entertaining the way some ‘shock jocks’ are.
Leyonhjelm is a stain on our democracy and his media enablers are not any better.
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Hey Mr. Leyonhjlem, I just ran the phrase “calling on alpha males to stand up for themselves” through my babelfish.
It translated it as “calling on all dick-head misogynistic nutjobs to stand up form themselves because anyone with half a heart and half a brain wouldn’t tolerate this right-wing crap.”
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Sorry to go against the venomous anti-Sky brigade, but I have to defend Rowan and Dean and Sky News. Exactly since when did interviewers have to apologise for what an interviewee states? This is just plain ludicrous. If you don’t like what Leyenhjelm says, then address your insults to him and don’t hold a journalist to account. Jeee-sus.
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I must strongly disagree with you. If it weren’t for Sky, especially The Outsiders and the Bolt Report, I simply wouldn’t even have Foxtel.
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Rowan Dean is brilliant. A less “mean spirited expletive-deleted” journalist I cannot imagine.
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Oh Julie- what are you saying? Please go back to your comfy armchair and sit there like the grouchy Leftie you are, and leave the Sky team to do their brilliant work of debunking the grotesquies of poor, lost modern Australian politics.
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Exactly, Charlotte! Journalists can’t be held responsible for what their interviewees say. Utterly ridiculous. People just look for any opportunity to knock these brilliant men who dare to front a show that is essentially conservative in its values!
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Oh, are Ross Cameron and Rowan Dean “poor old men”, are they? Dare I say it, but you are making yourself sound an awful lot like Sarah Hanson Young….
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Sorry- but what is the relevance of the producer being female? Should she not have been stood down because she is female or should she definitely be stood down if she were a male? Oh and P.S. the presenters have no responsibility for what their guests say, in case you didn’t know..
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I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Rowan did hate every minute of having to issue that apology as he shouldn’t have had to make it in the first place. Maybe “Fleshpeddler” you would be happy listening to what Auntie has to say…
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I’m sorry but as a male I am sick to death of being labeled a sexist rapist or because I think a certain way someone who oppresses women. Look at the movie the red pill, and look at the utter violent and vulgar retorts regarding men who are trying to standup for themselves. I am upset that the outsiders team have been subjected to apologising for the comments of which they had no control over, because you have a certain belief does not mean you are a misogynist I’d like to know is their producer is female it wouldn’t surprise me. The pendulum has shifted and will take I believe 20 years to equalise so guys hold on. The total BS that males are feed is just that. If you cant get a gig on a board or cant get a job or similar pay as another person might just be because you are not as good as someone else, it has nothing to do with your gender. The fact that you exit the workforce for a lengthy period of time to breed is, I believe a real reason not to employ you or put you in positions that require total commitment to your job. I think that the comments made by the senator are a true reflection of what we as males are facing and as said above it will take 20 years before we either grow the balls to say something or the men hating lezzos get put back in their place. We can’t help our genetics. By making this statement I do not ever condone violence, degrading of poor treatment of women, but to even think that men and women are equal I’d just absurd. Men and women are genetically different and we should be able to celebrate this rather than be made to feel bad about the things we individually contribute to society.
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