Jacqui Felgate among Nine stars to blast company over damning report exposes ‘systemic’ toxic culture

Enraged Nine Entertainment staff have reportedly ripped into their bosses over the broadcaster’s response to a bombshell cultural review that exposed the company’s “systemic” toxic culture permeating newsrooms.

The damning independent review, released on Thursday, found TV bosses at Nine Entertainment bullied, harassed, and belittled staff as part of a culture that “normalised” and ignored inappropriate workplace behaviour and objectified female journalists.

It concluded the Channel Nine and Nine Newspapers owner has “a systemic issue” with abuse of power, bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment, and that management failed in its responsibilities to protect staff.

The company reportedly held a nationwide staff meeting about the company’s response to the review, during which a number of Nine’s top stars reportedly led a chorus of criticism.

The Daily Mail named star journalist Dimity Clancey, Melbourne newsreader Tom Steinfort, and A Current Affair host Deborah Knight as among the most outspoken critics in the all-in, live-streamed staff meeting.

Sources told the outlet Clancey was particularly incensed about the company’s lack of action. She reportedly complained that staff had “poured their souls out” to assist the investigation, only for their reports to fall on the deaf ears of Nine bosses.

About 300 staff reportedly took part in the live-streamed meeting held across its national newsroom network.

Melbourne’s 3AW Drive host Jacqui Felgate gave her immediate reaction to the report on-air, telling listeners it was a “sobering and shocking report”.

3AW is owned by Nine Radio, a division of Nine Entertainment. Felgate has worked at the station twice — as a reporter in Melbourne in 2006 before working at the Herald Sun and Channel 7. She returned to Nine in January 2024 to host 3AW Drive.

Speaking to her own experience, Felgate said some of the things said to her and to “all women” in the Nine newsrooms 20 years ago “were a disgrace”.

“Many reporters and journalists of my generation, if you’re a female, absolutely carry trauma from what happened to them. And I doubt that it is sadly a unique experience,” she said.”

“And I’m devastated to think that things haven’t changed. That a young woman or woman of any age feels threatened or harassed in her workplace. That she can’t call out poor behaviour for fear of losing her job or reprisals.”

Felgate said she was “heartbroken” to read the report and said Nine needed to “do better”.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe and supported in their workplace, to not be bullied, to go to work and to do their job without being threatened or sexually harassed.

“For the women that have been subjected to any form of harassment, these behaviours have to change, the culture has to change and it needs to stop.”

The bombshell review made 22 recommendations for resetting Nine’s business culture, including reviewing and updating the company’s code of conduct, investigating an external complaints management system, establishing a best practice process for recruitment, and updating mandatory training on inappropriate workplace behaviours.

The Nine board said it had committed to implementing all of them.