Today show host Karl Stefanovic says ‘good men’ at Nine let women down

Today show host Karl Stefanovic says “good men” at the broadcaster have let women down after a damning report uncovered a “desolate and dark” workplace where employees were sexually harassed and objectified.

Stefanovic called for more people across Nine’s broadcast and publishing divisions to call out toxic cultures aired in a bombshell independent report published on Thursday.

The report featured harrowing testimony from current and former staff, who spoke of their despair, fear and horror about workplace misconduct.

Speaking on the Today Show on Friday, Stefanovic said “many people were hurting” following the revelations.

“I genuinely, genuinely feel for the women who have given testimony. I can’t imagine how hard that was and the courage that it took,” he said.

“Many people are hurting.

“They feel like what was the point of speaking out if perpetrators are not called out.

“I asked the same question yesterday and it’s my understanding several investigations are now under way and we have to be patient for the process of all that.

“It’s essential and it’s critical.”

Co-presenter Sarah Abo described the findings as “gut-wrenching and devastating” when speaking alongside Stefanovic on Friday.

“Some of the quotes were too hard to read. ‘He tried to groom me’. ‘She’s a toxic bully’. ‘Her M.O. was to create a culture of fear’,” she said.

“It’s simply unacceptable behaviour. These were common and repeated sentiments, the only solace being the incredible collegial support found among peers.

“There was real hope this report would bring about change, but the hurt remains, and many are deeply disappointed. Some are angry and there’s concern about whether those responsible will be held to account.”

Stefanovic said he felt “like we have all in a way, let you down”.

“It’s not about us (men), but there are good men who do work here at Nine who find what happened absolutely intolerable, who struggle to understand how we didn’t know more and do something, how it grieved you,” he said.

“I love my work colleagues here. Women I have the honour to present with, women on the floor of this great show, women behind the scenes who make us all better.

“I’m grateful women are this company and they are the way forward.

“They will show the way. We just have to listen and act. But it’s going to be up to all of us now to do better, to say enough. This stops now.”

While the consultancy firm behind the review, found the misbehaviour extended into Nine’s publishing and radio arm, which includes the Australian Financial Review newspaper and Perth radio station 6PR, broadcasting was the worst.

In one testimony, a respondent said the workplace was described as “punishment island”.

“A desolate and dark place no one wants to be. And if you’re not on ‘punishment island’ that month, seeing your friends and colleagues there is just as distressing,” they said.

Some 62 per cent of broadcast employees reported experiencing or witnessing abuse of power, 57 per cent experienced bullying, discrimination or harassment, and 30 per cent experienced sexual harassment.

Nine has vowed to implement all 22 of the report’s recommendations, including overhauling its HR department, reviewing its code of conduct and appointing external parties to investigate workplace complaints.

Veteran 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley said the report was “alarming” and called for an end to cover ups in the organisation when hitting the airwaves on Friday.

“I, along with many others inside the organisation, welcomed the tabling of the report, and if it causes change, as it no doubt will, it will have done its job,” he said.

Hadley said his own previous behaviour, where he treated male colleagues in a “robust way,” was “living proof” that people could change within Nine.

“Given I’ve always had a record of treating women with respect and supporting them, I’ve applied the same rule for the last decade to men,” Hadley said.

“People are capable of change, but some of the stuff coming out today is really alarming, and even alarmed me and I’ve been around for 40 years.

“I’ve seen it all in the media. It’s a tough, rough existence.

“It’s very simple. We all have to do better at Nine Entertainment, we have to do better.

“And that starts with the Chair (Catherine West), and she wants to do better. It starts with the board, they want to do better.”

“And if there are people at the moment, and I can think of a case that I mentioned recently where someone in power is abusing young staff, and I don’t care whether it’s the biggest name in the business or someone a bit down the pecking order, there can’t be a cover up simply because someone is a powerful person, be that presenter or a manager, there can’t be a cover up anymore. I mean, that’s all got to end.”

Radio Host Ben Fordham said the findings were a chance for the network to “reinvent itself”.

“When I started, the business was owned by the Packer family, and we had a boss like David Leckie, who’s no longer with us, who could be very charming but also he was a type of bloke who’d stand up in front of a Christmas party and he’d spray everyone with F bombs and the C word and everything else,” he said.

“He didn’t do it to be vicious or anything. It was meant to try and get a laugh. Well, if you did that in 2024 you’d probably find yourself being marched.”

Fordham added that there had been “dramatic changes” at the Nine since Peter Costello, Mike Sneesby and Darren Wick had parted ways with the brand.

“Darren Wick’s case has been covered in the newspapers extensively — the former news and current affairs boss who also faced allegations, so it’s a tough time for the business, there’s no escaping it, and the general message out of the whole thing is, we can do better.”

According to the report, employees feared being ostracised, victimised or demoted if they took their complaints to managers or Nine’s HR department.

The review found the Channel 9 owner had “a systemic issue” with abuse of power, bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment, and that management failed in its responsibilities to protect staff who were sometimes driven to the point of self-harm.