Former ABC radio host Josh Szeps has strongly defended Alan Jones, who is facing multiple charges of indecent assault, suggesting the fallen talkback king is the victim of a “merry” media witch hunt.
Szeps said he worked as a producer for Jones early in his career and rejected sexual advances from the older man but did not find them offensive.
“Every time he was rejected, and every time it was because I had no interest in it, he would back away and usually laugh it off,” Szeps said during an episode of his podcast Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps.
“It wasn’t anything sinister to me, it wasn’t anything threatening to me. It was playful, it was overly romantic.”
Szeps expressed cynicism over the arrest of 83-year-old Jones, after the luster had long faded from his years ruling Sydney’s ratings.
The media only focused on Jones when he was a greatly diminished figure, Szeps argued.
“Much of the public and the media establishment have reacted to this news with a kind of breathless, lustful joy… at the reward of such a divisive figure,” he said.
‘This raises all kinds of questions about power and sexuality, about retributive justice, consent and the role the media should play in helping us assess all those things.
Former ABC radio host Josh Szeps has accused the media of staging a witch hunt over Alan Jones’ scalp
Jones, for whom Szeps once worked early in his career, faces multiple charges of indecent assault and related matters
“And the media is doing a pretty bad job.”
Last week’s podcast sparked outrage and condemnation on social media, prompting Szeps to explain his motivations on Sunday.
‘What I wanted was a clear, thoughtful, rational conversation about honesty, consent, changing norms, sexuality, hypocrisy. I wanted to challenge the simplistic way Alan’s enemies see him and the world,” Szeps said Sydney Morning Herald.
“The reason I was afraid of it (talking about Jones’ arrest) was because it’s hard. It’s hard not to be misunderstood when the stakes are high, emotions are raw, and everyone is engaged in a war of cultural attrition.
“I’m one of the heedless fools who try to step out of the trenches into no man’s land and say, ‘Can we pause for a moment and think about what we’re doing here, folks?’
‘We just have to grow up. We will not survive the 21st century if we act like toddlers, choosing good and bad things.
‘We have to stop this infantile game where everyone is assigned a tribe and cheers or jeers at each other. People ask me which ‘side’ I am on.
‘What is this, an Avengers movie? Are you eight years old? Life is messy. There are no sides. There is only clear thinking.”
Jones was arrested at his luxury apartment in Circular Quay on Monday.
He faces a total of 26 charges related to alleged indecent assault and sexual touching.
The charges include 11 counts of aggravated indecent assault, 11 counts of assault with indecency, 2 counts of sexually touching another person without consent, and 2 counts of common assault.
The youngest alleged victim was 17 years old at the time of the alleged crimes.
Jones’ high-profile attorney, Chris Murphy, said he would defend the charges. He will appear at Downing Center Local Court on December 18.