Media Watch: Paul Barry apologises after false claim about Sky News host who broke down when she realised she knew Bondi stabbing victim
The presenter of ABC’s Media Watch, Paul Barry, has issued a stunning apology for wrongly suggesting a Sky News presenter was ‘putting reporters on the trail’ of Bondi victim Dr. Ashlee Good.
Dr. Good was one of six victims killed by knifeman Joel Cauchi during the bloody rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center on Saturday afternoon.
Her nine-month-old baby Harriet was also stabbed but survived. On Tuesday, the child’s condition was downgraded from critical to serious and she was moved from intensive care.
Saturday evening, shortly before Dr. Good was identified as the first fatality, Sky News presenter Laura Jayes revealed during a tearful live cross from outside Westfield that she knew the 38-year-old osteopath personally.
She mentioned Dr. Good didn’t and didn’t provide any identifying information, only saying she was an “incredible athlete” and “so excited to be a new mom.”
However, Barry wrongly suggested that her report was the spark that set off a firestorm of media coverage, which Dr. Good would later complain that it violated their privacy.
A day after Media Watch aired on Monday, Barry issued a mea culpa about X.
He acknowledged that Jayes, 40, was not responsible for the subsequent media coverage and had in fact taken care to protect her family’s privacy while disclosing her personal relationship with the victim.
‘I just wanted to say [regarding] the one from last night [Media Watch] That [Jayes] was very careful to protect her friend Ashlee Good’s privacy in that emotional #BondiWestfield live cross,” he said.
‘She didn’t ‘kick it off’. My mistake. Sorry. OJ.’
Dr. Ashlee Good, 38, was one of six people killed in the mass stabbing at Bondi Junction
Barry, 72, (left) accused Jayes, 40, (right) of ‘setting reporters on the trail’ after revealing she had met osteopath Dr. Ashlee Good, 38, personally met during an emotional live cross
A day after Media Watch aired on Monday, Barry issued a mea culpa about X (pictured). He acknowledged that Jayes was not responsible for the subsequent media coverage and had in fact taken care to protect her family’s privacy while disclosing her personal relationship with the victim.
Barry’s apology came after he smugly accused Jayes on Media Watch of “rigging reporters” after she divulged details about Dr. Good had shared.
He then slammed the media for using photos from Dr.’s Instagram account. Good.
Jayes had taken great care not to identify the new mother at her live cross, even though she probably knew her name would soon become common knowledge.
“There’s one victim I know who is so cruel…” Jayes said.
‘She has a great circle of friends, she was a great athlete and she had the world at her feet.
‘Her family rushed here, so many family and friends wanted to be at the hospital this afternoon, they had to take turns going in and out of the waiting room.
“Both of them [Dr Good and her child] had surgery, her husband didn’t know if either of them had survived and now the worst possible news.
‘I just can’t really get my head around it. It’s just so cruel.’
Crucially, Jayes ended by saying she “did not want to breach the family’s trust and privacy at this time” and that she “couldn’t imagine” how they were feeling.
Following Barry’s apology, many viewers praised Jayes for protecting Dr. Good, while also grappling with a “deep personal loss.”
“I really liked LJ’s interview at the time, also responsible for protecting AG’s identity,” one person said.
“As a Sky subscriber, Laura Jayes did a fantastic job for her viewers on Saturday under the most distressing circumstances,” said another.
“I have not seen anyone else do anything other than praise Laura’s reporting and composure under what must have been the most intensely painful of circumstances.”
Dr. Good was one of six people killed after Joel Cauchi, 40, entered the busy mall armed with a 12-inch knife on Saturday afternoon.
Five women were killed – Dr. Good, Dawn Singleton, Jade Young, Pikria Darchia and Yixuan Cheng – as well as one man, security guard and refugee Faraz Tahir.
Dr.’s nine-month-old baby Good, who was injured in her stroller, was moved from intensive care to a ward after undergoing surgery on her injuries.
The mass stabbing marked Sydney’s worst massacre in more than 20 years, with dozens of floral tributes left outside Westfield Bondi Junction this week.