- Airlie Walsh has filed a sex discrimination case against Nine
- The former Today reporter is currently on maternity leave
- It comes in the wake of a damning report on network culture
- READ MORE FROM INSIDE MAIL: The bitter civil war in Nine’s newsroom
A high-profile Nine news reporter who worked on Today is suing the embattled network for alleged sex discrimination in the wake of a damning report into the channel’s “toxic” culture.
Airlie Walsh, a political reporter on the breakfast show, reportedly filed a human rights claim against Nine Entertainment in federal court this week.
Ms Walsh, who is currently on maternity leave, has been with Nine since 2008, first at Weekend Today before joining the Nine Sydney News team in 2013.
Daily Mail Australia understands its complaint against the network partly concerns two senior male executives and alleged inappropriate historical comments in the newsroom.
It is also believed to include an allegation that the network failed to take her mental health into account when awarding stories.
The mother-of-one’s action comes in the wake of a damning report into Nine’s culture, amid claims of bullying and sexual harassment.
The report, carried out by culture company Intersection, concluded that Nine had “a systemic problem with abuse of power and authority; bullying, discrimination and harassment; and sexual harassment’.
Airlie Walsh (pictured), who was a political reporter on the breakfast show, has reportedly filed a human rights claim against Nine Entertainment in the Federal Court this week
Ms Walsh, who is currently on maternity leave, has been with Nine since 2008, first at Weekend Today before joining the Nine Sydney News team in 2013.
The survey also found that half of the Nine’s employees had witnessed or experienced abuse of power, harassment and discrimination, and that numerous confidential complaints had been filed against some of the Nine’s most senior male and female incumbent executives.
This was prompted by the departure of disgraced former news boss Darren Wick, who left the company in March following allegations of sexual harassment, drunken and lascivious behavior and seriously inappropriate behavior.
His departure – and Nine’s handling of the allegations – sparked a company-wide crisis, leading to an exodus of several senior managers.
Both Nine Entertainment and Ms Walsh’s lawyers declined to comment.
In 2014, Airlie was one of two journalists broadcasting live from the CBD as police stormed the Lindt Café during the Sydney siege.
In 2019, she landed a one-on-one interview with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Christmas Island.