A far-left news website has found itself in fresh controversy after one of its top columnists was reportedly fired for sending a controversial text about sexual violence to an ABC radio programme.
Crikey’s ‘correspondent-at-large’ Guy Rundle reportedly texted Radio National’s ‘Breakfast’ line over a segment on rising sex crimes to say it was because ‘any touching is now sexual assault’.
Host Patricia Karvelas read the text Thursday morning, telling listeners it was written by Rundle.
“It’s because any groping is now an assault and people don’t believe the policy people,” she quoted, before adding, “Wow, that’s pretty upsetting… I have to say I’m a little shocked there.”
The text would have been sent in response to a segment about rising sexual assault crimes in Queensland featuring an interview with Queensland Sexual Assault Network boss Angela Lynch.
ABC CEO David Anderson was reportedly so outraged by the text that he raised it with Crikey publisher Eric Beecher and CEO Will Hayward.
Mr. Anderson reportedly told them that the offensive text was one of dozens of “inflammatory” texts that Rundle had sent to the show and Karvelas, but the first she had written. read on air and identify Rundle.
Controversial journalist Guy Rundle has been sacked by website Crikey over an offensive tweet he sent to Radio National’s Breakfast Show
Patricia Karvelas, presenter of Radio National’s Breakfast Show, read Rundle’s text on air and described it as ‘quite shocking’.
On Friday, Private Media CEO Will Hayward told the Guardian Australia they were disgusted by Rundle’s comments and that his work would no longer be published.
“We were shocked to hear Guy Rundle’s comment about sexual abuse on Radio National yesterday morning,” Mr Hayward said.
“Rundle is a writer of considerable talents and a body of insightful and challenging work, but we condemn comments like that and our working relationship has become intolerable.
‘That is why we will no longer publish his work.’
Rundle was expected to cover the US elections for Crikey next month, but it is understood this will not happen.
Rundle is no stranger to controversy.
Earlier this year he claimed he would “celebrate” in the streets if terrorists launched a major act of violence against Israel.
Will Hayward, CEO of Private Media, said the publisher was “shocked” by Rundle’s comments and that his work would no longer be published on the Crikey website.
Rundle wrote an extensive 1,400-word op-ed entitled: “October 7 was not Israel’s September 11. But as the destruction of Gaza continues, it will come.”
More than 1,100 Israelis and foreigners, including nearly 700 civilians, were murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
In June last year, Rundle was widely condemned for an op-ed he wrote about the Commonwealth compensation received by Brittany Higgins, who was allegedly sexually assaulted at Parliament House in 2019.
Rundle argued that Ms Higgins belongs to a “well-connected network” and believed the compensation was being fast-tracked by Labor for its own political purposes.
Crikey removed the article from his website and issued a humiliating apology to readers.
After this incident, Rundle was not published in Crikey for a long time.
Two months later, the website announced a new set of editorial guidelines and Rundle also returned to writing for the website.