This is Outspoken.
The podcast is not afraid to say exactly what you're thinking.
Our names are Amy Kate and Sophie Torber.
We're identical triplets, but we often don't have identical opinions, so sometimes things can get heated. Outspoken covers all things reality TV, influencers, entertainment, and issues facing women. That is so fetch Thank you, Welcome back to another episode of Outspoken.
Now.
We wanted to kick off today's.
Podcast by discussing tear my situations with your parents, because we all consider our mum our best friend. But I feel like there are just some things that you don't discuss with your mum, and there are also some things that you just don't want to know about as well.
So I feel like that's even the case with the three of us.
Like some people might think that we share intimate details with one another, or that we get change in front of one another, but we do have some.
You know, guidelines, abound boundary.
We'll go to the toilet in front of each other, but I wouldn't like have a shower in front of you.
I feel like there's a bit of a line.
But the stupid thing is we probably look exactly the same, Like, I just find it quite funny. I don't think it'd be as embarrassed about that. I think that was more through puberty that you don't want to be seen, I suppose.
I think we're all over that now.
I mean, we didn't even when we were little, discuss our periods with each other, Like we all kept it quiet, But now we always discuss it. So maybe it's a thing about getting older. I feel like that was only as much. I thought that was only when we were twelve. Anyway, I think this conversation is getting two TMI well. That being said, I also don't think that most people share intimate parts about their personal relationships with their mum the
way that influencer Saffron Barker has. Yeah, so so I when I were cacking ourselves this week watching twenty one year old YouTuber Saffron Barker and her latest video entitled asking My Mum Questions.
You're too afraid to ask yours? Now, this isn't a new trend.
There have been other videos released, but I feel like this was probably the most honest one of these videos I've seen. So some of the questions Saffron asked her mum included has she ever heard Saffron having sex in her bedroom? Do her mum and dad still have sex? And does Saffron's mum go snooping in her room?
Now her mum?
Wendy, she was an absolute trooper during this video and she.
Answered some of the questions.
Sometimes I feel like too honestly. Let's have a listen to what Wendy said.
Do you still have sex with dad?
Oh?
God, I didn't want to ask.
I think I am not hundred Sometimes when I have to, oh, are you forty six? Forty six? Forty six? I think you answer is probably still yes. I think people probably have sex a lot longer than that. To be fairly clean, you out thinking about it, out thinking about myself so at that age, or anything, but to be honest, to quench me, I think, abou anyone having sex and I'll try not to right.
Probably a good idea. So well, this question is is sex still is good after doing it with self?
I don't know, because I like to change it up a bit. When I can shut up, I think I'm not asking for I don't want to hear this. From a point of view is as a person, I feel like the more you have sex for the same person the more we get to know each other, like, so I would imagine that that probably is better. There's some random dude that you just met that like probably just wants it all for himself. Oh god, I'm maybe getting paid for this. I wanted to go to Costo and
get a coffee and not even getting that. I'll get you that thank you think you're glad. You might need a box there.
I feel like Wendy should get some of the ad revenue off this video because she was absolutely amazing. I did love the tension in the car because you could tell that this wasn't rehearsed. They actually genuinely felt awkward. I feel like it was the same sort of mood when there's a sex scene on and you're sitting with your parents and everyone's trying to look away at the screen.
I feel like that was the vibe going on in that car.
I feel like it was also a bit contentious because Saffron has recently just broken up with her ex boyfriend, so I feel like the mum was kind of going there with some of the comments about the because she also said that she can't stand Saffron's baby voice, that she did with him. Yeah, that was one of my favorite bits because I remember when they were together there was a few potshots made about the baby voice, but.
You could tell the mum went in hard. Then once they've broken up.
I do love Wendy. She almost reminds me a bit of the mum out of mean girls. It's like kind of the cool mum that's willing to sort of have these conversations with her daughter. It's funny because this YouTube is all about questions you're too afraid to ask your parents. But these are just questions that I would never ever ever want to know the answer.
You can't just be happy with where you are, like, there's always more to.
Be a cheat.
UK influencer Molly May Haig has been labeled tone deaf and privileged after commenting on a podcast that we all have the same twenty four hours in the day. The backlashes spark discussions about the shifting ways we view work, as well as how we respond to successful women. So, Kate, can you tell us exactly what happened?
Well?
Molly May has.
Come under fire for comments she may on popular podcast Diary of a CEO and to be totally transparent, we did do a segment on Molly May's interview with Stephen Bartlett when the episode dropped back on the thirteenth of December. However, we did not cover the twenty four hour statement at the time, nor did the mainstream media, who instead chose to create headlines about Molly having no friends and choosing
to make money over making time with friends. Now, the comment at the time didn't stick out to us because, to put it into perspective, the episode in question was over an hour and forty two minutes long and it really.
Did cover a lot.
So the backlash only just hit over the weekend after a condensed version of the clip was shared on Twitter and TikTok. Now, Sophy, can you tell us more about the comment the comments in question that have come under fires around privilege and background And before we do get into the quotes, I really wanted to provide some context that I don't feel was given in the press coverage or in the social media clips.
So going into the.
Podcast, as the name suggests, Diary of a CEO is a podcast which explores the unfiltered journey of some of the world's most influential people and experts, and it is targeted as a motivational podcast that sheds light on people's remarkable rises to success and also gives insights into how they got there now.
The host, Stephen.
Bartlett, is a twenty nine year old British businessman who was born in Botswana and moved to the UK at the age of two, and he describes himself as a university dropout who once stole food from a corner shop and forage for loose change to keep his hunger at bay.
Now Stephen dropped out of UNI and founded two social media marketing companies called Social Chain and Media Chain, which are now worth over three hundred million pounds, and he became a self made millionaire at just twenty three and more recently, Stephen has appeared as the youngest investor on
the BBC show The Dragon's Den Now. When he joined the show, he said he hopes young people from less privileged backgrounds like his, especially minorities who don't always see themselves reflected in certain programs or industries, will.
Feel enabled now.
During the interview, Stephen discussed Molly's childhood and the fact that she had grown up with police officer parents in the small town of hitchin Stephen said, your mom and dad, as police officers, live very solid lives and careers. I always wonder at a young age how much of it is an innate desire to get more and be different and not live the standard life, or how much is it following the heart and seeing where it goes. Now, Molly responded saying she was petrified of living a very
ordinary life. And this is the first instance. When she touched on the twenty four hour comment, this is what she said.
I think for me, watching my parents have a very ordinary life, it sort of petrified me at there. It was like a bit terrifying, the thought of I don't want to grow up in this house and when I'm old in my rocking chat, I tell my grandkids, you know, like I had this really ordinary life and I had an ordinary job, I had an ordinary income like that.
It petrified me.
From I think around, I recognized started fitting that way from about fifteen. I realized that the world is literally ourystan. We can do whatever we want with the twenty four hours in the day that we're given. So why had am I not going to go out and meet the most of them and do crazy things.
Molly then went on to say that as a teenager, she was desperate to leave her small town to move to Manchester to kick start her influencing career. Now, her following had started to gain traction at the time, and she had found a management team in Manchester. So at the age of eighteen, she dropped the news to her parents that she found herself a flat and within a
week left their home. She said that at the time she could barely afford her rent and was making one thousand dollars a month of her influencing jobs, and her rent was nine hundred pounds, so she was living paycheck to paycheck now. This conversation then led to Stephen comparing his experience of growing up in a small town to her experience. Stephen said, as you look back at that young girl in Hitchin, I'm from a small town myself
with not a lot of global dreaming going on. What have you learned about the nature of confidence and how it builds and how capable and powerful your potential really is as you've climbed up. Now this is where Molly again reference the contentious twenty four hour comment.
Here's what she said, Beyonce has the same twenty four hours in a day that we do. And I just think like, it's literally you're given one life and it's down to you what you do with it, Like you can literally go in any direction. And when I've spoken about that before in the past, I have been slammed a little bit with people saying, you know, like it's easy for you to say that, you know, you've grown up and you've not grown up in poverty, You've not
grown up, you know, with major money struggles. So if you to sit there and say that we will have the same twenty four hours in a day, it's not correct. And I'm like, technically what I'm saying is correct.
We do.
So I understand that obviously we will have different backgrounds and we're all raise in different ways, and we do have different financial situations. But I think if you want something enough, you can achieve it, and it just depends to what lengths you want to go to get where you want to be in the future. And I'll go to any lengths, Like I've worked my absolute ass off to get where I am now. A lot of people don't think that and believe that, but it's true. I've worked so so hard.
So there has been an outpouring of anger over the comments, with many dubbing Molly May's comments privilege for comparing her life to that of people working comparatively more stressful, lower paid jobs. One Twitter user road worked her ass off. I go to do my twelve hour shift to put a roof over mine and my son's head. I should have thought of this, but don't think Love Island would accept forty eight year old size fourteen single mums. Another said she literally just went on a TV dating show
and got brand deals. I'm not sure she worked her ass off. Meanwhile, some fans showed support for the Love Island star. Of course this is a stupid comment, but I do feel like she's been hung out to dry a bit here. The podcast was called The Diary of a CEO, where I think she felt the need to say inspiring things like follow your dreams and you can
do anything. It's tone deaf, not malicious. Another person tweeted Savo Sullivan wrote a fantastic piece for a refinery about this topic, and she pointed out that it's not the first time Molly May has been subject to a Twitter uproar, but this time it's not about her dog or the nature of her giveaway or the fact that people cared deeply about when her boyfriend Tommy Fury is going to
propose instead. It speaks to the fundamental flaws at the heart of the influencer economy and the shifting ways is
we conceive work. What I loved about this article is it pointed out that the twenty four hour comment really spoke to the girl Boss era of twenty fourteen, and that was when our Instagram feeds would be full of quotes saying things like you have the same twenty four hours as Beyonce and The article also pointed out that there is a distinct difference between the quantifiable period of
time and how you can spend it. So, for example, people who can afford to pay for support like childcare, cleaners and assistants are paying not only for the support, but for the freedom to use their time how they say fit. So it's really difficult to compare a regular twenty two year old who may be working several jobs to cover their rent and is cooking their own food, cleaning,
maybe socializing. It's very difficult to say that they have the same amount of time and free time to invest in their future as an influencer who is currently on a seven figure contract with a huge Fast Fast.
Do you know what's crazy?
Though?
When I heard these comments on the podcast, I did immediately think that it's strange to me that Molly would comment on her twenty four hours because when you watch her YouTube, so you get the impression that she actually doesn't do that much. So I did wonder if that had anything to do with the upbrough people like, are you serious. I think it definitely has added to it.
And I think what's even more awkward is the fact that she is the creative director of a fast fashioned brand like Pretty Little Thing, who obviously employs workers that are living below the poverty line to create their clothes. So I think there are a lot of points here that have angered a lot of people. And as one of those Twitter commenters said, it might not have been with malice, but it was a very tone deaf thing
for Molly to say. And I think she's in the position where she was elevated onto this podcast where a lot of important people go on and talk about their success, and I think it's a little bit of tool poppy syndrome in the fact that she's in a position to drag her down, and she's obviously said something that is offensive as well.
Well.
I went back and listened to the Pretty Little Thing podcast and there was an episode which featured Molly and it was crazy because this was probably early last year, and she said the same quote about having twenty four hours in a day.
I actually think the fact.
That someone's picked it up and put it on TikTok is the reason that there is so much anger over this, because I don't know, it seems like TikTok can expose these kind of quotes, but it also doesn't give a lot of the context of the interview. I don't think there's any denying that the comment was tone deaf. However, as you said, Amy, I think it's made to look a lot worse when it is cut up without any of that context that Molly had made throughout the whole interview.
And then when you.
See that isolated, you're like, what the hell, Like this is bullshit, And especially on a platform like TikTok where a lot of woke people are on a lot of young people that are angry about things, and I think it just snowballs from there. Well, the thing that does annoy me a little bit is as Sophy said, this podcast is called the Diary of a CEO, and there are a lot of other podcasts out there that are
inspirational business podcasts. And I've listened to Gary V's podcast numerous times and he says lots of similar things about you know, utilizing your time and you know you can do it, and you have the opportunity just like everybody
else does. The thing is the whole twenty four hours in a day common It really drives home the message that if we all have the same amount of time in the day, the only thing holding us back from our goals is not working hard enough, which really perpetuates the whole hustle culture philosophy, and it gives the impression that the power to change our circumstances is in our hands and the only thing stopping us is ourselves, which of course isn't true for people who find themselves in
less fortunate situations. And the philosophy really is, as Refinery said, at the heart of influencer culture, and Refinery so cleverly pointed out that the performance of working hard is so key to an influencer's relatability. So the article said that influencers like Molly may try to reinforce the idea that
the graft is primarily what got them there. Yeah, because if luck and advantages were the primary reason and no hard work or real work was put in, then it would be harder for us to buy into that idea
that influencers are aspirational and most importantly relatable. I think that's so true, And I feel like in that part of the interview, Molly had been asked about appearing on Love Island and sort of was questioned about what set herself apart from the other contestants, and I feel like she was really amped up to talk about how hard she had worked in comparison to the Love Island contestants and how you know they all had had the same
opportunity as her. The thing is, as you say, Kate, she was comparing herself to the other contestants, but not looking at the deeper issue of the fact that she was very lucky and in a privileged position to find herself on the show. Because you look at the people who were cast on the show, and you can't say that beauty standards don't play a role in who gets selected.
Well, host of the CEO diary.
Stephen Bartlet took to Twitter to defend Molly may He said, the standard the publics whole Molly may Too is absolutely outrageous.
Hero.
I've become very aware of the double standard successful women face. If I interview a man, he can brag about money, take full credit for his success, and talk about his cars. I've had male guests say what she said and no one cared gender issues aside. The standard we hold Molly may Too as a twenty two year old who is
figuring out the world is absolutely outrageous. I do agree a lot with what Stephen has said here because I do think gender does come into play, and I think there is a lot of internalized misogyny in the way that we view women earning a lot of money, and
we sometimes get our back up about it. And I think, in particular with influencers, I think it's difficult because whilst I don't doubt that Molly may has worked incredibly hard by her own standard to get where she is, I think what constitutes hard work in the life of an influencer seems to be very different to outsiders who work a nine till five grind, or someone working grueling shift work.
We tend to view influencer work as easy and simple because there are a lot of benefits and glamorous sides to it. Well. I think that's also how they portray it on YouTube, because often when I'm watching Molly May's YouTube, she has in the past spoken about how she's gone to bed really late because she's been watching movies and getting taken away and then gotten up really late again
and not done much. And I think it's sort of also, as you were saying before, how they portray themselves online to remain relatable, because I have watched a lot of YouTubers say that they normally film on their days off, which I think is detrimental to themselves because this is what you think everyday life is like for them, when it may be not like that at all. They might actually be working hard. I also think people lack sympathy when someone is being paid incredibly well for their job.
Now there have been reports that Molly May is being paid a seven figure sum for her role as creative director of Pretty Little Thing, and even in the interview when Steven questioned Molly about what her role actually encompassed, there was a bit of a question, even in my mind going on of war, what she actually does in that role. I mean, let's just be honest. The comment
that she made was incredibly careless. I do wonder how much weight all of the media coverage surrounding el Darby's racist comments had because I noticed that a lot of articles about Molly May then linked back to the el Derby controversy. And I feel like at the moment, with it being the start of the year, it's like people are on holidays and they're kind of looking to be
outraged by something. So well, I feel like media organizations also know there's currency in covering these backlashes and influencer apologies because even one of the articles I read in the Sun they said the groveling apology from Molly May, and I noticed that that was the exact way they led about l Darby's apology. Well, talking about that apology, shall we get into Molly's because she said I wanted to come back online today as normal, but I feel like before I do, I just wanted to say this.
When I say or post anything online, it is never with malice or ill intent. I completely appreciate that things can affect different people in different ways. However, I just want to stress that I would never intend to hurt or upset anyone by anything I say or do. I apologize to the people that have been affected negatively or misunderstood the meaning of what I said in the podcast. The intention of the podcast will only ever to tell
my story and inspire from my experience. Loved You will always I really feel like it's a.
Bit of a nothing apology. Yeah, I tend to agree.
I think it had a bit of a tone of I'm sorry that you misunderstood and took what I said in the wrong way. And even if that's how she feels, and I mean, we've just been discussing that, we do think there are elements where people have blown this tone deaf comment out of proportion. I do think when you are making an apology on.
Such a big stage.
Like she is, that she did need to hold up her hands and say my comment was tone death, I'm going to learn from it, this is how I'm going to move forward. Like it didn't really hit all the right notes for me that an influence apology should. Then again, I think maybe she wasn't sorry because she was probably copying so much vile hate from people online. Even Bartlett said in his Twitter post that you know, we must
remember to be kind and reference Caroline Flax. So I can only imagine the comments that Molly may must have been receiving, and the fact that so many men on this Diary of a CEO podcast said the exact same thing and received no backlash. Maybe she didn't really feel like apologizing. Yeah, but that's the thing I mean, I'm saying that I totally think her comment was tone deaf, but I don't think the reaction has matched what she actually said.
So we have come to Victoria Park and we've just on a little lap around the park and I actually am feeling really good. It actually gave me a bit of momentum.
So Princess.
Okay, Princess Victoria Park, Well, I can tell people exactly where I was. I thought that would be dumb. They'll come at you for that, but like I just didn't who gives the exact location of where they.
Are we're sitting Anyways, I was.
About to say something important.
Bella Valares has denied accidentally uploading a screenshot of her bank account to her instant story. The former A Bachelorette contestant claims her Instagram was hacked and the account details are not hers. Kate, can you tell us what happened? Well, just a quick recap. On Monday show, we discussed how a screenshot had briefly appeared on Bella's insta story showing a bank account with more than ninety eight thousand dollars in savings Now. The screenshot was swiftly deleted, which led
many people to believe she had accidentally uploaded the details. However, since our episode went live on Monday, we received a message from Bella saying the following. She wrote, Hi, guys, I've just got sent a blurb from a podcast you put out about me and my savings account. My Instagram was hacked and that wasn't a screenshot of my bank account. This is why I got taken down as soon as
I regained access to my account. Your podcast has made it out like it's something I did on purpose, and you seem like genuinely nice people, so I'm not sure why you would go out of your way to fabricate a whole scenario without first checking with the person.
There has now been.
Articles made, and it's immensely distressing that they are making it out like this is something I have done on purpose. Who in their right mind would share a photo of their savings. I'd appreciate if you rectified the situation now.
We responded straight.
Away, saying we were unaware her account had been hacked and we were sorry if we had contributed to any distress that she was experiencing. We also went on to explain that we used the story as a hook to discuss the hot topic of influencers pay, and that we were happy to update our listeners on Friday with the details she provided. However, Bella viewed our reply and is yet to respond. She did, however, do an interview with Pedestrian, where she again reiterated her Instagram was hacked and it
wasn't a screenshot of her bank account. She said, that is why it got taken down as soon as I regained access to my account. She went on to say that the incident had been immensely distressing again for her, and she's been receiving hate messages on Instagram. Bella said, I had no control of the situation, and it's been
made out like it was done on purpose. It's just unfortunate that people jump to conclusions and judge when they see a media article, they don't think to take into consideration that its third degree information that's being used, along with biased opinions from the people talking about it or writing about it. I understand it comes with the territory, but the hate messages shouldn't be. Didn't anyone think to themselves, she's obviously been hacked. Who would actually willingly share their
bank details? And what kind of people would then share that to a Facebook page without knowing the full story. It's ridiculous and pathetic. Now what did you guys make of all of this? I do feel for Bella, because no one should ever be copying hate messages. However, I'm surprised by her thought process because to me, it isn't my first thought, Oh, this person must have been hacked.
My first thought is wow, this person must have accidentally uploaded their private details, especially because she didn't then write a message saying hey guys, I've been hacked. And also, how does she gain access to her account so quickly to remove the side instantly? Yeah, well, that's what I want to know, because I feel like there's different levels of hacking, and she has been pretty vague with the
details about this hacking. So, for example, I think a lot of people have experienced being hacked by their sibling or their friend when someone steals their phone and posts something as a joke, which I think that this could fall into this category. But then I feel like she's referencing that she was hacked by a third party. But I feel like it doesn't really match up to the story because it would take a long time, you would
think to regain access to your account. I mean, Sophie, you took about a week to get back into your Facebook account and that wasn't even hacked. That was just because you forgot your password. But why would you hack some Why would you hack someone's Instagram to put up a screenshot of a bank account? Like, is she claiming that it's not her bank account and she claiming that it is and someone else put it up there. No,
she's saying that this isn't her bank account. The thing that also blows my mind is she's acting like she doesn't have any right of reply. But if she was hacked, why didn't she go on and address it straight away and say sorry, guys, my Instagram got hacked. Why does she then have to give out interviews to pedestrian, and you know, to clear up the story, just jump on your story and say what happened? Yeah, but why would anyone hack someone's account?
Upload?
Is it meant to be embarrassing that she's only got like ninety eight K and savings? I don't understand it all doesn't make it seem the funny thing is it seems like she is embarrassed, like, no, that's not my account.
I've got way more money.
Entire Channel four news team, I'm Veronica Corningstone.
And I'm Ron Burgundy.
Go fuck yourself, san Diego.
Leaked vision of seven News readers Rebecca Madden and Mike Aymore calling tennis player Novak Djokovic and asshole has gone viral. The incident has sparked an investigation by the Seven network to find the culprit responsible for the leak, while many are now speculating the whole debarcle could have been an elaborate publicity stunt amy, can you tell us more well? The leaked vision shows Rebecca Madden and Mike Amore sitting at the news desk getting ready to present the nightly
news bulletin. And having worked in TV news, it's very common for newsreaders to discuss the headlines before the news actually begins. So on Wednesday morning, the vision surfaced online and quickly made headlines around the country. I think we should have a list into what was said.
That talk of each is a lying, sneaky asshole, Like whatever way you look at it, it's unfortunate that everybody else stuffed up around. That's it like to go out when you know you COVID positive. Well I don't think he wasn't even COVID positive.
That bullshit.
Fell over his lies, which is what happens, right, Yeah, that's what's happening.
And then him now then ticking he didn't go to Spain.
It's just like, but I think I think he's going to get away with it.
He is going to get away with it.
I think most fairminded people would say, look, Blakes an asshole.
Did we did they do the right thing by him?
I don't know, don't.
That So first it was everyone's reaction to the comments. I wasn't surprised because, as you said, Amy, we've all worked newsrooms before, and it's pretty common, as you said, for the newsreaders to have a pretty open chat. I mean I was sometimes surprised how open some of them would be when they were miked up, particularly because vision like.
This can leak. But I wasn't surprised to.
All, and I really agreed with their commentary. To be honest, I kind of liked seeing the real and raw side to them.
It made me like them.
I think they just said what a lot of Australians were thinking. And it was quite funny because a lot of people seemed outraged by the swearing. But as someone who has worked in a newsroom that's pretty regular, that's where normal. Yeah, that's where I picked up a lot of my bad swearing from.
I do think a lot.
Of people were surprised how off the cuff the comments were, because, as we said, the general public aren't used to seeing new newsreaders in that light because they're normally so prim and proper on air. However, I feel like when these reports first came out, I initially thought, oh gosh, this is going to really damage Rebecca and Mike's image, but it really seems to have done the opposite if you look online. So Twitter was ablaze with praise for the pair.
So author and broadcaster Justin Smith wrote yesterday, I thought Mike Amore and Rebecca Madden were professionals with integrity. Today, I feel exactly the same, except I like them just that little bit more. Writer Jess Maguire tweeted that seven News footage where the host called Novak Djokovic a lying, sneaking asshole is a delight and honestly, I'd love nightly news shows where hosts spoke so frankly, so Amy, What
did you make of the initial reporting of the leaked division? Well, to be honest, I was a little bit annoyed by the initial coverage because a lot of the headlines only named Rebecca Madden, and they were headlines like Rebecca and Madden calls Novak Djokovic a sneaky little asshole, and I thought, oh my gosh, she's gonna get absolutely crucified at work and also by.
The general public.
And it did really annoy me that it seemed to be, again, the media, we're picking on the woman in this instance, just playing devil's advocate. Do you think that that's because she does have a higher profile nationally than Mike Amoor.
Because she was on the footy show. I don't think so.
I think Mike Aimore is a very well respected journalist as well, and I think it would have been just as shocking for them to include him in the headline.
Now.
According to media reports, Seven are furious about this league and have said that the vision was illegally obtained. Amy, what are they putting that down to Well. Seven's director of News and Public Affairs, Craig McPherson described the league as cowardly and said it was in breach of the Victorian listening devices legislation. He also said the perpetrator would
be accordingly dealt with when found. I find this all very interesting because it seems to be a complete backflip to the way Seven handled the issue with their reporter Georgia love So, the former bachelorette was embroiled in a racist Instagram story scandal and at the time there were emails leaked between her and her co worker Nathan Templeton. And it's not like Seven came out and said that this is disgusting or anything. They stayed quiet on the matter.
So I wonder what the change of heart is all about. Okay, as you mentioned, it's not the first leak at the seven Melbourne newsroom. It seems to be happening to Seven Melbourne time and time again, because in February twenty nineteen, there were several emails from the newsroom that were leaked, which many media networks said revealed that the seven News
office had a mean girl's culture. So I don't know if you guys remember this, but one of the emails in question was from executive news producer Lynn Scrivens, and it said twenty eighteen was, without doubt.
Been the year of the women.
Around the world, women are standing up for themselves, being taken seriously, getting more opportunities. Yet here in the seven newsroom it seems we are still a bit behind the times. The bitching and backstabbing. I'm so done with it, all of us. I'm sure have been guilty of having a bitch about a colleague. Enough already, Let's start supporting each
other as women in an industry dominated by men. People who spend spare time at work looking for stories, not gossiping or online shopping will do well in twenty nineteen.
And what I find interesting.
Is it is clear that these email leaks came from somebody within the Seven network where it's come out now, the leak of this vision actually came from an outsider, So maybe that's why Seven are now pushing to expose who did it, so it takes the heat off the network.
So it seems like.
They're internally dealing with the other email leagues, but as you said, this is a third party, so they're putting them out to dry basically, well, I think they want to make it clear that it wasn't somebody at the seven network who actually leaked it. So initially there were multiple reports saying that this must have been a disgruntled seven employee. However, it's come out now that the blame has been put on a captioning service which is believed
to be responsible for the leak. So the company has access to the nightly news feed and then they add the captions for people to read. So The Australian has reported that the captioning company is AI Media, who have launched their own investigation into the leak, and it's understood they're currently interviewing staff and conducting extensive IT networking traces and it's thought that once the cultport has identified, the incident will then be reported to police.
So what's really fascinating is it was actually the.
Time stamp in the right hand corner which cleared seven staff. So this time stamp doesn't appear on internal seven video outputs. So that's why I'm assuming Seven have come out in such a strong way to say, you know, we're gonna find this person because it was clear it's not a seven staffer. Well, the controversy actually ended up being a ratings win for Seven on Wednesday night, forty thousand extra viewers.
Then the previous night tuned in to watch the bulletin affronted by Rebecca and Mike, and this has led many to speculate whether the leak was actually a publicity stunt. What do you guys think? I don't think there's any way that Seven would actually allow this to be put out. I think they've been involved in so many scandals recently that it's just not a good look for the network. I think it's ended out being a good move personally for the reporters. However, it doesn't reflect well on the
network as a whole. Well, the thing is, I think the reason why so many people think that it could be a publicity stunt is the fact that Rebecca Madden has only just returned to the seven network from nine, so she was at nine for five and a half years, and she only returned in early January, so now everybody knows she's back at seven after this vision is leaked, and because the reception from the public has been so positive,
that's obviously led people to speculating. But I agree with you, Kay, I think there is no way the seven network would air something like this because they could never have predicted that the public response would be this way. Well, that being said, I don't think that would have been so difficult to predict.
At the moment.
Online there's been so much backlash towards Novak Djokovic, and the general consensus is that he is a complete asshole. So I feel like putting out that sort of content where the anchors are speaking the way that we all speak, They're having a great chat, they're sounding like everyday people you can get along with. I can see why people would think this is leak.
I can see it.
But the whole thing with news is that journalists are meant to be unbiased and they're not meant to push their own opinion in the story. And I think a lot of people were like, oh, well, why would I listen to you because you're obviously coming from your own agenda, and I don't think that's good from a.
News perspective at all.
Well, I think I think that's all we've got time for today. Thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Outspoken. If you did like the show, please go and rate us five stars and also remember to follow us on Instagram at Outspoken the Podcast. We're also on TikTok at Outspoken Underscore the underscore podcasting. Go and join in the conversations at our Facebook community, which is Outspoken the Podcast Community.