The heated text messages between One Nation national director James Ashby and veteran journalist Andrew Clennell have emerged, in which Pauline Hanson appears to label the News24 political editor a 'dickhead'.
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Hanson → emerge → editor
Clennell drew the ire of One Nation when he criticised the party's controversial cartoons, which are periodically posted on its YouTube channel, Please Explain.
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which → draw → channel
Clennell labelled some of the videos 'unhelpful' in the wake of the attack on Helen Haines.
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Clennell → label → Haines
Some videos depict slapstick violence, including politicians stabbing each other and buses mowing down people.
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buses → depict → people
The texts, viewed by the Sydney Morning Herald's On Background column, show that Ashby messaged Clennell early on Monday morning to inform him that 'after your weekend comments suggesting the cartoons incite violence, the boss (Hanson) thinks you're a dick... she's not interested in talking to you at the moment.
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she → view → moment
'Are you taking the vids down?' Clennell responded, adding: 'they've literally got buses running over people'.
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buses → take → people
He also clarified that he 'never said "incited violence"...
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he → clarify → violence
I just said "not helpful"'.
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I → say → ?
'Keep running the Labor Dirt Unit rubbish, Andrew,' Ashby shot back.
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Ashby → run → rubbish
Clennell then confirmed he would tell his viewers that Hanson had pulled out in the wake of criticism of the cartoon, but Ashby wasn't finished picking a fight.
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Ashby → confirm → fight
Texts exchanged between James Ashby and Andrew Clennell on early Monday morning
James Ashby (left) alongside Hanson and party official Steve Dickson
Andrew Clennell is on the outer with One Nation after he critiqued the' Please Explain' cartoon series
'Make sure you add the part where she thinks you're a dickhead.
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you → exchange → part
That'll help the audience understand why,' he wrote.
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he → help → ?
Clennell replied: 'You might be able to intimidate other journos but you're not doing it to me, champ.
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you → reply → me
Ashby responded: 'Easier if we don't have anything to do with each other from this point forward, Andrew.'
Clennell replied: 'That'll work well for you in politics.'
News of the texts first surfaced on Monday when Clennell read some of them on air during his show Politics Now.
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Clennell → respond → show
On Monday night, Ashby appeared on News24 broadcaster Peta Credlin's program Credlin, where he doubled down on Hanson's comments, adding that he also thought Clennell was a 'dickhead'.
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Clennell → appear → comments
'That’s what I said, and I think the same thing,' Ashby said, adding that he had received supportive messages 'from people even within the News24 room'.
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he → ’ → room
'So, I’m sorry Andrew, but some people do think you’re a dick, and I’m not afraid to call it out at times.'
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I → ’m → times
Credlin berated her colleague on air in an extraordinary episode of her regular program 'Credlin' on Tuesday night
On Tuesday, Clennell appeared on Credlin for a regular round-up of political news.
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Clennell → berate → news
However, he derailed the agenda by pivoting away from the opening question, which concerned Greens senator Fatima Payman, and instead launched into a pre-prepared statement about Ashby.
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which → derail → Ashby
'This bloke Ashby came on your show last night, and he defamed me, and multiple people have asked why you didn’t back me up,' Clennell said.
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Clennell → come → me
'I appreciate (Credlin's) apology last night after the show, things happen quick on live TV.
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things → appreciate → TV
I've stood up to Prime Ministers and there's no way that I'm being stood over by James Ashby...
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I → stand → Ashby
If I don't talk about this people are gonna go, "Why isn't he talking about this?"
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he → talk → this
In an extraordinary piece of television, Credlin cut Clennell off, scolding him for 'hijacking' the agenda.
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Credlin → cut → agenda
She pointed to the name of her show at the bottom of the screen, saying: 'Have a look down there, Andrew, the show's called Credlin, right?
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show → point → look
'I will decide what we discuss on the show and the order in which we discuss it,' she continued, while Clennell sat silently with folded arms.
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Clennell → decide → arms
'I said to you last night and I said to you today, we would put it in the rundown.'
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we → say → rundown
We've got a whole lot of issues that I want to talk about first - what's impacting real people in the parliament today.'
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what → get → parliament
She added that due to the constant communications in her ear monitors from producers, she simply missed Ashby's slight at Clennell, and she would have challenged the assertions if she had heard him properly.
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she → add → him
'I call a spade a spade, I'm straight up and down,' she said.
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she → call → spade
'You're not gonna hijack my show at the top when I said I would get to this.'
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I → go → this
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