The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter, Kate McClymont, has told a court she is not driven by newspaper profits or online page views as she gave evidence about her reporting on former 2GB heavyweight Alan Jones.
asserted
she → tell → Jones
McClymont was called to give evidence on Tuesday in Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial in the NSW Local Court, following testimony in September by Herald colleague and columnist Peter FitzSimons and former 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley.
asserted
McClymont → call → FitzSimons
The court has heard McClymont spoke to three of the five complainants at the centre of Jones’ trial, dubbed “C”, “A” and “H” to protect their identities, before police laid charges against the broadcaster in November 2024.
asserted
police → hear → November
NSW Police set up Strike Force Bonnefin in response to the Herald’s reporting about Jones in late 2023 and early 2024.
asserted
Police → set → 2023
Jones, 85, is standing trial on 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent against five male complainants between 2003 and 2020.
asserted
Jones → stand → 2003
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies the alleged physical acts occurred.
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acts → plead → charges
McClymont
McClymont agreed under cross-examination by Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, that one purpose of newspaper reporting may be an attempt to hold individuals and institutions accountable.
uncertain
individuals → agree → reporting
“There is also a profit motive to stories for a newspaper?” Bashir said.
asserted
Bashir → be → newspaper
“The story has to sell papers, doesn’t it?”
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it → have → papers
“That’s not my problem, no,” McClymont said, with a small laugh.
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McClymont → ’ → laugh
“Stories are published to increase the readership of print papers [and] to get clicks online,” Bashir said.
asserted
Bashir → publish → clicks
“No,” McClymont replied.
asserted
McClymont → reply → ?
Bashir pressed that higher readership numbers encourage advertisers to invest in the newspaper.
asserted
numbers → press → newspaper
“As a general proposition, yes, but that is not my role,” McClymont said.
asserted
McClymont → say → proposition
McClymont said she did not know what impact her reporting on Jones had on readership figures or subscriptions.
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reporting → say → figures
She agreed that Jones is a very public figure in NSW.
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Jones → agree → NSW
“He’s a divisive figure,” Bashir said.
asserted
Bashir → ’ → ?
“If you say so,” McClymont replied.
asserted
McClymont → say → ?
‘Go the grope’
“C”, a former staffer to Jones, has alleged Jones touched him non-consensually while he was driving the then-broadcaster.
asserted
he → go → broadcaster
McClymont was played a clip from a recording of her interview with “C” in September 2023, during which he told her about the alleged touching and said he would “just try and wriggle out”.
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he → play → touching
She said to him: “You’re driving, so you’re trapped?”
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you → say → him
The man replied: “Absolutely trapped.”
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man → reply → ?
Bashir took McClymont to her reporting of the allegations by “C”, where she quoted the complainant as saying: “[You’d] sort of push his hand away, just try and wriggle out.
asserted
You → take → hand
But you’re driving, you’re absolutely trapped.”
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you → drive → ?
She put to McClymont that “the way it is set out in the article is not the way it transpired in the interview”, drawing her attention to the words “but you’re driving”.
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you → put → words
“I disagree,” McClymont said.
asserted
McClymont → disagree → ?
McClymont agreed that she used the expression “go the grope” during the interview to refer to Jones’ alleged actions, and that “C” repeated it in agreement.
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C → agree → agreement
The words “he’d go the grope” ran prominently in her story, the court heard.
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court → go → story
“When you used those words, you knew that would be a catchy quote?” Bashir said.
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Bashir → use → words
‘You’re not looking for sexy phrases’
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You → look → phrases
“We are halfway through an interview,” McClymont said.
asserted
McClymont → say → interview
“You’re having a conversation with somebody.
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You → have → somebody
You’re not looking for sexy phrases to put in a story.
asserted
You → look → story
It’s not on your mind.”
asserted
It → ’ → mind
McClymont agreed that “C” had used the words “grabbing” and “rubbing” before she used the word “grope”.
asserted
she → agree → word
She also agreed that she did not publish a comment by “C” that the alleged touching was “never skin on skin” but over his clothing.
asserted
touching → agree → clothing
Rivalry between Hadley, Jones
The court has heard that “C” divulged his allegations about Jones to Hadley and FitzSimons in 2019 and to McClymont in 2023.
McClymont agreed that “C” told her in 2023 that FitzSimons possibly had “his own axe to grind” with Jones, and that he put Hadley in the “same bracket”.
uncertain
he → hear → bracket
‘You’re having a conversation with somebody.
asserted
You → have → somebody
You’re not looking for sexy phrases to put in a story.
asserted
You → look → story
It’s not on your mind.’Kate
asserted
It → ’ → mind
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia
