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“The classic Kids Aren’t Coming Home After Holiday story.”

Published Nine emails detail how Inside Story had considered Sally Faulkner story before it was rejected.

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Media reports this week have been catching up to the news that the idea for the Sally Faulkner 60 Minutes story was earlier rejected by Inside Story.

Now executive producer of Inside Story Hamish Thomson has also left Nine after 22 years, The Australian reports.

Last month TV Tonight reported the fate of Inside Story was looking grim with staff departures (all of which is unrelated to current headlines) as well as reporting Inside Story rejected the Sally Faulkner story before 60 Minutes became involved.

The Daily Telegraph has now published excerpts of emails from 60 Minutes executive producer Kirsty Thomson and former producer Stephen Rice.

They claim logistics had been planned by Inside Story for “the classic Kids Aren’t Coming Home After Holiday story.”

“Stage one surveillance is 3-5 days watching the family routine and planning the raid” they note.

Had Inside Story proceeded it could potentially have enveloped Nine power couple, host Leila McKinnon and former CEO David Gyngell. Thankfully that bullet was dodged.

This week Stephen Rice contracted lawyer John Laxon to represent him to challenge his dismissal from Nine.

5 Responses

  1. Sick of hearing about this story. What’s done is done. I think the producer has been made a scapegoat and I hope he sues them and wins. The producer has either leaked the emails or they are made up.
    As for the abduction people. Whittington etc.. Why are they trying to get Nine to help them. I’m a subcontractor. I have my own insurance etc. If I hurt myself at work it’s my responsibility. I don’t try and take the owner of the house I was working on to court. They were paid 115k, not like they are short on cash. Nine didn’t take the money back or anything even though the abduction wasn’t carried out…. successfully

    1. I’m always mindful of judging audience interests… it is a delicate balancing act, so appreciate the feedback. That said, this is the biggest media story of the year (do I even need to run a “Blunder of the Year” question in December? If it goes to court it will take new turns.

    2. I’m definitely not sick of hearing about it. It’s easy to say ‘whats done is done’ when you aren’t the victim. I’m sure if anyone had their own children abducted by a foreign film crew, was abducted themselves, had their elderly parents assaulted or were sacked as a scapegoat. They would want the organization responsible held to account.

      1. Were you the victim Mr J?
        Im quite sure the family (in Lebanon) is happy with their $$$ they got from Nine.
        The “organisation responsible” is CARI and by the looks of media reports they are being “held to account”

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