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Nine News Now hissy fit. And first-rate network spinning.

Is there anybody buying the explanation given for Amber Sherlock's hissy fit?

Just wow.

The publicity spin from Nine after the staggering leaked footage involving Nine News Now presenters Amber Sherlock and Julie Snook is almost as bad.

Amber Sherlock admits she “probably over-reacted,” while Snook declared, “Amber and I just really love white!”

Quotes from both presenters followed the staggering video leak yesterday in which Amber Sherlock berated Julie Snook over her wardrobe, minutes before going to air.

The clip, leaked to Mumbrella website, is a branding disaster for Nine News. In only the second week of the year we already have a contender for one of 2017’s lowlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NCEeZtRCRI&t=10s

Sherlock told Snook she could not wear white on air, given both she and guest psychologist Sandy Rea, were also wearing white.

“I need Julie to put a jacket on. I asked her before we came on… I told you two hours ago,” Sherlock insisted.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been flat out,” Snook replied.

In a Melbourne studio, Rea looked like she was caught in between a colleague catfight.

“I made this clear two-and-a-half-hours ago…” Sherlock continued.

“Amber, if it’s an issue, I can get on out of here…” Snook suggested.

Sherlock was adamant: “It is an issue. Go and grab a jacket…. I wasn’t saying it for no reason. The wardrobe girls will be furious downstairs.”

Snook even pointed out her outfit was more blue than white.

“It doesn’t look like it. Get a producer. There’s one hanging up. Just get it…”

After more terse exchanges, Snook eventually reappeared with a black jacket.

And it was all smiles when the three came on air.

Nine will be in overdrive to get to the bottom of its leak. Meanwhile even it was forced to address the issue on 9Honey.

“Live TV can be a pretty stressful beast, at times,” Sherlock said in a statement. “And as anyone knows, it’s never much fun rocking up to work or to a party in the same outfit as one of your colleagues or friends. I probably overreacted with the pressure of presenting a live news bulletin.”

“What can I say? Amber and I just really love white!” Snook said. “Amber and I are good friends and I really enjoy working with her, News is a fast moving environment and sometimes these things happen.”

I suspect few will be buying that spin after the vitriol on display in the clip.

This is a moment that will have a long tail for Sherlock and Nine News Now. It has already triggered online memes, hashtags and parodies.

Hope it was worth it.

https://twitter.com/adamzwar/status/819458521884282880

https://twitter.com/leishae/status/819502350058463232

64 Responses

  1. I’ve always thought those type of segments seem really fake and the way they carried on with the segment as though nothing had happened just confirms it. How can females in the media expect to be treated more equally when they treat each other like that ?

      1. No that’s not what I’m saying at all. Of course they should be treated equally, as well as treating each other better. That goes for everyone in all environments.

  2. Hopefully Amber has someone in her life that has told her she was being a disgraceful belligerent bully.
    If a male presenter had’ve behaved like this, he would have pushed…or “decided to leave to explore new opportunities”

  3. I have to say I am shocked at the blatantly sexist and offensive-to-women comments here on this forum to this article. I say to you: “aesthetic”, “greyghost” and “peter cronshaw” – you all should be ashamed of yourselves. I think your comments are disgusting and the fact the three of you have all used this story to attack women working in the media is really sad . Unfortunately the fact three of you have chosen to do this really shows how far women have to go still in the media and in society. A real reflection on women in TV in the year 2017. I had thought women were given more respect in the media these days… and some people do.. but the three of you show there is still chauvinistic men out there.

    1. I moderate the comments, and there have been quite a few I have been unable to publish. I’ve looked at the three you note and agree one doesn’t fit and has been deleted. But in moderation I also weigh up what is on the table. Frankly terms like “catty” does fit the video’s context, so I’m comfy it’s a fair response. Amber Sherlock’s behaviour also reiterates the perception that female presenters over-react in ways males would not about attire, but there is another comment that balances this which suggests otherwise. Welcome to the tricky, tricky world of trying to judge what is and isn’t an acceptable response.

        1. I agree with your sentiments TVlover. I too have found the comments quite gendered. The ‘catty female’ stereotype is a little lazy, #blazergate aside.

      1. As one that was moderated, I realise what I posted was a bit OTT and not PC but having personally been trampled on by a few over-confident personality types in the biz over many years I could not resist. Unfortunately for her, Amber has made / is making enemies!

    2. Gotta say TV lover that I think your view is a massive over reaction and increasingly common in this era of clicktivists. Sure there are a few dodgy comments, but that has little to do with how women are perceived in society. Time to move on from the 1970s

      1. Yes it is time to move on from the 1970s jezza. Which is why views like “this is what happens when women get control. Bring back the men” and “catty self-obsessed women in the media is nothing new” and “how can females in the media expect to be treated equally when they speak to each other like this” are not OK. This is one person behaving very badly, should not be a chance to make negative comments on women as a gender.

      2. Also agree with Jezza. Women have come a long way. The fact that the panel was all women says it all. If a male did what Amber did he would of been called worse names by feminists such as male pig, sexist etc. There would of been calls for his scalp.

          1. Amber Sherlock’s behaviour seemed over-the-top, but stereotyping an entire gender is both unfair and unproductive. Tvlover makes a fair point.

    3. Obviously you haven’t seen the amount of preening that goes on behind the scenes in a television studio. In all my 35 years in the industry I’ve never heard a male presenter ask if his hair looked out of place or complain about the shade of lipstick he had to wear. Women presenters are pampered to the extreme. I’ve never seen a male presenter pout when a decision was made that they didn’t like.

  4. As a Floor Manager I watch that exchange and unfortunately, it’s quite normal. Happens all the time. What’s not normal though is that she must have pissed off someone enough behind the scenes (and probably quite regularly) for them to release the footage.
    Naomi Robson anyone?

    1. Well Hamish Mc Donald said on The Project last night that after 17 years working in newsromms here and in the UK and USA that he had never seen anyone treated that badly in a newsroom.

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