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Bauer Media: Rebel Wilson damages not covered by insurance

Bauer Media CEO says the company is working its way through judgment and yet to decide its next step.

New Bauer Media CEO Paul Dykzeul has spoken about the publishing company’s massive $4.5m damages following the Rebel Wilson case.

In an interview with MediaWeek he said the company is yet to decide its next step.

“It remains a difficult issue for us,” he said.

“[The judgment] is a massive document and we are working our way through it. There are some significant issues for media generally in that document, which we want to consider.

“No one goes out of their way to get it wrong and to defame people. The company has been through this on many occasions and I have been through it when we lost the biggest case ever in New Zealand some time ago.

“This won’t materially change our business. I am not suggesting the amount of $4.5m is insignificant. [Celebrity coverage] is the nature of what we do. There are risks attached to what we do and we have to accept those risks.”

Dykzeul implied the publisher didn’t have insurance that would have covered the payment. “I don’t know too many media companies that have cover. One of the reasons is that the insurance company will then want to read every story and that just doesn’t work.”

If the judgment has impacted the way magazines publish it is yet to prove evident. This week Pacific Magazines’ New Idea ran a front page story declaring “Terri (Irwin) & Russell’s (Crowe) Outback Wedding.”

You can read more here.

9 Responses

      1. I see that damages payment as something of a fine for breaking the laws of defamation and libel. In a way it’s like a speeding fine with a different beneficiary. But people keep speeding because the risk of getting caught is fairly low and is worth it. In this case, the profits probably outweigh the risks of getting caught.

  1. ‘No one goes out of their way to get it wrong and to defame people.’

    Umm, Isn’t that pretty much exactly what the ruling said they did?; gave column inches to someone who they knew had an axe to grind with rebel and published it?

  2. Ot was proven in court that they did go out of their way to defame Rebel.

    That’s why they aren’t covered by insurance. Complete lack of contrition which indicates they will reoffend.

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