Trial testimony: No financial gain from interviews
Kate McClymont testified in Sydney that the men who spoke to her about Alan Jones received no payment or professional advantage.
By Amir Navarro ·
21. That is the number of charges facing Alan Jones in a Sydney court. The 85-year-old former broadcaster is accused of indecent assault and sexual touching involving five different men.
On Tuesday, Kate McClymont took the stand. She is the chief investigative reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald. She spoke about the interviews she conducted in 2023. McClymont confirmed that the men she spoke with gained nothing from the process. She said they received no benefit from her or her employer for sharing their accounts.
Prosecutor Georgina Wright questioned McClymont. She asked if the journalists had kept the men’s stories separate. McClymont said she spoke to three alleged victims and kept each man’s account confidential from the others. She also confirmed that she always contacted Jones and his lawyers by text and email before publishing.
Defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC cross-examined the reporter. Bashir asked if the articles helped sell newspapers. McClymont stated that readership figures and advertising measures had no relevance to her journalistic work. Bashir also reviewed call records and emails dating back to 2017. These included communications with columnist Peter FitzSimons and reporter Jennifer Duke.
Bashir suggested a motive for the reporting. She alleged that the investigation was driven by hatred and jealousy from Ray Hadley, Jones’s rival at radio station 2GB. McClymont responded that FitzSimons had been working on allegations about Jones since October 2017. Her own investigation continued for several years before the stories were published in December 2023.
The case stems from police investigations. Strike Force Bonnefin was established after the media coverage prompted alleged victims to come forward. Jones had been retired from his 2GB breakfast program for four years before his arrest. He earned $4 million a year on that show. Police arrested him at his city apartment in late 2024.
Judge Glenn Walsh presides over the hearing at the Downing Centre local court. The trial continues.
Source: The Guardian
