Insiders spill details about bombshell Channel Seven doco (2024)

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Former and current employees of the Seven Network have lashed out at its management following a string of controversies - with one describing it as the one of the 'most soul crushing places to work ever'.

The workplace culture at the television station will be under the spotlight once again courtesy of an episode of the ABC's flagship Four Corners airing next Monday titled 'Don't Speak' and helmed by reporter Louise Milligan.

More than 200 staff were interviewed for the program including Amber Harrison, whose affair with former CEO Tim Worner made headlines after she was sacked for supposed credit card misuse.

'I can't comment as I'm silenced for life,' Ms Harrison told Daily Mail Australia, referring to a non-disclosure agreement. 'But Louise Milligan is not, and typically she is exposing injustice on Four Corners.'

Other past staff to speak to the program include veteran WA journalist Mark Gibson - who calls out Seven as a 'very dysfunctional family' and the 'third, fourth, fifth chance club' in a trailer for the episode.

Regional reporter Olivia Babb - who until recently worked for Seven in Toowoomba and Tamworth - featured prominently in the promo.

She says 'how do they sleep at night?' and 'they shouldn't be in business if that's what they're doing to young women.'

Ms Babb posted to LinkedIn last week that she was looking for work.

The ABC's synopsis reads: 'Channel Seven bills itself as a family network, but a Four Corners investigation finds it to be a 'second chance club' for senior men, described as a 'degrading, soul-crushing' workplace.

'Allegations of sexism, exploitation and extreme bullying at the network are rife and staff have been left hospitalised. In some extreme cases, they are unable to work or been suicidal.

​'Many staff have made legal claims against the network and many past staff have been gagged with non-disclosure agreements.'

The high profile troubles that have hit the broadcaster in recent months were kicked off by the Spotlight scandal.

A former producer on the 60 Minutes rival, Taylor Auerbach, alleged in the Federal Court as part of Bruce Lehrmann's failed defamation suit that Spotlight paid for cocaine and sex workers for the rapist in order secure an interview with him.

But even before that the troubles were brewing, with the network's corporate owners taking a controversial stand by backing former soldier Ben Roberts Smith in his defamation suit against The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, after they accused him of war crimes.

Roberts-Smith lost that case but has appealed the finding, however, Seven's owner Kerry Stokes agreed to pay both parties' legal costs, estimated at up to $35million, to prevent a tranche of 8,600 internal emails about the case getting publicly released.

On top of this, Seven also paid an undisclosed but 'significant' amount to a man they wrongly named on air twice as the Bondi Junction attacker in a particularly embarrassing error.

More recently there has been widespread staff redundancies under new Seven West CEO Jeff Howard as part of a $100million cost cutting push, with reports in the media from staff claiming the vibe at Seven was that of a 'funeral'.

One of the network's most prominent journalists Robert Ovadia was also sacked over alleged 'inappropriate conduct' linked to emails he sent, though a formal complaint was never made.

Daily Mail Australia revealed doctored images were allegedly at the centre of that matter.

It's understood his axing - he has denied any wrongdoing and is taking the network to the Fair Work Commission - was brought about by inquiries made by Four Corners in researching Monday's episode.

Seven Queensland personalities, newsreader Sharyn Ghidella and weatherman Paul Burt was also axed recently.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Seven Network for comment.

Channel Seven