In 1978 the Sydney Morning Herald famously published a front-page story listing the names of queer demonstrators arrested at Sydney’s first Mardi Gras Parade. Forty-three years later, the paper’s new parent company Nine Entertainment Co. has outed two gay men in the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Publishing the names and photographs of two men at the centre of a gay sex scandal in the nation’s capital served no purpose other than to increase readership while shaming and humiliating those particular individuals. Outing gay men’s identities has serious implications for the LGBTQI community in general and for the safety of those two men in particular.
Long Post – GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING –
Debunking Homer Eugene Le Grand’s Article.As most of you know, @theage, under the poor editorship of @Gay_Alcorn posted a pathetic piece on me. The journalist did not have any of the pics, vids, messages etc that I had. pic.twitter.com/yVlbdQC5P0
— Tom the Whistleblower (@BlowingTom) March 27, 2021
Without their names the story is salacious enough. A gay Liberal staffer jacking off on his bosses’ desk. To prove he was a good shot, he photographed his exploits and shared it with a friend he met on Scruff (amongst others). His boss was a woman, a minister and a government whip opposed to gay marriage. His friend was Tom the Whistleblower, a committed Twitterer with a passion for “exposing” misconduct.
Chip Le Grand's smear piece on the whistle-blower blames victims and excuses perpetrators. It's designed to silence victims and stop whistle-blowers coming forward. If you have a subscription to The Age, please consider cancelling it today. #ThisIsNotJournalism pic.twitter.com/ciXsnyCwAw
— PRGuy (@PRGuy17) March 26, 2021
Talk about a beat up. Even without their names the story was pure click bait. But why was it in the public interest to out these two individuals? How does naming the desk masturbator serve the public good? Presumably, Nine has the best legal advice money can buy. With his personal reputation severely damaged and his future employment prospects limited thanks to the reckless reporting of Nine, the now unemployed former government staffer will no doubt consider suing for libel.
Exposing the identity of an editorial source who requests anonymity is a serious breach of journalistic ethics. Chip Le Grand, the journalist who outed“Tom the Whistleblower” asserted he “isn’t a whistleblower in the true sense of the word.” According to Britannica, “a whistleblower is an “individual who, without authorization, reveals private or classified information about an organization, usually related to wrongdoing or misconduct.”
Disappointed that @neighbour_s of @4corners shared the contents of my email I sent her with Chip Le Grand. I once thought you had integrity. It appears my message was to scurrilous to warrant a response. Perhaps you should of replied to me, not Chip.Poor form, Sally. Poor form.
— Tom the Whistleblower (@BlowingTom) March 26, 2021
Tom the Whistleblower didn’t work at Parliament House. He may not be protected by Whistleblower legislation. But he expected to be protected by a code of ethics amongst journalists who are taught to never reveal sources.
So why hasn’t Nine published the name of Brittany Higgins’ alleged rapist? Why only publish the names of two gay men and protect everyone else?
Writing for Nine, Le Grand expressed concern for the desk masturbator. “His decision to share those images with a man he mistook for a friend was career ending.” In doing so both of their names have been published nationally. Career ending is a good phrase for it.
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