Warning: Graphic content material
Hi there and welcome to our stay protection of former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones’ indecent assault and sexual touching trial within the historic Downing Centre Native Courtroom in Sydney.
As we speak, The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter, Kate McClymont, returns to the witness field for a second day of proof.
Jones, 85, is standing trial on 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching with out consent towards 5 male complainants between 2003 and 2020. He has pleaded not responsible to the fees and denies the alleged bodily acts occurred.
All 5 complainants have now given proof in court docket. McClymont was referred to as to provide proof by the Crown as a result of she spoke to a few of the complainants, dubbed “C”, “A” and “H” to guard their identities, when she was investigating allegations towards the previous broadcaster.
The Herald revealed a collection of reviews by McClymont about Jones in late 2023 and early 2024. Her reporting triggered a police investigation and McClymont gave an announcement to police in June 2024.
Jones was arrested in November that yr. Throughout cross-examination on Tuesday by Jones’ barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, McClymont was requested if there was a “revenue motive” for newspaper articles.
“The story has to promote papers, doesn’t it?” Bashir requested.
“That’s not my drawback, no,” McClymont replied.
“Tales are revealed to extend the readership of print papers [and] to get clicks on-line,” Bashir mentioned. “No,” McClymont replied.
Bashir pressed that increased readership numbers encourage advertisers to put money into the newspaper.
“As a normal proposition, sure, however that’s not my position,” McClymont mentioned.
McClymont mentioned she didn’t know what impression her reporting on Jones had on readership figures or subscriptions. She agreed that Jones is a really public determine in NSW.
Learn extra from McClymont’s first day of proof right here.
Help is out there from the Nationwide Sexual Assault, Home Household Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Males’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.