Kate McClymont tells Alan Jones trial alleged victims received no benefit for interviews
The investigative reporter gave evidence about her reporting methods as the former broadcaster’s trial continued in Sydney.
By Pablo Montgomery ·
Investigative journalist Kate McClymont has told a Sydney court that the men she interviewed about alleged misconduct by Alan Jones received no benefit from either her or her employer for sharing their accounts. The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter gave evidence on Tuesday in the former broadcaster’s ongoing trial.
Jones, 85, faces 21 charges involving indecent assault and sexual touching against five men. McClymont’s reporting in 2023 included allegations from several men that Jones had groped them or otherwise touched them inappropriately without consent. Police say the coverage in the Herald and the Age prompted alleged victims to come forward and led to the establishment of Strike Force Bonnefin.
During questioning by prosecutor Georgina Wright, McClymont confirmed that she had spoken with three alleged victims and had kept each man’s account confidential from the others. She said she had always contacted Jones and his lawyers by text message and email to seek comment before publishing her reports.
The court heard that McClymont had not initially provided police with her interview recordings or notes because the material was confidential or unavailable. She received a subpoena for the material in 2026. Under cross-examination by defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC, McClymont said readership figures and advertising measures had no relevance to her work as a journalist.
Bashir questioned McClymont about whether investigations published under her name helped sell newspapers. She also examined records of calls and emails involving McClymont and colleagues, including columnist Peter FitzSimons and reporter Jennifer Duke, dating back to 2017. After speaking with the man identified in the proceedings as complainant C, McClymont had written: “We have another one.”
In her opening statement, Bashir alleged that McClymont and FitzSimons were pursuing a story driven by hatred and jealousy on the part of Jones’s 2GB rival Ray Hadley. McClymont told the court that FitzSimons had been working on allegations concerning Jones since October 2017. Her investigation continued over several years before publication in December 2023.
Jones attended the Downing Centre local court with support from men’s rights activist Bettina Arndt and Mark O’Brien Legal defamation lawyer Paul Svilans. McClymont, a winner of 10 Walkley awards, was supported by Herald editor Jordan Baker and deputy editor Nick Ralston.
Jones’s radio career ended abruptly in 2020 after a succession of on-air incidents cost the station advertisers and revenue. When New South Wales police arrested him at his city apartment in late 2024 following a lengthy investigation, he had been retired from his $4m-a-year 2GB breakfast program for four years. The hearing before Judge Glenn Walsh continues.
Source: The Guardian
