Hundreds of Australians are calling for co-host of the project, Lisa Wilkinson, to be fired after her debacle in Logies’ speech caused a delay in a rape trial.
Wilkinson has been under heavy fire after his speech at the awards ceremony on Sunday night caused the trial of Bruce Lehrmann, the man accused of raping Brittany Higgins, to be postponed until October.
ACT Supreme Court Judge Lucy McCallum said Wilkinson’s speech “completely blurred” the line between the allegation and guilt of the alleged sexual assault in the Canberra House of Commons on March 22, 2019.
The whole saga is ironic, as Wilkinson herself, in August 2021, implored “everyone to respect what’s at stake here.”
Even media colleagues have criticized Wilkinson, 62, for 10-year-old former man Tim Bailey, who told him to “throw his head” and hinted that he should only to have taken his statue and “fucked up.”
Social media users have also rushed to sue Wilkinson, asking Network 10, her employer, to fire her.
“Come to Network 10, it’s probably time to take a step back and fire Lisa Wilkinson,” one wrote.
“How can you have your brand and network tarnished by your actions and arrogance.
“She represents everything she hates and rostrum.”
Another was even more blunt, saying, “She should be charged with contempt of court … 10 should be fired.”
“Lisa Wilkinson chose self-promotion instead of a fair trial for both parties, this is what you call support for violence against women, and you were warned that this could happen, shame,” wrote another .
“When should Channel 10 wait for your resignation?”
But not everything was one-way traffic, with one user suggesting a more balanced view of Wilkinson’s handling of speech.
“She has been unconditional in her support of Ms Higgins and other harmed women, but she is an experienced journalist and should have known that what she said could have caused legal issues,” they wrote.
The drama unfolded when Wilkinson emerged and 10 had approached the President of the Australian Bar Association, Dr Matthew Collins, to represent them in any possible legal proceedings.