Lisa Wilkinson will reportedly be absent from this year’s Logies ceremony due to the ongoing controversy surrounding her Logie award-winning interview with Brittany Higgins. Reports have been circulating in the Australian media about Wilkinson’s absence from The Logies, which will be held at The Star casino in Sydney this Sunday.
The controversy surrounding Wilkinson stems from a leaked pre-interview lunch with Brittany Higgins and others, where it appears Wilkinson sought to politicize Higgins’ rape allegation during the explosive interview. Many have been calling for Wilkinson to return the prestigious Most Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs Report award she received last June for the interview.
The leaked recording of a five-hour meeting between Wilkinson, her Channel Ten producer Angus Llewellyn, Brittany Higgins, and her boyfriend David Sharaz, which took place in a Sydney hotel room in January 2021, has fueled these allegations. It is alleged that Wilkinson coached and prompted Higgins ahead of the interview about the rape allegations, raising ethical concerns.
During the lunch, they also discussed relying on certain Labor politicians to ask questions in Question Time and allegedly made mocking remarks about the Liberal Party’s preselection of indigenous candidates. Wilkinson faced criticism for comparing Jacinta Price’s preselection to a white family ‘hiring a black cleaner,’ which led to a later apology.
Despite the controversy surrounding her, Wilkinson celebrated her triumph at last year’s awards ceremony, proclaiming the interview with Brittany Higgins as the most significant work of her 40-year journalism career. However, it is noteworthy that Wilkinson has been absent from Australian television screens for the past eight months, even though she continues to receive a substantial seven-figure salary from Channel 10.
With the ongoing controversy surrounding Wilkinson and her award-winning interview, her decision to skip The Logies has only intensified the ongoing debate. The absence of such a prominent figure from the ceremony raises questions about the impact of the controversy on her professional reputation.
The Logies, known as the Australian television industry’s night of nights, will continue without Wilkinson’s presence this year. As the event approaches, media outlets and viewers will be watching closely to see how the controversy unfolds and whether it will have any lasting effects on Wilkinson’s career.
It remains to be seen whether Wilkinson will address the controversy directly in the coming weeks or if she will distance herself from the situation. Regardless, the absence of an award-winning journalist like Wilkinson from one of the industry’s most prestigious events highlights the significance of the allegations and the impact they have had on her standing within the industry.
As the controversy continues to unfold, it serves as a reminder of the importance of ethical journalism and the responsibility of journalists to maintain their integrity. The Logies ceremony, which celebrates excellence in Australian television, will undoubtedly be a topic of discussion not only for the glamorous red carpet appearances and award winners but also for the absence of Lisa Wilkinson and the controversy that surrounds her.
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