ABC’s Media Watch presenter Paul Barry has issued a shock apology for falsely suggesting a Sky News presenter “followed reporters” about Bondi stabbing victim Dr Ashlee Good.
Dr Good was one of six victims killed by knifeman Joel Cauchi in the bloody rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping center on Saturday afternoon.
Their nine-month-old baby Harriet was also stabbed but survived. On Tuesday, the baby’s condition went from critical to serious and she was taken out of the ICU.
On Saturday night, shortly before Dr Good was identified as the first fatality, Sky News presenter Laura Jayes revealed during a tearful live cross-over from outside Westfield that she personally knew the 38-year-old osteopath. years.
She did not name Dr. Good or offer any identifying information, only saying that she was an “incredible athlete” and “very excited to be a first-time mother.”
However, Barry falsely suggested that his report was the spark that set off a storm of media coverage that Dr. Good’s family would later claim violated their privacy.
A day after Media Watch aired on Monday, Barry issued a mea culpa on X.
He acknowledged that Jayes, 40, was not responsible for the subsequent media coverage and had, in fact, taken care to protect his family’s privacy by revealing his personal connection to the victim.
‘Just I wanted to say [regarding] last night [Media Watch] that [Jayes] ‘She was very careful to protect her friend Ashlee Good’s privacy in that emotional live #BondiWestfield crossover,’ he said.
‘She didn’t “start it.” My mistake. I’m sorry. PB’
Dr Ashlee Good, 38, was one of six people killed in the mass stabbing in Bondi Junction.
Barry, 72, (left), accused Jayes, 40, (right), of “putting journalists in the way” after she revealed she personally knew beloved osteopath Dr. Ashlee Good, of 38 years old, during an emotional live crossing.
Barry’s apology came after she smugly accused Jayes on Media Watch of “putting journalists on her trail” after she shared details about Dr Good’s life.
He then criticized the media for using photos from Dr. Good’s Instagram account.
Jayes had been very careful in his live crossing not to identify the new mother, although he probably knew that her name would soon be made public.
“There’s one victim I know and he’s so cruel…” Jayes said.
‘She has a beautiful circle of friends, she was an incredible athlete and had the world at her feet.
‘His family are on their way running here now, many family and friends wanted to be at the hospital this afternoon, they had to take turns in and out of the waiting room.
‘Both [Dr Good and her child] was operated on, her husband did not know if any of them had survived and now the worst possible news.
‘I just can’t understand it. It’s so cruel.’
Crucially, Jayes ended by saying that he didn’t want to “betray the family’s trust and privacy at this time” and that he “couldn’t imagine” how they felt.
Following Barry’s apology, many viewers praised Jayes for protecting Dr. Good’s privacy as he struggled with a “profound personal loss.”
“I thought LJ’s interview at the time was very good and also responsible for protecting AG’s identity,” one person said.
“As a Sky subscriber, Laura Jayes did a brilliant job for her viewers in the most harrowing conditions on Saturday,” said another.
“I have seen no one but praise Laura’s report and composure in what must have been the most intensely distressing of circumstances.”
Dr Good was one of six people who died after Joel Cauchi, 40, entered the busy shopping center armed with a 30cm knife on Saturday afternoon.
Five women died: Dr Good, Dawn Singleton, Jade Young, Pikria Darchia and Yixuan Cheng, as well as a man, security guard and refugee Faraz Tahir.
Dr Good’s nine-month-old baby, who was injured in his stroller, was moved from the ICU to a ward after undergoing surgery for his injuries.
The mass stabbing marked Sydney’s worst massacre in more than 20 years and dozens of people left floral tributes outside Westfield Bondi Junction this week.