EXCLUSIVE
Sacked Channel Seven journalist Robert Ovadia allegedly sent a series of bizarre doctored images to a young female reporter before the network dropped him.
The veteran crime reporter reportedly took images from a producer’s personal Instagram page and turned them into a “cartoon” before sharing them with her, according to a former colleague.
“The images were not manipulated in a sexual way, they were just strange,” the source told Daily Mail Australia.
“They showed (the young woman) in an elegant cocktail dress holding a glass of champagne in a cartoon and him in a cape with a sword and shield as if he were some kind of knight in shining armor.”
Ovadia, who has worked at the network for 23 years and was a popular figure among his colleagues, revealed last Friday that management had fired him.
“Yes, I have been fired and there will be more to say about it in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time,” he said.
He has since confirmed that he no longer wishes to work as a journalist.
Ovadia was fired after the ABC program Cuatro Esquinas found out about the image and began investigating it.
Sacked Channel Seven journalist Robert Ovadia (above) allegedly sent a series of bizarre doctored images to a young female reporter before the network dropped him.
Ovadia reportedly took images from a producer’s personal Instagram page and turned them into a ‘cartoon’ before sharing them with her.
It is understood the junior employee, who no longer works at Channel Seven, never officially complained about the image. She left the net on December 2020.
However, the photo found its way to Four Corners, which is investigating newsroom culture in Australia for an upcoming exhibition.
The station first removed Ovadia on June 7 while the investigation was underway.
The broadcaster said: “Seven is carrying out an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior by Robert Ovadia.”
On Saturday, sources told The Australian that Ovadia also allegedly Googled and then sent an image of a flaccid penis to a colleague.
The colleague had allegedly requested a “dick pic” while covering a court case involving a man named Dick, prompting Ovadia to allegedly send the image as a prank.
There is no indication that the allegations are proven and Ovadia has previously said they are unfounded and that he would defend himself.
The Sydney-based journalist has retained the services of prominent employment lawyer John Laxon.
Ovadia also allegedly Googled and sent an image of a flaccid penis to a male colleague after they allegedly requested a “penis pic” while covering a court case involving a man named Dick.
Meanwhile, the staff bloodbath at the network will continue with reports that 150 jobs could be axed following a recent spate of high-profile departures.
Anthony De Ceglie, who recently became Channel Seven’s director of news, told staff he has a “zero tolerance” approach to bad behavior in the newsroom amid the fallout from the Bruce Lehrmann Spotlight scandal.
The network announced a shake-up to its news leadership team last Thursday, installing a new news director in Sydney and new executive producers for Sunrise and Weekend Sunrise.
Rival broadcaster Channel Nine has also been battling a scandal after The Australian revealed that former head of news Darren Wick left the station following a complaint from a female employee.
Other staff have since made allegations of bullying and sexual harassment on the network, prompting Nine to conduct its own investigation.
Ovadia declined to comment.