Arabic version: كيت ماكليمونت تدلي بشهادتها في محاكمة آلان جونز

According to ABC News, Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont gave evidence on November 3 in the criminal trial of broadcaster Alan Jones. Jones has pleaded not guilty to 21 counts of indecent assault and sexual touching relating to five men. McClymont’s reporting from late 2023 included accounts from men who alleged Jones indecently assaulted them, although some interviewees are not complainants in the trial.

McClymont told the court she sought comment from Jones by text and email two days before the first Sydney Morning Herald story was published in December 2023. She said she did not receive a response from Jones, but believed she received one from his lawyers. The court heard she later sought further comment from Jones and his legal team for other stories and provided correspondence with them to police in a statement dated August 30, 2024.

During cross-examination, McClymont said none of the complainants mentioned in her reporting had been offered payment for information. She said some material sought by police was confidential and that recordings were not available to her at that time. Asked about the reporting’s effect on subscriber numbers and advertising revenue, she said that was not her area of expertise.

The court also examined McClymont’s contact with Complainant C, a former colleague of Jones. The court heard the man revealed his identity and detailed allegations during a phone conversation in September 2023. They later met face to face, and he consented to notes being taken and their conversation being recorded. Audio played in court included discussion of allegations involving a car and requests for nude photographs. McClymont rejected a suggestion that she was seeking catchy wording for a headline, saying, “You’re not looking for sexy phrases to put in a story, you’re having a conversation with someone.”