Channel Nine star gets some VERY public words of support from an unexpected place as she sues her own TV network for discrimination

Loyal Nine staffers are rallying around Airlie Walsh and offering their full support following shock revelations she is suing the network for discrimination. 

The popular Today show political reporter has even received the public backing of one of the media company’s biggest names, with 2GB’s Ben Fordham taking to the airwaves on Wednesday morning to describe her as ‘a first-class human’ and ‘a thoroughly decent and honest person’.

Fordham’s comment came after he drew his listeners’ attention to revelations – first broken by Nine’s own newspapers – that Walsh has been pursuing Nine in the Federal Court after filing a human rights sexual discrimination complaint last week. 

‘There is a story… today involving someone I know well,’ he told his top-rating breakfast show audience. 

‘Look I just wanted to say this about Airlie Walsh.

‘First of all, I have not discussed the matter with her at all, so I’m not privy to any of the details of Airlie’s complaint … but I’ve known Airlie for a long time.

‘They say she’s been with Channel Nine for 16 years,’ the former A Current Affair and Today show star continued. 

‘I reckon I would have met Airlie 16 years ago, because I can remember, as a reporter, she was a work experience kid.

‘Then she became a producer, then she became a reporter – and a fine reporter at that.

‘And I believe Airlie Walsh to be a thoroughly decent and honest person and I will be watching with interest what happens with her case.

‘She’s a first-class human being, a very good reporter and, Airlie, I’m thinking of you this morning.’

Walsh’s lawsuit has caught many in the media industry off guard. 

Walsh, who is currently on maternity leave, has worked at Nine since 2008, first at Weekend Today before joining the Nine Sydney News team in 2013.

She has long been considered one of the network’s most polished and professional journalists.  

Her legal case became public just days after Nine’s recently sacked Queensland news boss Amanda Paterson alleged the media company unfairly used the anonymous findings of its highly publicised cultural report to terminate her. 

The report, conducted by workplace culture firm Intersection, concluded Nine had ‘a systemic issue with abuse of power and authority; bullying, discrimination and harassment; and sexual harassment’. 

It also found that half of Nine’s employees had seen or experienced abuses of power, bullying and discrimination, with numerous confidential complaints lodged against some of the Nine’s most senior male and female sitting executives. 

The Australian newspaper revealed Paterson had been sacked after 31 years of service during a meeting on November 7. 

She last week launched legal action against Nine Entertainment and director of news and current affairs Fiona Dear, seeking damages arising from unlawful termination.

On the day she was axed by Nine, Paterson was allegedly asked to attend a snap meeting with Ms Dear, who appeared via videolink from Sydney and told her that her employment was being terminated effective immediately.

Paterson was then allegedly escorted from the office without a chance to farewell staff or retrieve her puppy from her office, which was there as part of Nine’s pets at work policy.

An HR staff member later gave her the puppy outside the office.

Paterson was reportedly told she had been sacked as a result of three alleged workplace breaches.

They included failing to complete her in-house online ‘training modules,’ botching the  contract extension for one of her staff members, and an office incident where she made a lighthearted reference to the recent removal of ‘d***heads’ from the company.