Kate McClymont says Alan Jones trial witnesses gained no benefit from interviews
The Sydney Morning Herald reporter testified that the five men accused of being touched by the former broadcaster received no compensation for sharing their accounts.
By Jenna Mitchell ·
Kate McClymont, the chief investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald, testified in Sydney on Tuesday that the men she interviewed about Alan Jones received no benefit from her or her employer for sharing their stories. The 85-year-old former radio host is standing trial on 21 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching against five men.
During questioning by prosecutor Georgina Wright, McClymont confirmed she spoke with three of the alleged victims. She stated that she kept each man’s account confidential from the others. The reporter said she contacted Jones and his legal team via text and email to seek comment before publishing her 2023 reports.
Defence barrister Gabrielle Bashir SC cross-examined McClymont regarding the role of readership metrics and advertising in her work. McClymont stated that these measures had no relevance to her journalistic process. Bashir also presented records of communications between McClymont, columnist Peter FitzSimons, and reporter Jennifer Duke dating back to 2017.
Bashir argued that the investigation was driven by Ray Hadley, a rival of Jones at station 2GB, who was motivated by hatred and jealousy. McClymont countered that FitzSimons had been working on allegations against Jones since October 2017. The investigation continued for several years before the stories were published in December 2023.
McClymont explained that she did not initially provide police with interview recordings or notes because the material was confidential or unavailable. She received a subpoena for the material in 2026. Police said the coverage prompted the alleged victims to come forward and led to the creation of Strike Force Bonnefin.
Jones arrived at the Downing Centre local court accompanied by men’s rights activist Bettina Arndt and defamation lawyer Paul Svilans. McClymont, who has won 10 Walkley awards, was supported by Herald editor Jordan Baker and deputy editor Nick Ralston.
Jones’s radio career ended in 2020 after on-air incidents caused advertisers to pull funding. He had been retired from his $4 million-a-year 2GB breakfast program for four years when New South Wales police arrested him at his city apartment in late 2024. The hearing before Judge Glenn Walsh continues.
