Australian firm fires employee for leak of TV anchors' Djokovic rant (updated)

Ai-Media Technologies

14/01/2022 09:03

(Adds person no longer employed, Djokovic visa cancellation)
    Jan 14 (Reuters) - An Australia-based media technology
company has fired an employee accused of leaking a video of two
television presenters privately criticising tennis player Novak
Djokovic, whose Australian visa https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/australia-cancels-djokovics-visa-citing-health-risk-community-2022-01-14
 was cancelled on Friday.
    Ai-Media Technologies  AIM.AX , which provides captioning
and transcription services, did not identify the employee.
    The expletive-laden video, leaked this week, showed anchors
at Seven West Media's  SWM.AX  7NEWS discussing Djokovic's
COVID-19 status and visa application in an off-air conversation,
condemning him as being deceptive.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2TS05O
    The video appears to have been recorded without the news
presenters' knowledge and was widely viewed on social media,
with many people voicing support for the anchors. Seven also
defended the presenters, saying the act of recording the video
broke state laws.
    "Ai-Media has identified that an employee working remotely
due to the COVID-19 outbreak was responsible for the
unauthorised distribution of the content," the company said in a
statement.
    "The person is no longer employed by Ai-Media," the company
confirmed in an email to Reuters.
    There was no immediate comment from the employee.
    Cancelling Djokovic's visa on Friday, the Australian
government said the world number one - who has not been
vaccinated for COVID- 19 -- may pose a health risk.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2TU0G4
   Djokovic arrived in Australia last week, chasing his 21st
Grand Slam title at next week's Australian Open. He was held in
immigration detention until a judge on Monday quashed a decision
by the federal government to revoke his visa, but the Australian
government revoked it for a second time on Friday. 

 (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi; Editing by Robert Birsel and
Timothy Heritage)
 ((Shashwat.Awasthi@tr.com))