News director Lee Anderson (main image), journalist Melissa Mallet (top right), producer Aaron Wakely (centre right), and journalist Cameron Price (bottom right). Source: The Courier-Mail
Melissa Mallet believes she is blameless over the Choppergate scandal that cost her her job. Source: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
- Staff sacked over Channel Nine bungle
- Claims of "live cross" blown by rivals
- Sacked reporter says she did nothing wrong
AXED reporter Melissa Mallet says she was "let down" in the Choppergate scandal that cost the rising star her dream job.
Speaking about the affair for the first time, Mallet insisted that she was not responsible for a fake claim made in her Channel 9 news report last weekend.
"I do feel let down. The viewer puts their trust in us and we certainly do put our trust in other people as well behind the scenes," she told The Sunday Mail.
But while firmly believing she did nothing wrong, she has ruled out legal action for unfair dismissal in a bid to stay in the industry.
"The job was never about the money and no amount of it will bring it back," she said.
"The legal advice I had was pretty positive and reassuring that there was a case, but I obviously had to weigh up some options.
"While I don't for a minute agree with the decision to take the job away from me and I do feel it is unfair, I've decided to accept it and just look towards the future and hope I do get to do the job again."
Turning 26 this week, Mallet's career was shattered in the blink of an eye following a report on the Daniel Morcombe murder investigation last Saturday.
While hovering above Brisbane in a helicopter for a live cross about the case, an on-screen caption falsely stated she was "near Beerwah".
Channel 7 picked up on the deception and caught Channel 9 pulling a similar stunt again in a report on the Morcombe case on Sunday, delivering a sensational blow to their ratings rival.
In the second instance, reporter Cameron Price, who has also been fired, was sitting on 9's Mt Coot-tha helipad when weekend presenter Eva Milic declared he was near the search site. Producer Aaron Wakeley, who was working on both shifts, was also sacked and veteran news director Lee Anderson resigned despite being on leave at the time.
Mallet says she had been leaving Nine's Mt Coot-tha studios on Saturday when police confirmed a second shoe had been found at the Beerwah search site.
With no one else in the office she scrambled to get to the site but the search was over when she arrived.
Transmission problems forced her to head back towards Brisbane for a live cross to the 6pm news bulletin, she said.
Those on board the chopper joked that the network would say they were still at Beerwah but "never for a minute" thought they actually would.
Mallet made it clear in her report that her images were taken half an hour earlier.
"I still truly believe I didn't deceive the public at all," she said.
It is understood that sacked Brisbane journalist Cameron Price has since visited the Morcombe family to explain his version of events.
A colleague of the 25-year-old said he had wanted to "explain the situation to the family".
"Cameron explained his side of events, namely that he was instructed by a producer to go-ahead with the false cross from the helipad. "
Mallet and Price were farewelled by about 60 colleagues at the Paddington Tavern on Friday night.
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