An Australian news channel has come under fire after it doctored an image of a female state MP that enlarged her breasts and exposed her midriff.
The photo of Georgie Purcell appeared in a Nine News bulletin after she criticised the Victorian government's rejection of a duck hunting ban. Ms Purcell posted the original and altered images to social media, noting how her outfit had been edited.
Nine News apologised and claimed “automation by Photoshop” was to blame. Ms Purcell is the youngest woman in the state's parliament and has frequently called out the treatment of women in Australian politics.
In a statement, she said Monday was the worst day she had endured since being elected in 2022.
“It's not abnormal for politicians to have catastrophic days at work… Unfortunately, the difference for women is that they also have to deal with the constant sexualisation and objectification,” the Animal Justice Party MP said.
“The message this sends to young women and girls across Victoria is that even at the top of your field, your body is always up for grabs.”
Responding to the backlash, Nine News Melbourne boss Hugh Nailon said he “unreservedly” apologised to Ms Purcell for the “graphic error”.
“As is common practice, the image was resized to fit our specs. During that process, the automation by Photoshop created an image that was not consistent with the original,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This did not meet the high editorial standards we have.”
The error has sparked a backlash against Nine News. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan – who herself was depicted naked in a newspaper cartoon by another outlet last year – was among those who called out its actions.
“That's no way to represent any woman, let alone a woman who holds a position in public office,” she told reporters at a press conference.
Ms Purcell made headlines last year for wearing to parliament an outfit covered in examples of sexist abuse that she regularly receives online. She has previously spoken about working as a stripper to support herself through law school.
In recent years, Australian politics more broadly has been grappling with what women say is a prevailing sexist culture. A landmark report in 2021 – triggered by an alleged rape inside Australia's Parliament House – found a third of employees in federal parliament had been sexually harassed.
— CutC by bbc.com
