The ABC Are Apologising to Chris Kenny Tonight

Overview

Nine months after the original controversy, the Chaser team will watch the ABC apologise to conservative commentator Chris Kenny, after the political satirists suggested he had sex with a dog. We realise that's a ridiculous sentence for a number of reasons, nonetheless today it's where we find ourselves. As part of the settlement proceedings for Kenny's defamation suit, an apology will be aired on ABC1 at 9pm tonight. However, the Chaser team will not apologise to Kenny whatsoever, instead sticking to their guns.

This is understandably a bitter pill to swallow for the much-loved comedians who have railed against both the lawsuit and the resulting decision. After refusing to apologise and instead launching an internal review into the skit, the members of the Chaser were actually cleared of fault according to ABC editorial policies. Of course, this did little to resolve the issue. In an act of appeasement, ABC managing director Mark Scott issued a personal apology earlier this year. But the Chaser team were quick to offer their opinion.

As part of the settlement proceedings for Kenny's defamation suit, the ABC's apology tonight is to be free of outside commentary and the Chaser team are explicitly prohibited from making public statements that detract from its sentiment, or republishing the sketch. The settlement also comes with substantial compensation for Kenny. The ABC are paying all of his resultant legal costs as well as an undisclosed amount in damages.

As the Chaser crew continue to claim the original skit meets the editorial standards for satire, I wouldn't expect to see any remorse from the controversial comedians.

Via The Daily Telegraph.

UPDATE: In our first version of this article, we incorrectly stated the Chaser would be forced to apologise to Chris Kenny.

It is the ABC, in fact, who will be apologising to Kenny and paying the settlement — The Chaser team have no intention of doing any such thing. We sincerely make apologies of our own to The Chaser, we should have know you wouldn't cave.