“Be respectful:” Channel 10 intervenes after Waleed Aly cops lashing from viewers
Channel 10 has been forced to intervene on social media, after The Project’s host Waleed Aly was targeted by online trolls on Wednesday afternoon.
The Channel 10 Facebook page shared a post encouraging viewers to vote for Waleed to win the Gold Logie in the upcoming annual awards show.
“Vote for Waleed for all his hard work on The Project,” the post read, along with a smiling photo of the 40-year-old TV personality.
However, the post was met with a flood of negative comments, with many Facebook users claiming they had stopped watching The Project because of Waleed.
“No way, I can’t stand him,” wrote one user.
“He and [Lisa Wilkinson] have ruined The Project. They have used The Project as their own personal soapbox.”
Another comment read: “How does this muppet still have a job let alone a Logie nomination going off the number of ppl (sic) that hate him.”
Channel 10’s social media department stepped in after a barrage of comments, branding the negative response as “abuse” and posting a link to the network’s community guidelines.
“We don’t tolerate or condone any form of abuse, insults or threats to any of our 10 personalities,” read the post by Channel 10.
“Here is a reminder of our community guidelines... At 10, we're about celebrating Australian TV talent. Please consider your comments before you post them.
“Be kind. Be respectful. Thanks for your understanding.”
However, the message was not received well, with many users accusing the network of being unwilling to accept criticism.
“I think people are giving you a clear message. Not sure if you’re getting the hint though,” one comment read.
Another person wrote: “Actually, if you want proper feedback of your cast and presenters, do not tell people what they can and can't post.”
Waleed previously won a Gold Logie for the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television back in 2016.
This year, the 40-year-old is up again for the award alongside Amanda Keller, Tom Gleeson, Rodger Corser, Sam Mac, Costa Georgiadis and Eve Morey.