Nine reporter stood down over controversial $50k gift
Today show presenter Alex Cullen has been stood down after accepting a huge cash prize from The Block billionaire Adrian Portelli.
Portelli, known for his attention-grabbing antics, recently announced that he was sick of his nickname "Lambo guy", which had stuck after turned up to a 2022 auction of The Block in a yellow Lamborghini.
The billionaire put a call out to the media saying that he would give $50,000 to the first journalist or presenter to publicly call him by his new preferred nickname "McLaren Man."
Cullen dropped the nickname on-air during a Today show cross from the Australian Open on Friday morning, even sharing footage of the moment on his Instagram account afterwards, tagging Portelli in the post.
“We have a winner! Well played sir,” Portelli wrote in an Instagram story, sharing a screenshot of a bank transfer.
Cullen's employer, Channel Nine, said that the presenter had agreed to step down on Saturday while the network looked into the payment.
“Nine is taking this matter extremely seriously,” a Nine spokesperson told news.com.au.
“Appropriate action has been promptly taken, including arranging for the funds to be returned.
“While we review the circumstances in which this occurred, Alex has agreed to stand down.”
Accepting cash, gifts or benefits to undermine journalistic independence, and inappropriately using a journalistic position for personal gain, are both breaches to the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) Journalist Code of Ethics.
It was created by journalists in 1944 to promote basic values for the Australian media industry.
As news of the controversy spread, Portelli took to Instagram to speak out against journalists who still refer to him as "Lambo guy".
“I wanted to show the media that I do have a large platform as well, and I’m not afraid to use it. Maybe be a bit more respectful, and I’ll respect you guys as well,” he said in a video posted on Saturday night.
Image: Nine/ Instagram