"I shouldn't have drunk." Top Australian journalist apologizes for drunk Olympic report
Famous Australian TV journalist Danika Mason has apologized to viewers after going on air with a report from the Winter Olympics in Italy while intoxicated. A video recording of this went viral on social media and sparked a nationwide discussion in Australia, joined by the country's Prime Minister, writes the BBC.
Photo: Matt King / Getty Images
Mason appeared on Channel Nine's Today show on Wednesday morning (at that moment it was still evening in Milan). She visibly struggled to articulate her text, constantly smiling and mixing up words.
"Well, actually, the price of coffee here is quite normal, but we'll have to get used to the price of coffee in the US," she said. "I don't know about iguanas, what we had with them (most likely, these animals were mentioned earlier by the show hosts – BBC)."
Screenshot of the video
She then, stumbling and confusing Great Britain with the USA, talked about Australian sports news. Laughter could be heard in the studio during her report.
"Freezing weather is, of course, something special," commented the program's host, Karl Stefanovic, on her segment. "Lips just freeze up."
The recording with Mason quickly spread on social media and sparked lively comments from residents of the country.
"She's great, there's nothing wrong with that. It's clear she's having a lot of fun there," wrote one user on X. "Her health is fine, she should be fired immediately. This is complete unprofessionalism," wrote another person.
Even Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined the debate. "I'm for Danika," he wrote. "She's great. She's in Italy… and probably just tired. The time difference is significant, that likely affected her."
However, on Thursday morning, Mason went on air again and admitted that it wasn't just about fatigue.
"I take full responsibility, such behavior from me was unacceptable," she said, adding that she was ashamed of what happened.
After her usual sports news report, she asked "if she could apologize," and thanked viewers who were concerned about her.
"I'm fine, I'm just probably a little ashamed," said the journalist. "You see, I just completely misjudged the situation. I shouldn't have drunk, especially under these conditions. It's cold here, we are at altitude, and I also hadn't had dinner, which didn't help either. So, as I said, I offer my deepest apologies and want to thank everyone who wrote to me."
Today show host Jenny Azzopardi replied to her: "We know how well you work, Danika."
Danika Mason is one of Australia's most well-known sports journalists; among other things, she covers rugby matches, which are very popular in the country.
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