(Image: AAP/James Ross) I think it’s fair to admit that journalism is not the most introspective of professions. We freely hurl stones at others but rarely bother squizzing our own glassy surrounds. Newsrooms, famed for scathing investigations into the workplace cultures of our major institutions, don’t often turn the spotlight onto themselves.
Prior to this year, I can’t remember the last time a major media organisation commissioned a review into its own workplace culture, which makes not one but four such reviews in the past few months, let’s say...
noteworthy. In April, Seven West Media’s new CEO, Jeff Howard, reportedly commissioned consulting firm Interchange to conduct a review of the organisation amid outrageous allegations of improper conduct, including company funds being spent on cocaine and sex workers for rapist Bruce Lehrmann. Staff were interviewed and a report was submitted to the board but thus far the company has kept shtum on the findings, which is why you’ve probably not heard about it.
Interchange’s website promises to take “a human-centred design approach to work collaboratively with our clients ...
[and] create the perfect landscape for culture transformation to ensue, by combining our strategic prowess with unbridled, inventive talent”. Unfortunately, I don’t know what any of that means. I’ve also watched Interchange’s promotional video and the snippets of human adults in corporate wear playing scissors, paper, rock have left me .
