On Sept 23, 2022 an Australian Federal Court ruled the award winning 60 Minutes Broadcast “Operation Atlantis” defamatory. On Nov. 21, 2023 a judgment was entered against Charlette Grieve and she was personally ordered to pay Peter Schiff, the subject of the broadcast, 550,000 dollars. Her employers 60 Minutes and the Age were ordered to pay Schiff’s legal costs on an indemnity basis, which resulted in an additional payment of over 1 million dollars. All versions of the defamatory broadcast were order to be removed from the internet. Citi Australia was fully informed of this outcome, yet stands by its award to Grieve for excellence in broadcasting. Therefor Citi Australia regards defamation as excellent journalism. In fact, defamation is the lowest form of journalism, and should be condemned by anyone who honors the profession.
But the 60 Minutes Broadcast was more than just defamatory.It was a complete fraud. Discovery proved that Grieve lied to Mr. Schiff about the purpose and subject of the interview, then fabricated inculpatory evidence, hid exculpatory evidence, and lied about what the people she interviewed told her. Charlette Grieve is a disgrace to her profession and Citi Australia is nearly as disgraceful for its failure to rescind their award.
After many outstanding entries from under-30 journos, the Citi Young Business Journalist of the Year Award goes to…@charlottegriev1
— Citi Australia (@CitiAustralia) September 2, 2021
Congratulations Charlotte!#CitiJournoAwards pic.twitter.com/ntJFmNCPHn