Kate McClymont Testifies in Alan Jones Trial

Kate McClymont, the Sydney Morning Herald's chief investigative reporter, returned to the witness box for a second day of evidence in the trial of former 2GB broadcaster Alan Jones. Jones, 85, is facing 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching without consent against five male complainants between 2003 and 2020. He has pleaded not guilty and denies the alleged physical acts occurred.

McClymont was called to give evidence by the Crown because she spoke to three complainants, referred to as 'C', 'A', and 'H' to protect their identities, during her investigation into allegations against Jones. The Herald published a series of reports by McClymont about Jones in late 2023 and early 2024, which triggered a police investigation and led to McClymont providing a statement to police in June 2024.

During cross-examination by Jones' barrister, Gabrielle Bashir, SC, McClymont was asked if there was a 'profit motive' for publishing the articles. She responded that it was not her problem and that the purpose of the stories was to increase readership. Bashir pressed that higher readership numbers encourage advertisers to invest in the newspaper, but McClymont stated that was not her role.

McClymont said she did not know what impact her reporting had on readership or subscriptions and acknowledged that Jones is a very public figure in New South Wales. She also agreed that the media channels were saturated with the story in December 2023 and again in November 2024. The court took a lunch break after the cross-examination concluded.

McClymont was also asked about messages she received from Erin Bouda, then a NSW Police media spokesperson, starting on November 15, 2024, referencing Jones' arrest on November 18. She confirmed that Bouda's father worked as a crime reporter for Nine, including for A Current Affair. McClymont agreed that the messages were a reference to Jones' arrest and that she replied with 'Can hardly wait!' to Bouda.

The court also heard that McClymont provided a statement to police in June 2024 before Jones was arrested in November. She continued to publish articles about Jones after giving the statement and attended some court appearances. McClymont said she was given no indication she would be a prosecution witness and stopped reporting on Jones once that possibility was raised.