Article: Craig McLachlan proves mainstream media is out of touch

The lesson I learned from interviewing Craig McLachlan

A funny thing happened during my week off.

And not funny—haha—but funny strange.

I was offered an interview with Craig McLachlan and his partner Vanessa Scammell for my internet streaming show McKnight Tonight. It was an easy yes from me, especially after the recent controversy surrounding Craig’s involvement with the stage production of ‘Cluedo’ where he was forced to pull out after a backlash.

That backlash stems from the well-documented trial when he was found Not Guilty of sexual assault. McLachlan had been charged with seven indecent assault charges and six common assault charges relating to his time performing in the Rocky Horror Show in 2014.

Despite the not guilty finding, Magistrate Belinda Wallington explained the laws applied to his case were from 2014 when the events are alleged to have taken place. Since then the laws have been changed and she said if he had faced court under the revised law it could have resulted in a different outcome under.

Of course, that is purely hypothetical, but her comments have given McLachlan’s detractors ammunition to harass him out of work – as evidenced by the events surrounding ‘Cluedo’ – and attacks on those who dare to ‘platform’ him.

I am now on the enemies list for doing just that.

In a democratic society, I believe we should have the right to talk to anyone – whether we agree with them or not. I don’t believe the far-left woke mob should have the right to determine who is – and isn’t – platformed.

I have been told by friends and colleagues in the media not to run this interview, and choosing to do so has cost me a dear friendship. And that truly saddens me.

But this is something I just can’t wrap my head around. If you don’t like who I’m talking to, then simply don’t watch.

Isn’t it as simple as that? Apparently not.

No, if the woke brigade have decided a person is persona non grata, then they should never be allowed in public again. It’s ridiculous.

And for our left-leaning TV stations, it’s a sign of why audiences are flocking to other platforms. YouTube and other social media allow a variety of voices to be heard, whereas TV producers make judgments based on their political beliefs.

And I’m not talking about the ABC – I’m talking about commercial television.

You might think Nine and Seven lean to the right but there are many people working behind the scenes who manage to push their own left-leaning agendas. Whether it’s leaving out information or, indeed, refusing to interview certain people.

On Sunday night I uploaded a promo and preview clip of my interview with McLachlan and Scammell, which has been viewed thousands of times on various platforms (especially TikTok which seems to love news-based content, surprisingly).

There has been no outrage from real viewers, real consumers. Unlike people in the TV industry who told me I would be hounded for daring to do this interview, the feedback from ‘normal’ people is they are interested in what he has to say.

Meanwhile, friends have accused me of retraumatising victims – despite the fact they have every right, and opportunity, to tell their truth.

So why can’t Craig McLachlan tell his truth?

Until the left-leaning activists in commercial television understand Australians are centrist, they will continue to lose audiences to other platforms that reflect the vast majority of Australians.

They believe in a fair go, equality for all, and they believe wokeness has gone too far.

But many in the land of TV write those Australians off as racist – especially if they dare to question our immigration numbers.

Unfortunately, most people who work in television grew up with money in the good part of town and they don’t understand the real Australia.

As someone who grew up in housing commission, it’s probably why I never completely fitted in – despite the fact pretty much every show and project I’ve ever made has been successful.

It’s probably why – according to Deloitte – Australians are spending more on media and entertainment subscriptions than ever before, with the number of subscriptions per household reaching record highs.

Meanwhile, this interview is filled with insights and new facts. I’m sure I will cop it from people who think it’s a soft interview and others who think I went too hard.

Considering it was meant to only run 10 minutes and turned into an hour-long interview, what you will witness is a genuine conversation about the events of the past decade.

You can watch my interview with Craig McLachlan and Vanessa Scammell Wednesday night at 9pm AEDT on my YouTube Channel.

Hear their story and make up your own mind.