Best friends forever? 

Gemma O’Neill, a former executive at SCA and currently a talent manager, chose the name ‘Besties’ for her events company, a nod to her famously tight-knit relationship with star client Jackie ‘O’ Henderson.

This week, however, it appears that her rapport with another media partner, News.com.au, has hit a bit of turbulence, raising some eyebrows.

In a surprising shift, Holt Street’s digital powerhouse has transitioned in less than two weeks from publishing glowing articles that praised O’Neill as the ‘mastermind behind Jackie O’s every move’ to releasing content that is noticeably less complimentary.

Let’s take a moment to revisit recent events…

On March 6, following the end of Henderson’s contract with ARN, senior entertainment reporter Leah Goulis enthusiastically described O’Neill as a ‘very good operator’, ‘protective’, a ‘lioness’, an ‘amazing person’, and someone who is ‘profusely’ trustworthy with a mission to ‘dismantle the boys’ club of radio’.

The praise for O’Neill didn’t stop there. On March 11, Mary Madigan, a popular figure with Inside Mail, published an exclusive interview with O’Neill, where she revealed that Besties will be hosting Meghan Markle for a $3,000-a-head ‘retreat’ during Markle’s upcoming Australian tour.

‘I keep having to pinch myself that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is coming to sit down with me,’ O’Neill gushed as Madigan’s pen quivered.

‘I’m just a mum from Sydney with a podcast that started as a passion for those trying to live their best lives. It’s surreal, but I think the whole weekend is going to be pretty special and I’m incredibly excited for our Her Best Life community.’ 

A press release couldn’t have said it better!

Anyway, like so many cosy relationships between journalists and talent agents at News Corp, along came acid-tongued scribe Annette Sharp to spoil the fun.

On the same day as Madigan’s warm and fuzzy write‑up, Sharp published a far more critical piece about O’Neill, comparing her to Henderson’s former manager Brad March and noting that the two women’s female-focused side hustle, Besties, ‘raised eyebrows… from the outset’.

But the former Sunday Telegraph writer wasn’t done with O’Neill yet. On Tuesday, Sharp dropped her pièce de résistance: the exclusive that O’Neill’s talent agency had collapsed, reportedly owing more than half a million dollars.

As far as News.com.au’s coverage of its favourite media ‘mastermind’ goes, it was quite the rise and fall. It seems there could be a newsroom war brewing between those who view O’Neill as a useful source and others who feel there’s a bigger story to be told. Not that we’d dare speculate!

Inside Mail sought a response from Sharp about the stark contrast between her reporting on O’Neill and that of her colleagues, but received a polite ‘no comment’. Madigan’s lips were also sealed.

We expect some frosty glares in the Holt St tea room this week… 

Gardner’s leave

The sudden resignation of Nine newsreader Georgie Gardner on Friday surprised many in the industry – including, we’re told, executives at the network.

Gardner’s contract was not up for renewal until the end of the year, and Inside Mail is advised that discussions had not even begun on a new deal.

But the warning signs were there that this was not going to be an easy negotiation.

Much has been made of Gardner’s rumoured $600,000 salary for reading the Sydney news twice a week, on weekends.

That pay packet was, of course, a hangover from her brief stint on the Today show when Nine thrust her into the hosting chair.

That ended up being a disaster when she was paired with Deborah Knight. The two are great presenters individually, but lacked the chemistry to fill the gap left by Karl Stefanovic during his time out in the cold, and viewers left the show in droves.

Gardner then returned to newsreading duties as the understudy for Peter Overton.

Recently, there was an investigation into a ‘heated’ on-set incident after a junior producer made a complaint about Gardner’s behaviour.

Why Gardner chose this moment to resign is unclear, but insiders insist Overton is not going anywhere – he is number one in Sydney – so any hopes of landing the top job looked set to remain unfulfilled.

Inside Mail hears Nine accepted her resignation with something approaching a sigh of relief. Not only was a difficult conversation avoided, but the company will now save a lot of money – and earlier than expected.

It’s believed that if Gardner and Nine had agreed to renew her contract, it would have been at a significantly reduced rate anyway.

But with the way the television business is now, no job is safe, and some at 1 Denison Street say they never expected her to be with the network next year.

Ultimately, she went out on her own terms – not many people can say that.

Mayday for ‘Undercover Jew’ saga

The sorry saga of the Daily Telegraph’s botched ‘Undercover Jew’ operation, which brought nothing but opprobrium onto the 147-year-old masthead, could finally be heading for a resolution with a hearing on the horizon.

Readers may remember – although not readers of the Tele or its stablemates because they didn’t print a word on it – that reporter Danielle Gusmaroli, her photographer and a video man staged a would-be tabloid takedown on Sydney’s Cairo Takeaway.

They did so with the aid of prominent Jewish activist Ofir Birenbaum.

Gusmaroli’s gotcha attempt backfired when the staff of the popular Egyptian restaurant in Newtown spotted the reporter and her trail of cameras.

This was after Mr Birenbaum’s appearance in a Star of David cap ordering a hibiscus tea failed to get a rise out of them.

The covert stunt, which occurred on the morning of February 11 last year, had been in the works at the Tele for days, according to leaked files which began: ‘Meet Gussy at Holt Street, call on arrival at 9am and head to Newtown.’

Instead of providing the Murdoch media with rich swathes of copy showing Arab people’s horrified reactions to an obviously Jewish man in their neighbourhood, Mr Birenbaum was served and the Cairo staff turned on the Tele.

In the furore that followed, Mr Birenbaum alleges he was defamed and held up for antisemitic attacks by Cairo Takeaway, its owner Hesham El Masry and chef Talaat Yehia.

Mr Yehia is, incidentally, the brother of the highly regarded NSW District Court Judge Dina Yehia, who is of Greek-Egyptian descent.

A defamation suit was filed by Mr Birenbaum in the Federal Court and the restaurant counter-sued, alleging it did not permit him or the Daily Telegraph to ‘covertly film’ or ‘ambush staff members’.

In Mr Birenbaum’s lawsuit – which the Mail understands is listed for hearing in May – he refutes the suggestion he was trying to provoke a reaction, said anything provocative or made threats.

The pro-Israel Sydneysider claims he was then attacked on the Cairo Takeaway Instagram account and via Mr Yehia’s X handle @TalaatSYehia, which has the name Abu Omar.

The defamation suit claims that posts and tweets between February 12 and 18, 2025, carried defamatory imputations that Mr Birenbaum told Cairo staff and customers, ‘I hope your restaurant gets blown up’.

It also claims that they impute that he tried to manufacture an antisemitic incident by saying, ‘do you have a problem with me because I’m Jewish?’ and ‘you’re intimidating me, you’re making me feel unsafe’ and taunting a server by saying ‘shalom’.

Further, he alleges the posts suggested he had committed a crime and had attended Cairo to threaten and harass staff and make them feel unsafe.

Instead, he says, he ‘just went in and ordered a tea and left’.

Chef Yehia and Mr El Masry also gave interviews to Nine, which Mr Birenbaum’s lawyers claim were disparaging or defamatory of him. 

The counter-suit by the Cairo café – also due before the court in May – is based on the allegation that Mr Birenbaum ‘trespassed’ into the restaurant and cites his Star of David cap as a provocation. 

The Mail has seen a video from the incident in which a voice can allegedly be heard shouting from the direction of the restaurant, ‘Come back in the shop so we can talk,’ a remark which, if made by a staff member, could be used in court to challenge the assertion that trespass had taken place.

Following the Telegraph’s stunt, NSW Police launched a three-day investigation and no charges were laid against anyone.

The Tele’s editor Ben English later released a statement claiming it never intended to provoke an incident, but acknowledged its approach could have been better handled.

Don’t forget to cross the ‘t’s 

Anthony Albanese‘s enthusiasm at Allianz Stadium on Friday night – when Alex Johnston of the Rabbitohs broke the all‑time try‑scoring record – drew plenty of attention both in the ground and online.

The Prime Minister joined the on‑field celebrations – a perfect opportunity for the former Houso done good to cement his well-honed ‘man of the people’ credentials.

However, some observers noted that his repeated references to the winger’s name appeared to drop the ‘t’ in ‘Johnston’.

He may have a slight speech impediment, but we reckon that’s worth a fine at least.

Just a typo? 

‘Nothing to see here,’ we are assured by the government. Just Australia’s official travel advice casually tucking Jerusalem under Palestine’s umbrella. Take a look.

The grown-ups insist no policy inference should be drawn from it.

Except that is precisely why the Australian Jewish Association is having so much fun with it. Their post about the Holy City lands because it exposes the gap between the government’s carefully lawyered language and the impression created when the state’s own travel website seems to jump ahead of any so-called final status process.

So if Albo doesn’t think Jerusalem is already part of Palestine, how did Smartraveller get there before he did?

When wording like this pops up on official platforms, it tends to reveal where instincts already lie, doesn’t it? Not quite a formal declaration, of course, but a pretty strong hint as to where the government’s compass is pointing.

Albo can probably blame some junior burger for the clumsy post. But when Jerusalem is treated as though the destination is already settled, people are entitled to conclude the PM’s mind may already be made up too.

Oops. Did someone just say the quiet part out loud?

The luck of Irish 

Macquarie Street turned green on Tuesday as politicians, staffers and industry guests marked St Patrick’s Day with a joint celebration of the Parliamentary Friends of Ireland and the Parliamentary Friends of Brewing.

Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane joined the festivities, sharing a video of herself ‘splitting the G’ – the tradition of drinking a Guinness in one go until the beer reaches the halfway mark on the glass.

The event was hosted by Coogee MP Marjorie O’Neill, who not only has Irish heritage but also represents the Sydney electorate with the highest number of Irish expats living locally. If only they could vote!

She was joined by her fellow co-chair, Nationals MP Kevin Anderson.

Even known teetotallers including North Shore MP Felicity Wilson joined the celebrations, opting for a zero‑alcohol Guinness.

The only notable absence was NSW Premier Chris Minns, prompting jokes he’s been ‘quiet quitting’ the role, after bizarre comments he later walked back suggesting he wouldn’t still be premier in 2032. 

While the event was hailed as an Irish triumph, one staffer lamented to Inside Mail that the occasion was soured by ‘a hundred politicians asking their staff to film them splitting the G’. 

Order! Order!

Readers of the AFR enjoyed a potentially criminal offering this week, with the paper identifying media identity Antony Catalano‘s alleged assault victim.

Inside Mail is assured this woman’s identity cannot be revealed due to a court order.

Perhaps we missed the memo, but it certainly looks like they’re playing with fire.

Nothing to see here! 

Nothing says ‘don’t panic’ quite like the government yanking emergency levers while insisting everyone else remains perfectly relaxed.

Energy minister Chris Bowen has been out and about urging Australians not to panic-buy petrol, even scolding the jerrycan crowd for being un-Australian.

The problem is that the lecturing is being delivered while Canberra is simultaneously releasing fuel from reserves and relaxing fuel standards so that dirtier petrol can be sold into the local market to boost our short supply.

Such panicked policy-making can undermine the otherwise soothing tones being deployed.

The government’s official line is that there is no need to panic because Australia has reserves, and the system can cope with the current crisis. That’s reassuring – up to the point where the government starts acting like its messaging is no more than empty words designed to prevent a stampede.

Bowen says the shortages are only happening because of panic buying, which is the perfect political answer because it’s impossible to refute or prove.

So the message to motorists is to remain calm because there is no crisis… only crisis management.

Game over

If you thought the South Australian Liberals were having a rough trot, wait until you see the chaos swirling around Sarah Game‘s fledgling Fair Go Party. 

In an extraordinary open letter to voters, Game, who entered Parliament in 2022 as a One Nation MP before later parting ways with the party, details a saga that lands somewhere between political drama and full‑blown soap opera.

After splitting from One Nation, she launched her own outfit: Sarah Game’s Fair Go.

But now she’s practically begging voters not to vote for it.

‘Do not vote Fair Go above the line,’ she declared in a statement that raised more eyebrows than a parliamentary expenses scandal.

Yes, you read that correctly: Game is telling voters to disregard her party’s how‑to‑vote card and instead mark a single name below the line: Shannon Foote, her lone remaining upper house contender.

So what sparked this electoral acrobatics?

According to Game, former Adelaide Crows captain Chris McDermott abruptly quit after appearing on the ballot.

Despite walking away, he remains on the ballot and is still rallying for voters to back him – above the line, no less.

Game accuses McDermott of undermining her campaign by his decision to run in the upper house under her party’s banner, even though he plans to go independent if elected.

She contrasts this with her own low‑drama exit from One Nation.

‘I didn’t say a bad word about Pauline [Hanson],’ she notes pointedly, implying the same restraint hadn’t been extended to her. Among the rubble lies 22 candidates who remained loyal and have now become collateral damage.

Her final plea to voters reads almost like an SOS: back Foote, whom she describes as a ‘father of eight, CFS volunteer, mental health advocate’ – and crucially a ‘true conservative’.

Liberal leader Ashton Hurn, meanwhile, appears to be doing everything short of pulling a rabbit out of a hat to save the furniture against a wildly popular Peter Malinauskas and a rising One Nation vote.

Inside Mail understands that many Liberals, including some in the party’s safest SA seats, are quietly bracing for what some now fear could be a total wipeout.

And even if Hurn goes down with the ship on Saturday, she can at least walk away knowing one thing: whatever happened to the Liberals, it still wasn’t as messy as Fair Go.

Model army 

Donald Trump wants America’s allies – including Australia – to send warships to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. We’re not doing it, which raises a mildly awkward question: is that because the Royal Australian Navy is too busy polishing brass for its 125th anniversary fleet review on Sydney Harbour this Saturday?

Or worse – is it because we’re not in a position to deploy useful ships at short notice?

The Navy’s media team is busily promoting the March 21 fleet review on Sydney Harbour, with up to 30 ships from 19 countries participating.

No wonder the Don is struggling to find any other navies to help him out!

This weekend will include speeches about our sea power; however, abroad, where an actual crisis at sea is unfolding, Australia is conspicuously sitting it out.

Maybe that’s prudent. But it does invite the conclusion that our Navy is better configured for anniversaries than emergencies.

If our Navy can turn up for the ceremonial stuff but not the serious stuff, people are entitled to ask: what’s the point of having one?