Slur on Spiteri

Nine news boss accused of slur on Christine Spiteri, from Australia's Herald Sun:

Nine network chief David Gyngell has blasted his own news boss for telling dumped reporter Christine Spiteri she'd be better off at SBS. Sources yesterday confirmed Mr Gyngell blasted news chief John Westacott for telling the Maltese-origin reporter that "with a surname like Spiteri you should try SBS".

The insult came as Spiteri was told her contract would not be renewed -- while she was on maternity leave. As Spiteri prepared to turn to the courts to fight her axing, Nine sources yesterday accused her of "mischief-making", saying she was "bitter to the core" after being denied her dream role in the news presenter's chair.

"She's no newsreader. Pregnant or not, she wasn't good enough for a newsreading role," a management source said. The former Los Angeles correspondent is due to return to Nine when her year's maternity leave ends in January.

The 40-year-old first-time mother is understood to have been offered her former LA role or a job in the Sydney newsroom until her contract expires in March. While Mr Gyngell yesterday blasted Westacott over his SBS comment, the Nine sumpremo is believed to have backed his decision not to renew Spiteri's contract.

Spiteri has hired the same lawyer who acted for former Nine news chief Mark Lleywellyn -- the man who penned the infamous affidavit in which the then-CEO, Eddie McGuire, talked of "boning" Jessica Rowe.