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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has lashed out at Channel Nine after the network aired an interview with a senior Ku Klux Klan member who expressed support for her.
On Tuesday, Hanson released a fiery statement accusing the broadcaster of trying to link her party to the notorious white supremacist group.
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Hanson → see → group
The One Nation founder took aim at the network after comments from American Klan leader Thom Robb were broadcast as part of Nine's YouTube series Trump's America: The Divided States.
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comments → take → series
Robb, head of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan since 1989, was asked by journalist Reid Butler if it was 'heartening' to see anti-immigration politicians such as Hanson performing well in Australia.
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politicians → ask → Australia
'Heartening, yeah, it's encouraging, absolutely,' Robb replied.
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Robb → reply → ?
Butler said it was the KKK leader himself who first raised Hanson during preparations for the interview.
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who → say → interview
'The Ku Klux Klan director brought Hanson up unprompted as we were preparing for our interview,' Butler said.
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Butler → bring → interview
Robb also claimed Hanson faced hostility from the same groups opposed to the KKK.
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Hanson → claim → KKK
'She is demonised by the same element of people that wants to demonise us,' he said.
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he → demonise → us
Hanson (pictured) slammed Nine for interviewing Robb, also denouncing him and the KKK
'
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Hanson → picture → him
What I understand of her is she's concerned about the immigrants, especially from Asia, China, and so on, coming into Australia and changing the racial complex of Australia, changing the culture, change all the things that the people love and hold dear, and change into something different, and she wants to restrict that.'
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she → understand → that
The comments triggered a furious response from Hanson, who accused Nine of giving a platform to a hate group and trying to draw links between the KKK and One Nation.
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who → trigger → KKK
'Channel Nine has broadcast an interview with a Ku Klux Klan leader, seeking to link their views to One Nation,' Hanson said in a statement.
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Hanson → broadcast → statement
Hanson condemned the decision to interview the Klan, describing the organisation as synonymous with racial hatred and violence.
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Hanson → condemn → hatred
'The Ku Klux Klan is a white supremacist organisation with a long history of racial hatred, terror and violence,' she said.
'
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she → say → hatred
Yet Channel Nine sent an Australian journalist to the United States to seek them out, interview them and broadcast their views to Australians.
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Nine → send → Australians
Channel Nine arranged an interview with Thom Robb (pictured) a Ku Klux Klan leader
The Queensland senator flatly rejected any suggestion that her party or its supporters shared common ground with the KKK or endorsed its views.
'Any suggestion that One Nation or its supporters endorse the KKK or share its ideology is absurd and offensive,' she said.
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she → arrange → ideology
'There is something seriously wrong with a media organisation that believes Australians need to hear what the Ku Klux Klan thinks about Australian politics and chooses to promote those views.'
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Klan → be → views
Nine rejected Hanson's claims and said the documentary was focused on examining political and racial divisions in the United States ahead of the country's midterm elections.
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documentary → reject → elections
In a statement from 9News National News Director Hugh Nailon, the network told Daily Mail 'Trump's America: The Divided States' was produced by its Los Angeles bureau and explored a broad range of political perspectives.
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America → tell → perspectives
'Trump's America: The Divided States is a documentary produced by the 9News Los Angeles bureau examining the upcoming United States midterm elections in November,' the statement said.
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statement → produce → November
'As part of that reporting, the documentary examines the racial divide in America and the role race continues to play in the country's political and social divisions.
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race → examine → divisions
'The outcome of these elections, and the broader state of US politics, are matters of significant public interest to Australians and will remain an important focus of 9News coverage.'
Nine defended the decision to interview Thom Robb (pictured) in a statement to Daily Mail
Nine also rejected suggestions it had attempted to draw a connection between Hanson and the Ku Klux Klan, noting that Robb had raised the One Nation leader himself.
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Robb → remain → leader
'As the documentary makes clear, the reference to One Nation and Pauline Hanson was raised unprompted by Ku Klux Klan leader Thom Robb,' the statement said.
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statement → make → Robb
'It was neither initiated nor solicited by 9News or journalist Reid Butler.
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It → initiate → 9News
The broadcaster said it stood by the reporting and argued Robb's views were called into question.
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views → say → question
'9News stands by the journalism in this documentary,' the statement said.
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statement → stand → documentary
Mr Robb's views were challenged by Reid during the interview and presented as one of more than 20 perspectives featured across the episode, reflecting a broad range of political viewpoints.'
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views → challenge → viewpoints
Nine said airing the comments did not amount to an endorsement of either Robb's views or the comparison he made to Hanson.
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he → say → Hanson
Their inclusion was an editorial decision made in the context of reporting on the racial and political divisions examined by the documentary.'
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inclusion → make → documentary
The Aporia
