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Seven backs 'distraught' Edwina Bartholomew as Nine 'rejects apology'

Edwina Barhtolomew presents on Channel Seven's Sunrise and Twitter debacle escalates
Channel Seven will back Sunrise reporter Edwina Bartholomew. Photo: Seven

Channel Seven is standing by its own, reportedly saying it will back up Edwina Bartholomew in the wake of her controversial tweet about Seb Costello.

The Daily Mail reports the network will back the presenter ‘100 percent’, while Eddy is reportedly ‘panicking’ and ‘distraught’ over the incident.

“She is a kind-hearted person who made a mistake,” an unnamed network source told the publication.

“She works hard and has been filing stories from a different time zone while also dealing with jet lag that comes with flying to London and heading straight to work.”

It comes after a source at Nine told Yahoo the network was ‘devastated and shocked at the damaging and false nature of this personal attack on a public platform’.

TV BlackBox has now added they are unsatisfied with the apologies thus far.

“There’s been no proper apology, as far as we’re concerned,” the network source is quoted by the publication.

Channels Seven and Nine have been contacted for comment.

‘Panicked and distraught’ Edwina sends personal apology

Edwina Bartholomew issues apology over tweet to Seb Costello
Edwina Bartholomew reportedly apologised personally to Seb Costello. Photo: Seven

The presenter personally apologised via voicemail to Seb Costello, according to Peter Ford, who told 6PR he spoke with the journalist in the wake of the scandal and convinced her to give her peer a call.

“I spoke to her last night in London,” he told the station. “She’s panicking about it and she’s distraught about it.”

He added that the TV and radio presenter has not responded.

Seb Costello in Triple M breakfast studio where he presents morning news
Seb Costello told Triple M breakfast he was speaking to lawyers after hearing the news while away with family. Photo: Instagram/seb.costello_

On Monday, Seb Costello - who is the son for former Australian Treasurer Peter Costello - revealed on radio that he heard of the tweet while away with family, and would be in talks with his lawyers in the immediate future.

“Well, and that’s probably why I can’t say too much... I’ll be talking to lawyers today and that’s all I’ve got to say,” he told Eddy McGuire on Triple M’s Hot Breakfast Show, where he presents the news.

“I’ll move on and do my job.”

An ‘errant’ tweet

Screenshot of the exchange as posted by TV Blackbox. Photo: Twitter/ 9News
Screenshot of the exchange as posted by TV Blackbox. Photo: Twitter/ 9News

The scandal unfolded after Sunrise reporter Edwina accidentally tweeted a now-deleted response to a post by Nine News Melbourne.

The original post was a news report presented by Seb, and underneath it, Edwina commented, “Surprisingly articulate for a (censored).”

The offensive word has been censored for legal reasons and was sent while Edwina, who is currently pregnant with her first child, was on assignment in London.

It is believed the tweet was deleted after just 50 minutes, and the pair have never met according to Peter Ford.

Public apology

Edwina issued a public apology to The Herald Sun immediately after the incident.

“I was half asleep and on the other side of the world,” she told the paper.

“My apologies to Seb and all involved. No offence was intended and hopefully none was taken.

“It was clearly a mistake and the errant tweet has been deleted.”

‘Legal action’ being considered

Though the exact words are unknown, the tweet has prompted enormous backlash online, with reports Channel Nine is considering legal action against the Sunrise reporter.

TV Blackbox reported the news that Nine was holding legal meetings about the tweet.

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