IN LESS than a day the Glenn Milne-Stephen Mayne fracas has taken on mythic status. At Thursday evening's Walkleys, the most prestigious awards in Australian journalism, Milne, a senior political columnist, lumbered on stage and pushed the presenter and failed political candidate, Stephen Mayne, off stage, shouting: "You're a disgrace."
It soon fulfilled public stereotypes of journalistic dipsomania, and turned ugly.
There have now been calls for Milne's dismissal from his position with News Ltd as political editor of The Sunday Telegraph and columnist with The Australian.
After late night discussions between News Ltd executives and Milne, the political columnist released a statement apologising to colleagues, friends and family. The awards were broadcast that evening on SBS. Milne said he was proud to represent News Ltd as a finalist in the best news story in print category (for his scoop on Peter Costello's leadership challenge, which did not win) and apologised to Mayne. "There is no excuse for my behaviour," he said. He did not return phone calls from The Age yesterday.
He blamed the fact that he had "lamentably mixed alcohol and migraine medication, with shocking consequences".
His two main editors, Neil Breen, of The Sunday Telegraph, and Chris Mitchell, of The Australian, both said yesterday they were "very disappointed" by Milne's outburst but had accepted his apology and hoped others would, too.
Milne yesterday left an apologetic message on Mayne's voicemail, according to Mayne, a former newspaper journalist, Walkley award winner and founder of the independent media website Crikey.com.au.
Mayne said he accepted Milne's apology and would not press charges, but remained angry that News Ltd had not apologised, and that one of its editors, David Penberthy, of The Daily Telegraph, made disparaging remarks about him at the awards ceremony.
"I presume that means that I can push Rupert Murdoch off the stage at next year's News Corp AGM and that won't be a problem," he said.
A spokesman for News Ltd, Greg Baxter, said Milne would be "disciplined internally", but would not say how
