Fox FM hosts face backlash after questioning Leah Stewart’s shark attack
Australian radio hosts are facing public backlash after publicly questioning the validity of a shark attack survivor's harrowing account. The presenters suggested the victim exaggerated her story, leading to accusations of insensitivity regarding her near-death experience.
Why it matters
This incident highlights the ongoing tension between shock-jock media culture and the ethical treatment of trauma survivors in public discourse.
Three Australian radio hosts are facing backlash after questioning the account of a schoolteacher who survived a great white shark attack, with one accusing her of putting “a lot of mayo” on her story.
Leah Stewart, 35, lost her left arm and suffered catastrophic blood loss after being attacked while swimming at Sydney’s Coogee Beach.
As the Herald reported earlier this week , Stewart survived after paddleboarders, lifesavers, police officers, a trauma doctor and hospital staff formed an extraordinary chain of rescuers.
Fox FM breakfast presenters Kate Langbroek, Brendan Fevola and Nick Cody questioned Stewart’s recollection after her interview with 60 Minutes Australia aired on Sunday.
Stewart said that when she came face-to-face with the shark, she considered which limb she could afford to lose.
“Well, which limb am I willing to lose?” she recalled thinking.
“I’m right-handed, so I decided, ‘Let’s do a left hook’.”
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