Seven Network silent over casual staffer's online racial slur
A freelance cameraman in Seven's Canberra bureau leaves anti-Arab comment on Instagram
A freelance cameraman in the Canberra Press Gallery has been condemned for leaving a derogatory comment on a social media post in which he called the keffiyeh a “teatowel”.
The cameraman, Dale Fletcher, responded to an Instagram post by Shane Bazzi – a Greens candidate in the upcoming NSW state elections – concerning an ACT police investigation into alleged racist abuse sustained by Bazzi.
“@actpolicing are now asking for the public’s help to identify the man who called me a terrorist and threatened me with violence in Canberra on 21 July 2025 while I was wearing a keffiyeh and Palestine hoodie,” Bazzi wrote.
A day later, Fletcher left a response – since deleted – telling Bazzi to “ … stop wearing the teatowel. It looks bloody ridiculous anyway”.
Freelancing for Seven Network
Fletcher appears in numerous photos on his Instagram page working with the Channel Seven team at Parliament House.
Neither Fletcher nor the Seven Network responded to questions, but Deepcut understands from sources within the Press Gallery that Fletcher is a casual with Seven and was seen during the last parliamentary sitting period working for the network.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young stressed the need for “high standards of behaviour for all people working within Parliament, including the media”.
“Media organisations have a responsibility to ensure that respect and integrity are upheld by all of their employees,” she told Deepcut.
Bazzi says he raised the matter with the Press Gallery Committee, whose secretary replied in an email, seen by Deepcut, that “Channel 7’s bureau are aware of the comment and have given us assurances that it will be dealt with”.
“I also contacted Seven myself however still have not received any response or acknowledgement from them,” Bazzi told Deepcut.
Media turbocharging racism
Hanson-Young called out mainstream media for “platforming and legitimising the openly racist views of people like Pauline Hanson and One Nation”, which she says “are giving license to individuals to feel they can act with impunity”.
“Racism and hate speech are turbocharged online and media organisations have a responsibility not to fuel it further,” she said.
The senator, and Greens spokesperson for communications, called on media organisations “to lead from the top to stamp out racism and hold politicians and their own employees to account”.
It’s not the first time the keffiyeh has drawn attention at Parliament House. In September last year, an Australian of Jordanian descent was denied entry into the public gallery of the House of Representatives for wearing a hatta – a similar cultural garment to the keffiyeh.
The refusal was due to a ban on the keffiyeh imposed by house speaker and Labor MP Milton Dick.
“The keffiyeh is a powerful symbol of Arab heritage, identity and resistance,” Bazzi said.
“Anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia have become so emboldened by the media and political class. It is deeply disturbing for anyone to make such a comment, let alone someone who works in the Canberra Press Gallery,” he said.
Listen to the latest episode of Deepthink – an hour-long talk with Palestinian scholar and author Tareq Baconi on the trauma of ethnic cleansing, growing up queer in Amman and why the Palestinian struggle is feminist.
Unsurprising. The Australian main stream media are scum. Constantly inciting division. Their reporting is more editorials than news. I haven't watched/ or listened to free to air news in years.