2GB presenter Ben Fordham has been exposed for promoting a fake 'side hustle' as an Uber driver, with media reports failing to disclose his paid commercial agreement with the ride-sharing company. Numerous outlets ran stories claiming Fordham, who earns $1.5m hosting Nine Radio's breakfast show, had taken up Uber driving to cope with the cost of living crisis.
Nine Radio confirmed Fordham holds a 'personal commercial agreement' with Uber Australia, requiring him to feature in advertisements, host events, and appear in video and radio content. The deal is disclosed on the 2GB website, but none of the news articles or radio segments mentioned the sponsorship. Fordham later acknowledged on air that Uber is a 2GB partner and has hired him for additional work.
Separately, the ABC has been criticised for inflating audience figures for the children's show Bluey. The broadcaster claimed a 'series average total audience of 11 million', but official ratings provider OzTAM confirmed the calculation was incorrect, noting the figure should be described as 'reach' rather than 'average'. New episodes of Bluey typically attract around 400,000 viewers in capital cities.
Radio host Kyle Sandilands has been reprimanded again, a year after referring to monkeypox as 'the big gay disease' and saying 'it's only the gays getting it'. The reprimand follows a pattern of controversial remarks on his show.
