Australian TV reporter Danika Mason has described the intense emotional distress she experienced following a viral live television segment during the Winter Olympics.
Mason, a reporter for Channel 9, found herself in the spotlight after slurring her words and losing focus during a live cross, deviating from Olympic coverage to discuss coffee prices with the show's hosts.
The segment quickly gained widespread attention online, leading Mason to describe the subsequent 24 hours as a "spiral."
"I obviously knew straight away I had screwed up," Mason told Triple M Rocks Footy NRL. "The next 24 hours I was just in a spiral. I was just thinking the world’s worst — well this is my job gone, this is this gone."
Despite the public nature of the incident, Mason received support from various figures, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. She also recalled a supportive call from former rugby league player Andrew Johns, who she said tried to lighten the mood by mentioning his wife found the clip amusing.
"The rugby league community that was calling me was insane. I remember Joey — Andrew Johns — he rings me and Kate, his wife, is in the background, he’s like ‘even Kate found it funny’ and I was like ‘oh God’. He was incredible, he kept FaceTiming, checking in. [But] I can’t watch it back."
Mason stated that fellow broadcaster Karl Stefanovic also offered guidance.
"He was great," Mason said. "He rang me and talked me through and said ‘what are you going to do?’
"I said ‘I’m going to come out and apologise, you can’t take people for fools’ and he was like ‘perfect, we’ll be here for you.’"
Mason issued a public apology while still on air at the Olympics.
"And guys, just before we do go, I just want to take a moment, if that’s okay, just to apologise," she said. "I also wanted to thank everyone who has reached out. I’m just a little bit embarrassed. I totally misjudged a situation. I shouldn’t have had a drink, and especially in these conditions. It’s cold, we’ve got altitude, and not having had dinner probably didn’t help as well. But I want to take full responsibility. It’s not the standard that I set for myself. So in saying that, I’m really sorry… and I’m grateful for those messages that I have received as well."
Mason has since expressed that she is able to laugh about the incident, attributing her recovery to the support she received and her own public apology.