On Tuesday, the ABC Radio program AM sent a female reporter off to interview Australia’s first acting Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.

There was a bit of politics, but there was a bit of the touchy feely from one woman to another about the symbolism of Ms Gillard’s role and the message it sent.

Why AM management didn’t send a man to do the interview is a moot point: it was all a bit obvious sending a female reporter.

So what then, amid all this female backslapping, are we to make of other stories this week on the role of women?

Chris McDiven, the Federal president of The Liberal Party: pilloried this week by Pam Williams in the Fin Review for being ineffectual, and given the push by men on the under performing Federal Executive of the party. Blamed for the loss on November 24, she said she was quitting but she was monstered from office by the rightwing in the party, especially from NSW.

McDiven was notable for trying to get as many women as possible into the Liberal Party: so yes Julia Gillard, Penny Wong and others have done wonderfully well, but Chris McDiven has been lined up as the bunny for the failings of a group of menopausal males. And the Federal parliamentary leader of the party, Brendan Nelson, and his deputy, Julie Bishop, couldn’t do a thing.

But the most egregious event for women was the ‘boning’ of the Nine sports reporter, Steph Brantz, revealed this morning.

It merely continues a long line of harassment, abuse and denigration of women reporters, presenters and executives at the Nine Network.

This is the second strike against the returned Nine CEO, David Gyngell. The first was Nine’s News and Current Affairs boss, John Westacott, telling reporter Christine Spiteri that she should look for a job at SBS with a “name like hers”.

Nine let it be known that Gyngell had criticised Westacott over the Spiteri remarks, but other remarks Westacott made at a book launch involving Nine News reporter and presenter, Ally Langdon, continue to reverberate through the Network.

That’s why it verges on the incredible (but nonetheless true) to read of the freezing out of Ms Brantz.

If she was acceptable to soccer players at SBS (and Nine), many of whom earn considerably more than Australian cricketers, and who have egos as big, if not bigger, then why did Nine cave in and exclude her from the coverage of cricket?

Was it a decision by Gyngell or was it one made by the underwhelming Nine Sports boss, Steve Crawley? In the stories this morning, Crawley won’t comment, which is gutless.

Either Ms Brantz has been excluded for the reasons she gave in the story, or she wasn’t. If it is her on air performance (and it can’t be, she’s been doing sport for Nine News in the past week) then Nine should say so. It is unfair on her.

The story recalls the way Jessica Rowe was hung out to dry by Nine and Eddie McGuire, the Way Jana Wendt was forced from Sunday and the way countless other female reporters, presenters and executives have been treated at Nine over the years. Of course Nine won’t stand up to the cricketers for their reporter. It’s cowardly management.

The poor pets of Australian cricket. How would they react to tough-minded reporters like Caroline Wilson from the Age, Jacqueline Magnay of the SMH, or her colleague, Jessica Halloran? And what about cricket writer Chloe Saltau at Fairfax as well?

Steve Crawley didn’t have a problem speaking to Chloe Saltau in the Fairfax papers this morning, extolling the wonderful ratings for the Tuesday night tip and run game (20/20), so why not talk about Ms Brantz? Or does he want to avoid following John Westacott down the path towards making a git of himself and possible legal action?

Nine’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t have enough female viewers from 16 to 54 years of age. They have deserted the blokey on air and off air culture. The saving grace in all of this is that Ms Brantz says Nine’s male cricket commentators went out of their way to help her.

How about the likes of Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor and Richie and Tony, plus Ian Healy (who is presenting sport in Brisbane for QTQ9) do something public like challenge David Gyngell and Steve Crawley to return Ms Brantz to the coverage, or else, and while they are at it, tell the Australian cricket team (all of whom have wives and girlfriends) where to get off.