Dear Daniel,

Re: A Polite Email where I will challenge you and the Melbourne media to a debate
Although I promised not to send you any more emails, I am not prepared to allow you to defame me and say I have a mental
disease and let it go through to the keeper.
The following is my dissection of your response to me.
Item (Harford) 1: Thanks Bruce. Got through the first line... That'll do.
My Comment:
I dont believe you didnt read more than the first line.
Item (Harford) 2: P.S Bruce, I noticed that you have included your whole email list on your response to my polite,
respectful and direct request to be taken off this distribution.
My Comment:
Agree with you completely. You were polite and respectful. If you had bothered to read any of my material you would have
been aware that I always informed my email list that a named person had asked me to take him off my distribution list. In
some instances, I even responded pointing out the folly of such a request. I actually tossed up about whether I would cc
everyone on my response to you and eventually decided that as your request to me to cease emailing didnt breach national
security, I would go with it. Furthermore, as the message to you was applicable to most of my mailing list, I thought they
would benefit from receiving it. I have listened to you occasionally and have been contemplating expressing my
disappointment with your attitude to the saga for some time. Your departure was the last opportunity to do it, so I grabbed it.
I suspect you have learnt a valuable lesson from our exchange so you should be grateful.
You had nothing to lose by receiving my emails. There was a chance you would learn something. There was a chance I
would make a factual mistake which you could have exploited. The worst case scenario was that you would have to hit the
delete button. Most people dont find that too cerebral. The delete button is normally on the top right of the keyboard.
I learnt a lesson when I was about 16. A journalist was standing with a group of players at the SCG after practice while we
were having a chat. Parts of the inane conversation were quoted in the paper. When I had a whinge I was told that if I didnt
want to be quoted I should state very clearly upfront that what I was saying was off-the-record. As a media person, I am
sure you subscribe to the same rules.
Item (Harford) 3: I seem to recall you savaging Peter Blunden for "reply all-ing" a response that he made to one of your
mind-numbing diatribes.
My Comment:
Re-read my email to Peter Blunden. I had no problem with Blunden reply all-ing. In fact, I relished it. Blunden made a
huge mistake. He sent off a quick response without thinking of the consequences, and in so doing, proved he was completely
out of touch. Like you, he tried to defend the indefensible and attacked me with general comments which he couldnt
substantiate. It gave me an opportunity to point out that while he may be a good number cruncher he was past it as a
newspaper man. Additionally, his stature in the company probably created enough interest for everyone to read my response.
For example, your comment proves you read it.

Item (Harford) 4: When it suits though, you are all for it? To use the opportunity to again publicly promote your agenda
(you do know what they are, don't you?) and vendetta on the media, all the while throwing snide remarks about my position?
How pathetic an old man you must be...
My Comment:

I have identified scores of important facts of wrong-doing by the AFL and ASADA that you and your mates in the media
havent had the intestinal fortitude to pass onto your listeners / readers. Of course, unlike you, I dont need to ingratiate
myself to the AFL, and therefore I want as many people as possible to be aware of the facts. Second, I want as many people
as possible to know that the moral crusaders in the media have trashed their profession beyond repair. Despite your nasty
tweets about me I am not on an ego trip. I finished my book (bar the last chapter) in June 2013. When I heard Mark
Thompson had been approached by a publisher to write a book I offered all my material to him. I was prepared to abandon
my project because I thought he could do a better job.
Your comment your agenda (you do know what they are, dont you?) suggests you are still suffering from one bump too
many. I was taught at a very early age that you dont pick a fight on someone elses territory. That advice was reinforced by
reading the Art of War by Sun Tzu. I suggest you read it. Your email suggests if your IQ is half mine you must have copied
from someone else. I suspect that I have been around the traps a few more times than you and that I have done a little more
in the business world than you. I have had battles with Messrs Fraser, Hawke, Hayden, Brown, Cricket Australia and Kerry
Packer and come out the other side untouched. At this stage, I am not sure you could go one round out of the ring with Mark
Jackson.
To my knowledge, I have taken on the entire Melbourne media by myself, free of charge, and you appear to be having a cry
that the odds are unfair to you and your mates. Obviously, the tissues arent working. I suggest you ring Eddie and say you
are Sarah. I am sure he will give you a shoulder to cry on.
If you want to get square why dont you set up a three hour discussion / debate. Fly me to Melbourne first class and Ill
debate you and the entire Melbourne football media. Only rules are that at the start both sides have to outline what happened
at Essendon; each side can ask the other side a question immediately after answering a question; and no one is allowed to use
notes. As you appear incapable of expressing yourself without using foul language I wont even object to that. I have no
problem with all 30 or 40 of you being on stage at the one time and conferring before responding to my questions. Ill even
give you and your team two or three months to acquaint yourselves with what happened. Perhaps sometime during the week
of Anzac Day may suit!
My articles / dissections involve facts and opinions. I must have written over 200,000 words. If I am such a thorn in the side
of the Melbourne media, surely, collectively, you should be able to take me out. Despite the fact I dont refer to my notes
unless I am quoting slabs of text, no one has identified one factual mistake. And Tim Lane is the only one who has
questioned an opinion. And on that subject, the judge supported my opinion. Sorry, I forgot that Susie OBrien said I didnt
know enough about cricket to comment on sledging.
I didnt make any snide remarks about your position. The only comment that could possibly have been (mis) interpreted as a
snide remark was Your broadcasts suggest you werent trained as a journalist so I am not sure if you regard yourself as a
communications specialist, or merely an entertainer. If you think you sound like a journalist you are deluding yourself. I
suggest you listen to a tape. Better still, re-read your response to me. It suggests someone writes your radio material.

Item (Harford) 5: I tried to be nice and even sent you the greetings of the Season. All you had to do was take my name off
the list, that would have been the respectful (and easy) thing to do to a request such as mine (which I notice you didn't
attach).
My Comment:
Ring Eddie for heavens sake. I took you off the list. I wrote and told you I had taken you off the list. I expressed
disappointment that you had requested to be taken off the list. I ccd the rest of my mailing list in the hope they would realise
the folly of not receiving my material.
Your comments and subsequent twitter posts suggest you have despised me for a long time. Consequently, I didnt take your
Seasons Greetings seriously. I apologise for doubting your sincerity.
Item (Harford) 6: After finally getting through the pile of bile you sent, I can commend your accuracy on one thing. That
the afternoon teas in the media centre are in fact delicious. We now even have a barista for real coffee (latte with one,
thanks)!! What a time we live in!
My Comment:

I knew you werent telling the truth when you said you only read the first line.
Are you suggesting AFL accreditation isnt something to be treasured? If thats the case, why do the vast majority of the
football media prostitute themselves and sound as though they are in the employ of the AFL? In particular, why do SEN1116
and the Age seem like branch offices of the AFL?
Item (Harford) 7: You do seem to profess to do a couple of things which I find rather odd. Firstly, you often take the role of
speaking for the good "people of Australia". All the good ones I know think you're a tosser. Please stop that.
My Comment:
I have done a word search of my material and I cant find a single occasion when I used the expression for the good people
of Australia. It seems Samantha QC and Rita are not the only ones who make false claims. However, I am comforted by the
fact that you hang on every word I say, and dont say!
As Mrs Thatcher said to George Negus, please nominate all the good people of Australia you know who think I am a tosser.
To be frank, I dont care what anyone thinks. For the first 12 months I sent information to individual journalists from the
three Melbourne newspapers hoping they would run with information as exclusive scoops. I requested that my name be not
mentioned. Adam Shand was the only one who used my material. It was clear after 12 months of being ignored I had to
compromise my principles and change tactics. I chose to expose the journalists while still providing previously unpublished
information. Perhaps I have shamed myself. But you guys have metaphorically speaking prostituted yourselves; brought
shame to the profession; and cheated your listeners and readers. In the wash-up, Im sure Ill come out of it better than you
and your mates.
Item (Harford) 8: And secondly, you seem to think that you know what defines me "as a man". This should be easy once
you think about it...you have no f****** idea who I am or what defines me. Please stop that too, ta!
My Comment:
Just as it appears you were extending the hand of friendship by sending me seasons greetings, I was reciprocating by
flagging that how you fulfil your obligations as a media person will define you more than your football career.
My grandmother told me that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of it.

Item (Harford) 9: As per the situation? Que sera sera. My thoughts are with the players, not psychopaths who count their
arch lever folders...
My Comment:
It is incomprehensible that you would defame me by stating that I have a mental disease. Off the top of my head, I cant
recall which university you studied medicine.
You are delusional. If your thoughts were with the players you would have used some of the information I sent you. For
example, you would have mentioned, inter alia:

Charter didnt tell the truth in his 8 May 2013 interview

ASADA didnt tell the truth about Charters evidence

There is no proof Alavi supplied Dank with Thymosin Beta-4. Such a comment would have given the players
great comfort.

ASADA fabricated the responses of the players on 28 occasions when compiling its table of admitted supplement
use.

Only six players admitted to using Thymosin and none admitted to using Thymosin Beta-4

The AFL had a duty of care to provide a safe work place for the Essendon players and failed to do so.

Dr Reid told the AFL on 19 October 2011 that the players had been given peptides without his permission and
the AFL did nothing to stop it.

In July 2012, Dr Reid, supported by Hird and Corcoran, asked David Evans and Ian Robson to terminate Dean
Robinson but they refused.

Do you want me to go on?

Item (Harford) 10: Now, if you don't mind, I'm on holidays... f*** off.
My Comment:
If you can repeat yourself, so can I. My grandmother told me that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man but
what comes out of it.
I vaguely recall being told that speaking like that to a listener is a sackable offence. It appears you not only missed
journalism 101 but you missed your first day of your orientation program at SEN1116.
Tell me something I dont know. You have been on holidays for the duration of the whole Essendon saga. Thats the reason I
wrote to you in the first place. When I was working for A C Nielsen, the worlds largest market research company, Art
Nielsen expressed surprise that one of my staff was on holidays for two weeks. Art said if you can do without him for two
weeks you can do without him for ever. I suspect if Art were running SEN1116, he would say dont bother coming back
from holidays.
If you want to bury me you have to not only identify my comments that are factually incorrect but you have to substantiate
your claim. Stating that I write dribble or bile wont get you to first base

Kind Regards

BRUCE FRANCIS.