Former prime minister Paul Keating shocks ABC's Elle Fanning with his take-down of Channel 9

HE has taken aim at the merger already and now former prime minister Paul Keating has further unleashed over the shocking Nine and Fairfax merger.

Mr Keating was quick to criticise Nine in his interview with ABC 7.30’s Elle Fanning on Thursday night on the network’s plans to create a new national media giant.

Asked why he had such a “dim view” of Nine, Keating lashed out at the network.

“It’s such a lowbrow outfit,” he said.

“I have said chequebook journalism, foot in the door journalism. It’s a low brow show and it always has been, and people who have worked there have been happy to take the money working for a low brow outfit.”

Fanning then asked if Keating’s view was driven by the sort of journalism 60 Minutes had done on him in the past.

“I have fought more television and radio companies than anyone in the business, and my fight - a series of issues I have had with Nine were about one thing and one thing only: Kerry Packer trying to get hold of control of John Fairfax and sons,” he said.

“Because as Prime Minister I prevented Kerry Packer lifting his share of John Fairfax to 14.9 per cent control.

“Kerry Packer had the Nine Network chase me in private life.

“But I’m a big boy, I know how to punch. People said to me after a whole series of things on 60 Minutes. They said, ‘Mr Keating, are you going to take Mr Packer to court for defamation?’ I said, ‘No, I have more expensive remedies in mind for Mr Packer’.

“That was taking Fairfax from him which I had Brian Haradine (who was in the Senate) do in 1997 to 1998. In other words, I made sure he didn’t allow (John) Howard to get a majority to let Turnbull do what he did today.”

Earlier in the day Mr Keating put out a 2.5 page statement saying Nine has the ethics of an alley cat and its pus will leak into Fairfax.

Under the Proposed Transaction, Nine Entertainment Co. Holdings Limited (Nine) and Fairfax Media Limited (Fairfax) will join forces, with the new company to simply be called Nine.

The $4.2 billion deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Nine will effectively take over the embattled media company, with Nine shareholders set to own 51.1 per cent while Fairfax shareholders will own the remaining 48.9 per cent.

Fanning also grilled Nine boss Hugh Marks on the merger, asking him to provide an example of when the network had stood up for journalism when it did not make commercial sense to do so.

Despite giving general statements, Mr Marks said he preferred not to go into individual examples, but that it happened on a regular basis.

“Already in this organisation, you know, our stories, our shows, the stories on companies

that our sponsors don’t love, we have a conversation about that,” he said.

“We stand up for it - if provided the story is right, provided it’s accurate and well researched and people have been given an opportunity to respond and be engaged...provided we do all those things right, then of course we’ll stand up for the journalism that’s done.

“I‘m sure with this merger it will happen on a continual basis, but that’s okay.

“The companies also accept that as an organisation responsible for journalism, if there’s something there to be called out, provided we go through all those principles, giving them the right of reply, making sure it’s accurate and fair, they also accept that’s our job.”

Fanning was quick to get praise on social media for her questioning of Mr Marks.

The new business will be led by Mr Marks, while three current Fairfax directors will be invited to join the board of the combined business, which will be chaired by Nine chairman Peter Costello and include two further Nine directors.

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