McKnight Selective Enforcement? Rob McKnight and the Questions Seven Won’t Answer – In today’s media landscape, every credible organisation has firm policies around social media use and secondary employment.
These rules aren’t just formalities—they exist to protect the integrity, reputation, and commercial sensitivities of companies operating in an increasingly interconnected world. Within the media industry, where information is power and access is currency, these policies are even more crucial. Breaching them has led to high-profile terminations and even court cases.
The Seven Network enforces these policies rigorously—as it should. But curiously, these same standards appear to have been waived or overlooked in the case of Rob McKnight.
Before the criticism comes: yes, I previously contributed to TV Blackbox, the site McKnight is associated with, and yes, I now run a competing platform, TV Central. But that does not make the issue any less valid. In fact, it’s precisely why it needs to be raised.
Rob McKnight, through his involvement with TV Blackbox, has access to press portals and privileged media content from Seven’s competitors—Nine, ABC, and SBS.
This includes advance previews, transmission schedules, guide metadata, embargoed material, ratings data, and internal media releases. These are not just casual assets—they’re the lifeblood of commercial media operations and, in the wrong hands, could confer an unfair competitive advantage.
To be clear: I am not alleging that McKnight is sharing this information with Seven or engaging in unethical conduct. I believe in his professionalism. But the conflict of interest is undeniable. You can’t simultaneously hold a position at a major network while running a site that profits from access to privileged content from its rivals.
Take the recent TV Blackbox feature on Seven Melbourne’s new headquarters. The in-depth nature of that piece—particularly the extensive video content—strongly suggests it was facilitated, at least in part, by McKnight’s role within Seven. In other words, his employment is directly fuelling content and monetisation for a competing outlet. That’s not just blurred lines—that’s a flashing red flag.
This situation also raises deeper questions about internal scrutiny at Seven.
TV Blackbox is not a passion project—it’s a commercial media outlet generating revenue. As someone who was previously paid a paltry $16 a day to contribute 10–20 articles, podcasts, and TV guides, I can say with confidence the business turns a profit. Today, it appears contributor Kyle Laidlaw is doing the bulk of the content creation, seemingly without remuneration that meets industry standards or award rates.
Contrast this with my own experience: when I applied for a role at Seven, I was sternly warned that my ownership of TV Central would be a clear conflict of interest—a condition of employment was to walk away from the site altogether.
So why is McKnight exempt? Why is Seven effectively enabling a competitor by allowing one of its employees to profit from inside access? Why are the rules selectively applied?
Sites like TV Blackbox and TV Central play an important role in the media ecosystem. We offer independent reviews, programming updates, and coverage that audiences trust to be free from bias. But how can a site claim neutrality when its operator draws a paycheck from one of the networks it covers? Does Seven’s social media policy apply to every TV Blackbox post? Is it even being enforced?
Whether the issue is one of transparency, privileged information, accountability, or just plain common sense—this arrangement doesn’t pass any kind of test, let alone the pub test.
It’s time for some straight answers—and fair standards.
Important Note: To be clear, TV Central does not assert that Rob McKnight is acting outside the bounds of his employment contract with Seven. On the contrary, it is assumed he is operating within the conditions of his role. Nor is there any suggestion whatsoever that McKnight is accessing confidential competitor information to benefit his employment at Seven. The concern being raised is how Seven permits an arrangement that presents such a clear and ongoing perceived—and potentially actual—conflict of interest.
Rob McKnight was not approached for comment as this story assumes McKnight is working within the bounds of his contract. The angle for this story is why Seven allows this clause.
The following questions were put to Seven:
1. Employment and Conflict of Interest
- Does Rob McKnight currently hold a paid or contracted role with Seven Network? If so, what is his job title and scope of responsibilities?
- Has Seven conducted any internal review or assessment of a potential conflict of interest arising from McKnight’s involvement with TV Blackbox?
- Has McKnight ever been required to disclose or declare his affiliation with TV Blackbox as part of his employment at Seven?
2. Policies and Enforcement
- Can Seven provide a copy or summary of its current social media and secondary employment policies?
3. Precedent and Consistency
- Why was the author (or others) advised they could not operate a platform like TV Central while seeking employment at Seven, while McKnight appears to be exempt from that condition?
4. Use of Company Resources
- Did Seven provide access, facilities, or internal knowledge for the TV Blackbox story on Seven Melbourne’s new headquarters?
- Was McKnight acting in his capacity as a Seven employee or as an independent journalist when that piece was produced?
- Was internal permission granted to use any footage, photos, or information for external publication through to TV Blackbox?
5. Access to Competitor Information
- Does Seven have a policy on employees accessing press portals or embargoed information from competitor networks?
- How does Seven safeguard competitive intelligence when staff have dual affiliations in the media space?
6. Commercial Nature of TV Blackbox
- Is Seven aware that TV Blackbox is a monetised media outlet? Has it ever conducted a review of its association with McKnight in light of the commercial interests involved?
- Does Seven consider TV Blackbox a competitor in any capacity, given it produces media content, interviews, and commercial advertising?
7. Fairness and Transparency
- How does Seven ensure consistent application of its employment policies across all departments and personnel?
- Would Seven consider an independent audit or external HR review of how conflicts of interest are assessed and managed?
- Does Seven acknowledge the perception of a double standard in this case, and if so, how is it being addressed?
- Given Seven’s legitimate interest in protecting its reputation and aligning with industry standards, does the network take into account how Rob McKnight’s secondary business, TV Blackbox, is operated—specifically with regard to concerns that contributors have been paid less than $17 a day for producing extensive daily content exceeding six hours of work?
- In cases such as the TV Blackbox article titled ‘EXCLUSIVE: Late News Bulletin THE LATEST set to be axed by Seven’, is the information obtained through Rob McKnight’s role at Seven, and subsequently used to generate revenue for his secondary business? If not, can Seven clarify how it determines whether such reporting originates independently of his employment? How does the network address the clear perception—and potential reality—of a conflict of interest in situations like this?
- How is it acceptable for information obtained by Rob McKnight in his capacity as a Channel 7 employee—such as in the article ‘LIVE NO LONGER – 10 set to pre-record 2026 season of I’M A CELEBRITY’—to later appear as an exclusive on TV Blackbox, a platform he co-owns and monetizes? While other media outlets could potentially report similar stories, doesn’t this effectively amount to McKnight generating content for Seven and then commercially repurposing it for personal gain through TV Blackbox? How does Seven not regard this as a breach or serious conflict of interest?
Whilst a contact at Seven had an off the record discussion about this, the network would not respond at all officially about this matter. Seven were given longer than a week to respond.
Nine and 10 were sent the following questions:
1. Conflict of Interest & Integrity
- Are you aware that Rob McKnight, an employee of Seven Network, also operates TV Blackbox, a commercial media outlet that reports on your network?
- Do you view this dual role as a potential conflict of interest, particularly when it involves access to embargoed or commercially sensitive information?
- How important is it for media organisations to enforce consistent policies regarding secondary employment and press access?
2. Access to Privileged Material
- Does TV Blackbox currently have access to your press portals, embargoed materials, or other sensitive documents shared with accredited media?
- Would your network typically grant such access to individuals employed by a direct competitor?
- Do you believe there are sufficient safeguards in place to ensure sensitive content isn’t misused or shared improperly?
3. Transparency & Trust
- Do you think that Seven Network’s allowance of this dual role could potentially undermine trust in the integrity of media partnerships and press embargo agreements?
4. Impact on Reputation
- Do you believe that the current arrangement between McKnight and Seven could harm the reputation of your network or the broader media ecosystem?
- Has your organisation ever raised concerns—formally or informally—about TV Blackbox’s ownership and editorial independence in light of McKnight’s employment with Seven?
5. Industry Standards & Precedents
- Are there precedents in your organisation where contributors, freelancers, or employees have been restricted from dual roles that pose a conflict?
- How strictly does your network enforce policies on secondary employment or external media activity for your own staff and contractors?
6. Future Access and Policy Review
- In light of this situation, is your organisation reviewing or considering changes to your policies regarding who can access internal media communications and pre-release material?
A contact at Paramount spoke to me off the record but would not comment publicly. Nine did not return any correspondence. Both networks were given 4 days to respond, plus an extension.
Link to 7plus HERE
TV Central Seven content HERE
McKnight Selective Enforcement? Rob McKnight and the Questions Seven Won’t Answer
Excellent reporting Aaron. There is a clear conflict and Rob would be the first to point it out if it was anyone else