Novak Djokovic: Best 'hot mic' moments after Rebecca Maddern's sledge

In a moment that is surely every live TV host's worst nightmare, Rebecca Maddern was caught this week branding unvaccinated tennis champion Novak Djokovic a 'lying, sneaky a***hole' in leaked footage that was never supposed to air.

The 7News Melbourne presenter slammed the controversial player in a foul-mouthed, hot mic rant alongside her co-host Mike Amor that was later leaked online - and soon went viral around the world.

But this isn't the first time an Australian newsreader has been caught on camera doing or saying something viewers weren't meant to see, and it won't be the last.

Rebecca Maddern and Mike Amor's spray against Novak Djokovic

Seven News Melbourne presenters Rebecca Maddern and Mike Amor were caught criticising world No. 1 Novak Djokovic over his visa debacle in a hot mic sledge that leaked online on Wednesday.

Their expletive-laden rant, which appears to have taken place as they prepared to present the station's 6pm news program, included Maddern saying: 'Whatever way you look at it, Novak Djokovic is a lying, sneaky a***hole.' 

'He got a bulls**t f**king excuse and then fell over his own f**king lies. It's just what happens, right, that's what happened,' Amor responded.

His co-host said there were multiple errors made in the process of cancelling and then reinstating Djokovic's visa to play at the Australian Open.

But minutes later, the journalists put on their professional hats and donned straight-faced expressions to give an unbiased news report about the elite tennis player.

'Good evening. Novak Djokovic is facing new questions and a border force investigation into whether he provided false information in his travel declarations to get into Australia,' Amor read smoothly.

An expressionless Maddern added: 'The tennis star is out of detention and ramping up his preparation for the Australian Open as the federal government decides whether it will cancel his visa, again.'

Djokovic had landed in Australia with a medical exemption from vaccination on the basis he had tested positive to Covid-19 on December 16, but was detained for five days when border force officials denied the exemption.

He's since been released from detention but it is still unclear if he will be able to play in the Australian Open beginning on January 17.

'It is unfortunate that everyone stuffed up around him,' Maddern said during the leaked off-air conversation.

'I don't think anything was gained by putting him in (an) immigration hotel.'

Both presenters then agreed that Djokovic was 'going to get away with it'.

Meanwhile, furious Channel Seven bosses are racing to track down the person responsible for leaking the 'illegal' footage of two the two journalists.

In a statement on Wednesday morning, Craig McPherson, Seven's Director of News and Public Affairs, said the person responsible for leaking the 'private conversation' would be dealt with.

'The illegal recording was of a private conversation between two colleagues,' he said.

'It was an underhanded, cowardly act in breach of the Victorian Listening Devices legislation the perpetrator of which will be accordingly dealt with when found.'

Another executive, Melbourne chief Lewis Martin, told 3AW the probe into the leaker was well under way.

Mr Martin also said he had spoken with Maddern and she had apologised to him.

Natasha Exelby's daydreaming moment

ABC News 24 anchor Natasha Exelby made global headlines in 2017 after she was caught daydreaming during a live broadcast.

The journalist was in the middle of presenting an evening bulletin when she was filmed staring mindlessly at her pen, unaware she was live on air.

A news report had just finished when the livestream cut back to Exelby in the public broadcaster's Sydney studio not looking at the camera.

She was seen with her head down and fiddling with a pen for a few seconds before realising she was back on air.

A clearly shocked Exelby, with her eyes wide open, threw down her pen in a flash and simultaneously let out an audible gasp.

Shaken by the lapse in concentration, she quickly recovered to handball the next story over to the sports desk, complete with a wry smile.

'Now to sport with Meredith Sheehan,' she said.

Exelby was told later she had lost her newsreading position and had been 'banned' from any more on-air work, The Daily Telegraph reported.

A spokesperson for the ABC also told Daily Mail Australia: 'Natasha Exelby is a casual contributor, not a staff member.

'She has been booked for occasional on-air shifts when needed, and also does other occasional shifts for the ABC News channel.' 

She later spoke about the on-air gaffe to news.com.au, saying: 'I can understand why people found it funny, and it was certainly me at my most raw. 

'But I also have to take some responsibility here. I'm a professional and what happened was far from professional.'

Amber Sherlock and Julie Snook's 'Jacketgate' scandal

In January 2017, footage of Channel Nine newsreader Amber Sherlock berating Julie Snook for wearing a white jacket was leaked online.

The clip showed Sherlock demanding Snook put on a jacket so the two could avoid both wearing white on TV at the same time.

Speaking to her producer, Sherlock said: 'I need Julie to put a jacket on because we're all in white. I asked her before we came on… Julie, you need to put a jacket on.'

Snook fought back, saying she hadn't had time to change, but Sherlock refused to back down, snapping: 'Come on, I told you two hours ago.'

The sports presenter later appeared on air wearing a black jacket, and was the object of much public sympathy when the footage went viral.

Sherlock blamed the meltdown on the pressures of live TV, telling 9Honey in May 2017 the experience had been a 'learning curve'.