Nine's annual Upfronts event has seen its first and so far only protest to the troubled findings in its internal culture audit - advertising effectiveness expert James Hurman has pulled from his on-stage slot tomorrow.

"I was recently invited to, and agreed to, speak at Nine Australia's Upfront...," the co-founder of brand tracking outfit Tracksuit wrote in a LinkedIn post ovr the weekend.

"Yesterday, an independent report was released to the public detailing Nine's internal culture, finding it 'a workplace in which sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power is systemic'."

Hurman said that in light of revelations, he could not "conscionably participate" in the event and had declined an inivation to do so - "such a culture is at complete odds with my own personal ethics and beliefs," he said.

Hurman commended Nine for commissioning and publicly releasing the report, viewing it as a sign of leadership and commitment to addressing "extremely difficult truths" without giving themselves a way out. "I also applaud Nine for both commissioning the report, and also releasing it, voluntarily, to the public the day it was delivered," he said.

He added that the issues identified at the network were not unique to the company, but "depressingly" exist across the entire media ecosystem.

Interjecting in the comment thread, Treasury Wine Estates in-house media lead Ben Oliver said he found Hurman's messaging "a bit confusing" - or perhaps conflicting.

"I can’t associate with 9 because 9 is bad," Oliver quipped back at Hurman. "But Liana at 9 is awesome. 9 is great for taking a stance. But still bad. Media has big problems . 9 is brave. But still bad."

That opened up a back-and-forth exchange where Hurman said things weren't so "black and white" - i.e. the fact it would not be good for him to support the company on stage did not negate that some people at Nine were good.

Oliver wasn't convinced: "I respect your attempt at nuance here mate, but it seems like you’re saying there are more bad apples than good if your unwilling to share the stage with them. Nines problems feels specific and concentrated, not widespread," he responded.

Hurman clarified that his decision was not reflective of Nine CMO Liana Dubois, who had invited him to speak on stage. He described her as a "fantastic human, professional and leader, and someone who I couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine perpetrating any of the stuff that's in the report.

"I've been super impressed by her leadership, her thoughtfulness, her kindness and her vision. I've met many of her team, who clearly love her as a leader and nurturer of their careers. While some at Nine are bad eggs, Liana is one of the very most good ones."

Nine declined to comment but it is understood Hurman is only Upfronts speaker to have so far pulled.