 Behrendt has said that the throwaway comment has made her a target for a campaign of character assassination.Several journalists have gone on record supporting this assessment, most notably Robert Manne.This campaign has subsequently been characterised as a coordinated response to a court case in which Behrendt and eight others were simultaneously involved against News Corp.

"Herald Sun" columnist Andrew Bolt used Behrendt's name in two controversial articles about "political" Aborigines.