A day after he made the comments on August 15, Mr Jones apologised saying they "were careless and they should've been, I think, more clearly thought [out] and to that extent I have erred and made a mistake". Mr Jones in recent years has come under fire for an interview with Sydney Opera House chief Louise Herron, and for comments he made in relation to former prime minister Julia Gillard. More than 100 brands have distanced themselves from Mr Jones and in some cases the entire Macquarie Media network in a move that is estimated to have cost the radio business more than $1 million. Macquarie chairman Russell Tate has since put Mr Jones' show under review. "Now, someone in the corporate world has got to develop a spine here because these are minorities ... keyboard warriors," Mr Jones said. The online groups, which have become more prominent over the past 12 months, monitor the different advertisers choosing to spend on the networks and use social media to encourage complaints and feedback when broadcasters say something they do not support or believe is damaging.

Just because you have a difference of opinion that you go out and you blackmail and vandalise people. You can't run a society like this Mr Jones has tried to organise a meeting with Jennie Hill, the founder of the Mad F--king Witches, but said so far the plans had been cancelled twice by the group. "I am not imputing any motive to them, perhaps it was perfectly well intentioned they cancel because they had something else on. But all I'm saying is it is extraordinary," he said. Ms Hill said she could not attend the first meeting with Mr Jones because of an urgent business issue. However the second time she and her administrators chose to pull out was because of a segment involving Mr Jones on Sky News with retailer Gerry Harvey. In the segment, Mr Harvey criticised the activists as "nobodies" and asked Mr Jones if he would attack them. Mr Jones said "perhaps we should".

Macquarie Media, the owner of Jones radio station 2GB, is 54.5 per cent owned by Nine Entertainment Co, parent company of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Nine is in the process of buying the rest of the shares in the radio group it does not yet own. "There is no ready made answer to this, but I do think you have to stand up to these people because this is not the way society can run," Mr Jones said. "Just because you have a difference of opinion that you go out and you blackmail and vandalise people. You can't run a society like this. And after all if you want to advertise with me there is a commercial agreement that is entered into." Mr Jones raised concerns about superannuation funds choosing not to put money into companies that had high returns but did not align with specific social values such as taking action on climate change. "You're using [superannuants] as an instrument to pursue your own social and value ambitions and that's not the way things can function. "I mean the corporate world's got some questions to answer."