Aziz Ansari: Babe reporter responds to veteran female journalist's criticism by attacking her age and appearance

Ashleigh Banfield then read part of the email about her on air

In what has turned into an offshoot of the alleged sexual misconduct by Aziz Ansari, veteran journalist Ashleigh Banfield responded on air to criticism sent in an email from the woman who wrote the original story.

Katie Way, a writer for the digital outlet Babe, wrote the email declining to be on Ms Banfield's programme "Crime and Justice" and also attacked her appearance, age, and career in response to Ms Banfield's original report which criticised Ansari's accuser.

In the original story a woman - only known under the pseudonym "Grace" - went on a date with Ansari and detailed what "Grace" felt was behaviour that made her uncomfortable.

The story set off a firestorm in light of the #MeToo movement and the spate of powerful men in Hollywood, the media, and politics who were accused of sexual harassment and assault.

Several people wrote reactions to the Babe story - some saying this was not sexual assault but simply an unfortunate encounter and others supporting "Grace."

Ms Banfield, an anchor on her own show on HLN, accused Ms Way of being "reckless" and in an open letter to "Grace" said: "I'm sorry you had a bad date....by your own description this was not rape, this was not an assault."

Ms Banfield said: "What exactly was your beef? That you had a bad date with [Ansari]? Is that what victimised you to the point of seeking a public conviction and a career-ending sentence against him?"

Ms Way was asked to be on the programme after Ms Banfield's initial report to discuss Babe's decision to report the story. The site has gotten millions of views as a result of the piece.

However, instead of simply declining the offer to be on air, Ms Way sent an email which attacked Ms Banfield's appearance, age, and career.

In the email, Ms Way wrote that she felt Ms Banfield's criticism of the original story was unwarranted and one of the "most despicable things I've ever seen in my entire life."

“I hope the 500 retweets on the single news write-up made that burgundy lipstick, bad highlights, second-wave feminist has-been really relevant for a little while,” she wrote.

She went on to say she would "never" appear on the network, nor would any woman her age.

Ms Way wrote that at 22, her career is "not too shabby."

Ms Banfield, known best for reporting from the site of the September 11 attacks covered in ashes as the buildings fell around her, then read part of Ms Way's email on air in her follow up report because she felt it "gives us insight into the calibre of the person who held that nuclear weapon that was wielded on Ansari's career."

"If you truly believe in the #metoo movement...and feminism, the last thing you should do is attack someone in an ad hominem way for her age - I'm 50, for her highlights - I was brown-haired for a while when I was a war correspondent interviewing Yasser Arafat, and in Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza, and the West Bank. Google those places" she commented.

Ansari issued an apology in the immediate aftermath, saying that he thought the sexual activity the pair engaged in was "completely consensual."

To accompany the story, Babe had also posted a text exchange between "Grace" and Ansari in which she told him that though she may have appeared to be all right, she was indeed "uneasy."

In his apology, Ansari addressed the text and wrote he "took her words to heart and responded privately after taking the time to process what she had said."