Ii was, I thought, a legitimate question. Broadcaster Alan Jones had spent the morning speaking passionately to the crowd outside Parliament House for yesterday's ''Convoy of no confidence''.

He urged them to action, he praised them, he denounced the government and declared Australian democracy dead.

About 1.10pm, Jones handed the microphone to another speaker, and I approached him, introducing myself. I asked him whether he had taken a fee to appear at the rally.

He took great offence. He spluttered with rage and verbally attacked me. He asked me what kind of a question that was, what sort of person would ask such a question. He said I was a disgrace. For the record, he said, ''of course'' he hadn't taken a fee. I thanked him for answering and walked away. But Jones wasn't finished with me.

Earlier, he had accused a Sky News reporter, David Lipson, of misreporting the rally and encouraged the crowd to hector Lipson as he did a live cross.

I was next. Jones shouted at me across the crowd. He yelled that I should look in the mirror and asked me to repeat where I was from. My question was stupid. His vitriol was apparent, and he bristled with aggression. The altercation attracted the attention of the protesters, among whom I was standing. Some of them started to mutter and curse in my direction.

Journalists are trained not to become part of the story. We are there to observe. But in this case I didn't have a choice. Jones, still on stage, took the microphone. He told them about a rally he attended to raise money for farmers.

''There are farmers there who say to their wives and family - I hope you're listening and report this, Jacqueline Maley from The Sydney Morning Herald - who say to their wives and family, 'I'm just going [up] the back to fix up the fences, and they don't come back,''' he told the crowd, who duly jeered at me.

''I spend a lot of my time doing those sorts of things. I've just been asked by a journalist from The Sydney Morning Herald, am I getting a fee from being here today?''

The crowd booed loudly. People rounded on me and I began to feel very intimidated. A woman next to me began screaming abuse. She said I had no right to be there, that I should go away because I was a ''leftie''.

I then left because I feared for my safety. As I walked away, Jones bellowed, to cheers from the crowd: ''Where is she? Oh, she's gone, disappeared. Where is she? She's gone! Can't stand and front, can't stand and front.''

All because I asked a question.