When conservative columnist Chris Kenny gained access to Nauru and filed a story about meeting the Somali refugee known as Abyan, who is pregnant as the result of an alleged rape on Nauru, the Australian’s associate editor attracted a lot of attention.
Kenny traded blows with refugee activists for daring to approach Abyan. When a colourful Queensland MP Graham Perrett called him a grub, and worse, Kenny demanded he apologise and withdraw his remark, to which Perrett replied simply “Bite me”.
The Australian Press Council has confirmed it has received a complaint about the Australian’s report from Nauru.
Kenny was the first foreign reporter in 18 months to get into Nauru and while the Australian has hailed it as “groundbreaking”, others disagree. “Afterwards Abyan, who had invited the Australian into her home yesterday, again spoke briefly outside her door and agreed to have her photo taken without her face being shown,” Kenny wrote. “She said she was feeling unwell and still was determined to have her pregnancy terminated.”
The complainant to the press council said the article was highly intrusive and had compromised the privacy of the sexual assault victim.
Courier-Mail Stephanie Scott headline in breach of standards
The Courier-Mail’s sensational front page “Bride and seek” story about the disappearance of Leeton high school teacher Stephanie Scott in April has been found by the Australian Press Council to be in breach of standards.
The Queensland tabloid, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp Australia, shocked and angered many with the headline accompanied by a photo of the missing bride-to be at her hen’s party.
On the morning of the story’s publication the NSW police announced a breakthrough in the case: that murder charges were expected following the arrest of a suspect in relation to the woman’s disappearance. Stephanie Scott was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered by school maintenance man Vincent Stanford.
The press council accepted on the information available at the time of publication it was possible that the woman was a missing person, but still found the treatment of the story inappropriate.
“[The] council concludes the publication’s elevation of this possibility to the very prominent ‘Bride and seek’ headline and the front page treatment it received, in addition to the lighthearted tenor of the headline, was substantially offensive to many people, and could be expected to have caused distress in particular to those who knew the woman. Accordingly, the council finds a breach of its standards of practice in relation to general principle 6.”
The Courier-Mail had to publish the adjudication in full on Thursday in the paper and online.
Seven reveals its latest crush: a new dating show
On the eve of the finale of Ten’s ratings hit The Bachelorette, the Seven network unveiled plans for a dating show of its own. At a slick 2016 programming launch in Sydney for the national media, a new format called Kiss Bang Love was announced.
The singles in this Danish reality-TV format don’t bother getting to know each other by going on dates, meeting the parents or even swapping stories in front of a log fire. No time for niceties. They meet in a room and start pashing immediately before getting down to business, otherwise know as the Bang part of the title.
For the record, TV executive Brad Lyons told Weekly Beast “bang” referred to the “pop of champagne” when two people hit it off after they kiss. Kiss Bang Love is from the makers of Married At First Sight who are hoping for Bachelorette-type ratings, which were over a million on Wednesday night.
“They’ll skip the awkward dates and try to kiss their way to love before deciding who to take on a romantic holiday,” Seven says. “Will a pash lead to passion? Is one smitten after a smooch? Can a kiss from a stranger end in love?” Could reality TV get any tackier?
Mauboy and Gibney bring the drama
Seven also announced two new local dramas – both vehicles for network stars Rebecca Gibney and Jessica Mauboy.
Gibney will headline crime drama Wanted, about a deadly carjacking at her suburban bus stop and Mauboy will feature in a feel-good drama called Secret Daughter.
In her first television acting role Mauboy will be a country pub singer in a story that has been developed specifically for her. The two dramas join the already announced mini-series Molly about Countdown host Ian “Molly” Meldrum, starring Samuel Johnson.
Broadsheet spreads out to Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth
While traditional publishers continue to downsize, some digital-first start-ups are expanding. Publisher Nick Shelton told Weekly Beast he was hiring three editors to expand his online newspaper, cutely titled Broadsheet, from two to five capital cities. “We’re very distinctly Broadsheet Melbourne and Broadsheet Sydney but as of mid-November we’ll be just Broadsheet as a platform and we’ll be live in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth as well,” Shelton says.
Started in 2009 in Melbourne, Broadsheet covers the rapidly evolving restaurant scene by showcasing trendy new eateries and focusing on the positives only. “It’s the decision of the editorial team where to go,” Shelton says. “If we like it we’ll cover it. We don’t give negative reviews. The philosophy is we’re not here to waste anyone’s time.”
The site is monetised through display advertising and native advertising and is targeted at 30-something women and people who eat out nine times a week. Who eats out nine times a week, you ask. It includes breakfast and lunch, Shelton says. Unlike the traditional broadsheet food guides, Broadsheet doesn’t critically review the eateries, focusing on the fashionable places to eat instead.
ABC cuts 29 technology staff
The ABC has shed another 29 jobs following the Coalition’s $254m budget cut last year. The latest of the 430 jobs lost comes from the technology division, and is on top of the 12 technology jobs axed by the ABC last month, according to the Community and Public Sector Union.
The union’s ABC section secretary, Sinddy Ealy, said: “The ABC has never been more reliant on technology, yet in just two months the ABC has axed 42 jobs and sacked some of the most technically experienced workers they have. At the same time they are creating new tiers of upper management roles to oversee fewer workers. Unfortunately this decision means there are likely to be more technical glitches and interruptions to programming as a result of this decision.”
ABC management has confirmed the 29 job losses but disputes the total figure of 430 job losses, saying it is closer to 300. “The changes are designed to better position ABC Technology for the demands of the modern media sector,” a spokesman said. “They will create a more agile and client-focused service with integrated solutions to existing and future technology problems. The division will be restructured to ensure our teams are aligned with the tech future state and it is proposed that 29 net positions be made redundant. Consultation with affected staff and the CPSU are under way.”
