Related Directory Categories
- Program (134)
- Science fiction och fantasy (28)
- Star Trek (20)
- Såpor (16)
- Drama (11)
- Verklighetsbaserade (11)
- Musik (9)
- Komedi (9)
- Utbildning (8)
- Expedition Robinson (8)
Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Media Watch (TV program)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Media Watch | |
|---|---|
 Opener to the 2006 season of Media Watch |
|
| Directed by | David Rector |
| Presented by | Jonathan Holmes (2008 – present) |
| Theme music composer | Roi Huberman |
| Country of origin |  Australia |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Tim Palmer |
| Supervising Producer(s) | Freya Michie |
| Story Editor(s) | Michael Vincent |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC TV |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Original run | 8 May 1989 – 6 November 2000 8 April 2002 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Media Watch is an Australian television program broadcast by ABC TV and ABC2. It currently screens from 9.20 pm to 9.35 pm on Monday, repeated on Tuesday at 12:20 am. Despite the limitations of this timeslot and its small production budget, it has been one of the most controversial and influential programs on Australian television since its premiere on 8 May 1989.
Contents |
Media Watch is viewed by some as a watchdog of the Australian media, that investigates and exposes media bias and breaches of journalistic ethics and standards.
The series initially presented a roughly even mix of amusing gaffes (such as miscaptioned photographs) and more serious criticism. Over the years, the emphasis has shifted towards the latter, although the show often begins or ends with a more humorous piece.
The show's presenters have taken some pride in the vehemence of the criticism it attracts; at one point, the opening credits were made up of a montage of such criticisms, prominently featuring a description of original presenter Stuart Littlemore as a 'pompous git'. In 2002, the then-editor of The Daily Telegraph, Campbell Reid, sent host David Marr a dead fish; a replica of it is now awarded as the Campbell Reid Perpetual Trophy for the Brazen Recycling of Other People's Work.[1] Known as "The Barra" and bearing the motto Carpe Verbatim, it is awarded annually for bad journalism and particularly plagiarism (a practice for which Reid was frequently criticised).
This ability to generate controversy led to the temporary cancellation of the show. In 2000, host Paul Barry was controversially sacked and in 2001, the program itself was axed by Jonathon Shier, the head of the ABC. However, in early 2002, after Shier was himself sacked in equally controversial circumstances, the show returned with Marr as the new host.[2] Whilst Media Watch was off air, Stuart Littlemore returned to the ABC to host Littlemore, media program that ran for 13 episodes between March and May 2001.[2]
No media organisation is entirely safe from Media Watch, and it is a frequent critic of its own network, the ABC.[3] When David Marr was host during 2002–2004, the show often criticised Marr's employer John Fairfax Holdings.[citation needed] However, critics such as Andrew Bolt claim the show downplays major incidents at the ABC and Fairfax, and turns them into attacks on conservatives.[4] Robert Manne, a supporter of the show, also agrees it has historically had a left wing bias.[5] The Australian, which is regularly scrutinised by Media Watch, has been a long term counter-critic of the show. In August 2007 it editorialised that Media Watch "lacks journalistic integrity and conducts its affairs along the lines of an insiders' club that pushes its ideological prejudice at taxpayers' expense".[6]
In 1999, the program revealed that influential talkback radio hosts Alan Jones and John Laws had been paid to provide favourable on-air comment about companies such as Qantas, Optus, Foxtel and Mirvac, without disclosing these arrangements to listeners. It also persistently criticised the then Australian Broadcasting Authority (superseded by the Australian Communications and Media Authority in 2005) as impotent or unwilling to regulate broadcast media, and to properly scrutinise figures such as Jones and Laws. The revelations won Media Watch staffers Richard Ackland, Deborah Richards and Anne Connolly two Walkley Awards: the Gold Walkley, and the Walkley for TV Current Affairs Reporting (Less Than 10 Minutes). In 2004, Media Watch played a major part in forcing the resignation of ABA head David Flint, after it was discovered that Flint had sent Jones admiring and effusive letters at a time when the ABA was investigating Jones concerning further cash for comment allegations. The reports won Media Watch another Walkley, TV Current Affairs Reporting (Less Than 20 Minutes) to staffers David Marr, Peter McEvoy and Sally Virgoe.
At the end of the 2004 season, David Marr announced his intention to step down and return to mainstream journalism,[7] and former Four Corners reporter Liz Jackson became host for 2005;[8] at the end of the 2005 season Jackson returned to Four Corners.[9] Monica Attard then began hosting the program 2006,[10] though has stated she will not continue to be host when the show returns in 2008.[11] Jonathan Holmes has been announced as the new host for 2008.[12]
- Stuart Littlemore (1989-1997)
- Richard Ackland (1998-1999)
- Paul Barry (2000)
- David Marr (2002-2004)
- Liz Jackson (2005)
- Monica Attard (2006-2007)
- Jonathan Holmes (commencing 2008)
- ^ No episode was broadcast on 29 May 2000 due to ABC TV's sceening of After the Corroboree? which was a forum on the future of reconciliation in Australia.
- ^ No episode was broadcast on 14 May 2007 due to ABC TV's sceening of Bastard Boys.
- ^ The Barra 2005. Media Watch. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
- ^ a b Tabakoff, Jenny. "The watchdog barks again", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002-04-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Enker, Debi: Fifteen minutes of fame, The Age, 9 December 2004.
- ^ For example: Andrew Bolt (2 October 2007). Adams sacrificed for the war on the Right. Herald Sun blog. Retrieved on 2007-10-04. (Note that Bolt and Media Watch have a history of strongly criticising each other.)
- ^ The new bland and dull ABC, Robert Manne, The Age, 4-apr-2007
- ^ "Old tricks back at Media Watch", Editorial, The Australian, 23 August 2007. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
- ^ Delaney, Brigid. "Media Watch presenter to hand over reins", The Age, 2004-10-06. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ "Liz new Media Watch host", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-02-02. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Baker, Jordan. "Media Watch on the prowl again for a host", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-11-25. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Joran, Baker. "Attard fronts Media Watch", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-12-07. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Matthew, Ricketson. "Media Watch presenter steps down", The Age, 2007-09-17. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.
- ^ Welch, Dylan. "Holmes is new Media Watch presenter", The Sydney Morning Herald, 2007-11-27. Retrieved on 2007-12-01.