Oh my. That is simply and utterly genius.

I know this topic is a little old now, but I see ACA is up to the oldest trick in the book.

They advertised tonight that there would be a story on the ratings, and 'who really controls the numbers?' -- now, if you have a ratings box, any chance you'd watch ACA all week?... I bet that will cause some kind of ratings spike!

I hope none of the above comments by me implied anything other than a complete loathing for ACA. Yes, they seem to be having a better run than TT at the moment but that just means they're not getting caught.

Both shows are manipulative, exploitative, drivel for the masses, thriving on fear and stupidity.

I simply meant in this case ACA did a good job pointing out exactly how terrible TT were. Much better than in the previous 'woman chained in her retirement home' gloating where they used footage from Media Watch as though ACA and Media Watch were old allies in the fight for reputable broadcasting.

Oh.My.God. 11 years since the Paxtons - I feel so old.

I never watch ACA/TT - they just make me angry and I end up hoarse by the end of the half hour. Was it Witness that did the strange barely-hosted show with pop-up info boxes about the story? I loved that show - it gave tabloid "current affairs" the level of disrespect it deserves.

Brett: a perfectly adequate defence against defamation is to include the word "allegedly".

Josh you are quite right. Which got me thinking. Do you think if nine does a 20 to 1 on the most outragous moments in television, they would put on at number 2 and 1 spots, Mike Wilisy (sp?) being pissed on air and interfearing with a hostage situation ??

Every revolution starts with a single step.

Try doing this with family and friends, everytime ACA or TT comes on, or an ad comes on, I will sit there and simply say. 'How is that actually a current affair? Or how is that actually news?'.

It'll take a while, but it will catch on*


*I mean, it won't catch on at all, but I live in some hope.

also ... "people appreciate their own ignorance"? for some reason I just can't reconcile that statement!

Fourth, that was 11 years ago!

At that time I was still living in hope that the "current affairs" programmes would have learnt from shows like Frontline and the backlash over the Paxtons that people were not going to fall for their sensationalism and needed real stories.

Unfortunately the producers of the programmes knew something I didn't: people appreciate their own ignorance. They placed their bets with this knowledge and continued business as normal.

Soon enough people returned to being outraged about whatever the programmes told them to be rather than being outraged about being dictated to or the methods the programmes were using.

In fact, the producers of the programmes were even smarter than that. They knew that they could create things to be outraged about to distract people from their anger against the programmes themselves.

It's a genius piece of manipulation and I have a philosophy about it that maybe I'll talk about on the show this week but it needs more space than is afforded me by the comments.

Let us not forget that ACA had their own underhanded moment with the Paxtons.

All it makes me think is, how outlandish was Frontline? ;)

I did see the sign off on TT last night, and Anna Coren couldn't have intoned any more gratefulness in her 'thanks for watching'.

Like they can talk...

They're just shitty that public opinion is swinging around for the Corbys from the 90-odd% belief that Schapelle was innocent to rumours abounding and photos circulating about drug use, etc... (don't want to be too specific about what the rumours are here - just to stay on the safe side of defamation)

BB

We were recording the show, but I saw a large chunk (possibly all) repeated on Nightline.

Although there is quite a bit of pot kettle name calling, ACA do have a point. There is no way Channel 7 come out of this looking anything but awful at best. And no matter what you think of Mercedes or the Corbys, to then try and flip it and attack Mercedes character...

The scary part is how many fools actually watch TT.

Did any of you guys see a current affair on monday?
All they did was go on and on about how Today Tonight was devil spawn

I know.

And I love Channel 7 saying 'We didn't lure her there' when they had several hidden cameras and Jodi Powers lurking in the car park.

Why else would Mercedes go if she didn't think it was a way to help Schepelle?