I think that the person with easiest job at The Daily Telegraph must be whoever gets to watch ABC Comedy shows and preview DVDs until they find something that they think is controversial, then ring the Australian Families Association for a quote from an outraged spokesman.
Today the target is John Safran, the show doesn’t air for another two weeks, and yet the Australian Family Association have declared it “filth”. The AFA then hilariously go on to say “its certainly not something that kids should be exposed to,” which makes me wonder what type of audience they think the ABC is pitching this show to? If anything John Safran did was scheduled after Play School I’d be the first one on the phone questioning the mental faculties of the ABC programmers, however his programs are appropriately rated and scheduled for the adult audience at which they’re aimed.
The Daily Telegraph seeks out third parties like the Australian Family Association when it’s trying to whip up its latest moral panic because it provides easy column inches and outrage sells papers. What it doesn’t do is trust that its readers can make their own choices about what they do or don’t want to watch on TV without its paternalistic guidance.
9 Comments
The AFA think anything that isn’t Davey and Goliath is ‘filth’. Somebody should ring the AFA to get an outraged quote about The Daily Tele, surely that newspaper is doing something that doesn’t jive with the moral standards of the AFA.
The ABC should just solve their woes by making all comedy C-rated. It’s sad, but people just like to be outraged. It makes them feel good.
That’s gold, Daniel – somebody should definitely do that.
I noticed in the dunny this morning the Herald Sun was running the story, I never read it I just look at the pictures but it did remind me that Bolt reckons he likes Safran, I wonder what he’ll make of it?
“What it doesn’t do is trust that its readers can make their own choices about what they do or don’t want to watch on TV without its paternalistic guidance.”
Well? Maybe they can’t?
From humble beginnings on Race Around the World, right up to his latest effort, John Safran has made outrageous behaviour his stock in trade.
I think he would be mortified if he recieved anything less than full condemnation from the wowsers at the AFA.
Incidentally, I think the Tele should be applauded for doing such a wonderful job. They’ve ensured that everyone will now tune in to see what all the fuss is about.
Those two articles alone must has saved the ABC a small fortune in marketing dollars.
“Somebody should ring the AFA to get an outraged quote about The Daily Tele …”
I don’t think that you would get the response you’d hope for, given that one of the patrons of the AFA is one Dame Elizabeth Murdoch.
I’m sure the ‘correct’ was response would be given if one framed the question in terms of ‘immorality in the mainstream media’ or something like that.
Why doesn’t Crikey call them and ask for their opinion on this “Best of Body Art” gallery just for a bit of fun?
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/gallery/gallery-e6frewxi-1225781114562?page=1
Note: you don’t have to delve deep into the Tele’s site to find this it’s on the “news galleries” webpage for which there is a link in the top banner of the site.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/gallery
Picture 6 for instance doesn’t cover up anything and picture 10 is just soft port.
(pic 22 is not even wearing a g-string under the paint,
There’s not even an age disclaimer that you have to click on before accessing this sort of thing on the Daily Tele’s website. In fact children are much more likely to be able to see this (since I doubt even the best Net Nanny type filter software blocks newspaper sites like the Tele) than a John Safron program on the ABC.
Won’t someone please think of the children.
Josh
Others have noticed this too
What a pity the clown Morrison couldn’t find his way to the Daily Terror’s gallery The damsels of Darwin, with its fifty images of bikini clad girls, freely available on the intertubes to torment 14 year old boys eager to get hair on their palms. (You too can get hair by going here). Or notice any of the other scantily clad galleries the piously hypocritical Murdoch press offers up to its perverts, while storming around scanning for any sign of paper-selling perversion.
http://loonpond.blogspot.com/2009/10/john-safran-john-morrissey-parisian.html