Choppergate: Nine admits to second faked helicopter live cross
Nine News has promised a full investigation after admitting that it faked another live cross to the network’s chopper while reporting on the search for Daniel Morcombe.
As Mumbrella revealed yesterday, a live cross to the Nine News helicopter purported to show the chopper “near Beerwah”.
In truth it was on the ground at the Nine helipad, with its lights switched off. A rival network captured footage of it and passed it on to Mumbrella. Nine owned up, blaming bad weather leading to a return to base.
(Click on image to enlarge)
I’m done with all this stuff. It just happens way too much.
The media, in general, needs to forget the race to the bottom. Someone, anyone, needs to take the first step and decide that quality and accuracy are more important than speed and sensationalism.
All it does, in the long run, is undermine any credibility the media has left with the broader public.
6 Weeks after the floating restaurant was smashed under the bridge. Channel 7 showed a morning traffic report from their helicopter. The restaurant was still there. I think all the aussie channels need an audit for honesty. They have all forgotten what journalism is about. Today tonight, a current affair. Rediculous rubbish.
Nine really is dumbing down and a shadow of its former self. 12 year old reporters (cheap), low rent programming and accountants rather than creatives running a network can really trash a once revered brand. I am amazed they still have a chopper and don’t just rely on locals with phone cameras to get their footage. Thank god i can now download Top Gear a day after it is shown in the UK and i don’t have to watch this network anymore! (Maybe people like me are affecting their revenue stream:)
Watch ABC news.. You won’t get any bullshit from them.
nine you’ve done it again, first seven takes over now this what has become of our former number one?
Who cares where a helicopter is.. its reporting the facts about a missing child. thats the real message here.. Who cars where a helicopter is.. how about wheres daniel ?
lets not forget what is the important story here..
Deception is unacceptable, mistakes are forgivable, but I don’t understand why they thought it was necessary?
How was the “reporting” of a dark and closed search site near Beerwah any better because it was supposedly from a helicopter nearby. Just like @loftea reporting from outside the Morcombe’s house during the 6pm news, the location did not improve the content or delivery of the news.
None of these reports were more informative, helpful, credible or newsworthy because of the location of the reporter – truthful or not.
Someone made a decision “I know, let’s get Cameron in the chopper near Beerwah where it’s dark and the search has stopped for the night, that’ll be good”. Who was that, and what was their rationale?
This episode is a symptom of a corrosive new culture at Nine which has been imported from the UK by the current network boss of news. Quality of content doesn’t matter, it’s all about the showbiz. It’s not confined to Brisbane but applies across the network. This culture no longer has any appreciation for quality writing and authoritative reporting. Some long termers remain in senior positions at Nine who know the difference between the current crap and past quality. Sadly their views have been suppressed. Perhaps this incident will be a catalyst to restore some appreciation of journalistic excellence in a news service that is now a shadow of its former self.
If they can mis-report where the helicopter is, who is to say they wouldn’t go as far as mis-report important information such as “where’s Daniel” as well.
I was hoping to see something that would looked obviously faked. You know – bad bluescreen or the camera man shaking the camera to simulate turbulence. This is just too well done. Please Channel 9, please don’t forget the comedy next time…
I care Sondra, just as I care enough to include capital letters and apostrophes when I write. The issue here is not what was reported but the deception on the viewers on how it was reported. It’s a pretty simple concept. It’s called honesty.
Yes the dumbing down of the media is the fault of Chanel 9 et al.
Wake up.
It’s all you media buyers who are dumbing down the media and you have the audacity to complain about it?
I think your commentators need to draw a clear distinction between the purely commercial channels’ TV news and that provided by the ABC and SBS.
As a general rule anyone who gets their “news” from a commercial TV station is an idiot anyway.
If you want actual news and credible journalism on your TV then stick with the ABC and SBS. The commercial networks are a joke.
As for Seven claiming some sort of high ground. I have 4 words. The Chase for Skase.
News !?!? Did anyone else think the Nine News special bulletin from the “streets of Darlinghurst” promoted during Underbelly was better suited to at best ACA and at worst a late night doco ??? certainly not one of the nations most widely watched “news” bulletins.
Nine’s contempt for its audience’s intelligence is on display on most occasions when it does one of its pathetic live crosses during the news. Why does a reporter have to stand in the wind at the Gap, having her head blown off, to tell the audience about what happened in court that day?
Nine (and the others) are all driving their audiences to international news sources freely available on the internet.
And as to TV’s coverage of political issues…. If it’s a stunt it leads.
How is this imported from the UK? I’ve never seen any such crap over there – I’m prepared to be corrected. Oh yeah, listening to other people’s answerphone messages – but directly misleading the audience on TV?
I’ve a good friend who got offered jobs here, and she laughed at the quality of the news reporting, so she stayed at the Beeb. Sky news, Channel4 and ITV all have very credible news coverage, so it’s not commercial vs government.
Imported from UK? Did you mean US?
Channel 9 is utter bilge compared to even the most parochial European news station.
The fact that the report was live from the chopper was correct. Not all bad.
There are only two news broadcasts on Australian television with credibility; ABC’s and SBS’s.
Anyone with half a brain simply cannot take any of 7, 9 or 10’s news seriously(.) (Ok, perhaps George Negus on 10 can be, however that’s it for the 3 mediocre false news networks.)
Sensationalist crap, drivel, b0llocks is what they churn out. So, so Americanised (middle Americanised…) Glam over brains and agenda over credible reporting.
It is so sad. There are so many smart Aussies. We are a well travelled, worldly bunch who love to be informed.
The state of 7, 9 and 10’s broadcasts are beyond a joke. They are laughable, toxic, awful pieces of rubbish.
That’s my ten cents as I watch the SBS deliver yet another exquisite piece of news.
Its all about the exclusive and ratings