SA Footy

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:14 am**

IT'S the type of thing that happened in the fictional current affairs show Frontline.

Host Mike Moore would cross to a reporter who was allegedly in a hostile zone, but was really nowhere near danger, the Courier-Mail reported.

Fiction became reality last weekend when Channel 9's weekend news bulletins crossed to reporters in a helicopter allegedly hovering over the Daniel Morcombe search site "near Beerwah".

On Saturday, the helicopter was in reality over Chapel Hill in Brisbane's western suburbs. On Sunday, the chopper was sitting on Channel 9's helipad, with the rotor blades whirring.

In a statement released by the network last night, Nine admitted that they had faked the crosses to the news helicopter.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertain ... 6121121775

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:38 am**

When it was first released, many people thought that Frontline was exaggerated. Most in the industry said that it was closer to a documentary than comedy, with so much of it being so close to the bone. That particular episode that the writer refers to ("The Siege") was a broad parody of the incident when Mike Willesee negotiated on air with a gunman to release two children he was holding hostage.

No television comedy in this country, before or since, has gotten close to what Frontline achieved, IMHO.

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:28 am**

poor journalism.

was the advertiser involved?

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2011 12:00 pm**

I just realised it OL... It makes sense now...

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2011 1:48 pm**

Pathetic really.

Posted: **Thu Aug 25, 2011 2:10 pm**

CK wrote:When it was first released, many people thought that Frontline was exaggerated. Most in the industry said that it was closer to a documentary than comedy, with so much of it being so close to the bone. That particular episode that the writer refers to ("The Siege") was a broad parody of the incident when Mike Willesee negotiated on air with a gunman to release two children he was holding hostage.

No television comedy in this country, before or since, has gotten close to what Frontline achieved, IMHO.

I recall that Mike Willesee siege episode, from memory it was in '93. Was it partially a set up? Or was the criticism that it just was considered to be inappropriate?

This latest "fake cross" incident reminds me of a David Richardson story for Today Tonight when he was chasing Christopher Skase http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rich ... Australian)

There are a couple other things that spring to mind it comes to Australian journalism that was memorable for the wrong reason.