Aug 29 2011

Life Imitates Frontline

P174

The Siege : Scene 20

The Siege Site

It is now dark. Marty, Stu and Jase are setting up for a live cross.

MARTY How about if I crouch down like this?

STU What for?

MARTY (as if it’s a stupid question) To make it look like I’m in danger.

STU But the gunman’s five kilometres away.

MARTY Shut up. It’s dark. Who’s gonna know?

STU (joking) Sure you don’t want a flak jacket?

MARTY Actually, that’s a bloody good idea. See if we can borrow one from the cops, will ya?

I didn’t see this widely reported, but this week four reporters and staff from Channel in Brisbane were dismissed when it was revealed that they had faked a cross to a helicopter supposedly hovering over the forest where the police were searching for evidence in the sad case of Daniel Morcombe.

In fact, the helicopter was sitting safe on top of the Channel Nine building.

Lifehacker uses this story as an introduction to an excellent article on Why You Don’t Learn Much from Watching TV News.

If life really does imitate Frontline, then all the Channel Nine reporters will be quietly reinstated after a couple of weeks of paid R & R in Fiji.

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