by Mat Churchill


When people are desperate for information they turn to the news. But where is the line drawn that distinguishes fact and entertainment?

The question dawned on me on Thursday morning. I woke up and switched on the TV to get the latest on Cyclone Yasi. Within five minutes I'd seen the same street sign being blown up the same street at least half a dozen times.

I saw reporters so desperate for a sound grab (that one quote which can be played over and over until someone else says something even more dramatic like "I thought the world was ending") that they seemed to coerce the hapless interviewee into giving the reporters what they were after simply to get them out of the house (Grant Denyer I'm looking at you).

It's the over-dramatising of an already stressful situation which gets on my wick. Family and friends from interstate were led to believe that from Cairns to Townsville was virtually destroyed, despite the fact that the Cairns region came away relatively unscathed.

There was a period of time prior to when the cyclone hit the coast when there was a level of uncertainty about who was at risk, but isn't that the role of the news, to say it how it is? Once we'd been told of what to expect and how to prepare it was time for only accurate assessments of what actually was happening in each area. Not the seeking out of victims at their most vulnerable.

Granted not all reporters can be tarred with the same brush, but the ones who frequently cross the line live on commercial TV. Commercial TV is all about hype and drama, instilling fear through repetition of adjectives and repetition of images.

Through my bleary eyes I could've sworn that I saw one Cairns based Channel 10 news presenter pretend to be nearly blown over in what could only be described as a stiff breeze. With acting like that he's a shoe in for a bit part on Neighbours.

Another image that sticks in my head is the Townsville webcam showing some palms being blown about by the wind late on Wednesday night, and then someone's hand making like a duck crossing in front of the camera.

Now I'm not saying that Townsville was unaffected by any means. All I'm saying is at that particular point in time the commentary didn't necessarily reflect the true situation. It made us second-guess the news reports coming out of the network.

Credit should go to the ABC for their coverage of the event. But I guess that's the nature of a Government funded TV network which doesn't need sensationalism to secure the latest Bunnings ad campaign.

What are your thoughts on the coverage of Cyclone Yasi? Who did you rely on for accurate coverage? And who were your worst TV offenders?

Got a Viewpoint you'd like to share? Email us at info@thenewsport.com.au.