Jono Coleman’s Integrity As A Film Reviewer Called into Question

Sunrise’s entertainment reporter Jono Coleman may have pissed of some parents and his bosses by spoiling the end of the latest Harry Potter book, but 71 percent of Sunrise viewers couldn’t give a stuff, voting via SMS to keep him on the show.

Well Aussie film publicists and distributors obviously weren’t doing the voting — because now they’re laying into Jono, accusing him of filing film reviews for Sunrise without having actually seen their films!

Sunrise showbiz reporter Jonathan Coleman’s return to air this week has been marred by a film industry smear campaign attempting to destabilise his position.

smear campaign? destabalise his position? This is entertainment media, people, not industrial espionage or politics. Nonetheless…

It has emerged that a group of senior film industry distributors attempted to use the faux pas to discredit Coleman further.

Confidential sources claim Coleman stands accused of not attending film screenings before filing his reviews for the program, which has angered film companies.

“We’ve had hits and misses with him, but have learned to manage our expectations,” one film industry source said.

“There are other companies who have forked out big bucks to send him on overseas press trips who expected more and have been disappointed.”

Another insider said: “(film executives) don’t want him in that role anymore.”

Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. Still, what sort of people watch Jono Coleman on Sunrise, or even Richard Wilkins on Today, and expect integrity, honesty and ethics in reporting on the quality of films? Probably the same people who respond to breakfast television SMS polls….