Crikey’s Summary Of The Recent Chaser Outrage
Just a quick follow up from this morning’s little piece regarding The Chaser – on the off chance you’re not a Crikey subscriber, you would have missed yesterday’s brilliantly cutting assessment of the current furore in their daily newsletter. You need to read it.
From an ABC press release today:
Statement from Kim Dalton, Director of ABC TV and Julian Morrow, Executive Producer The Chaser’s War on Everything
The Chaser’s War on Everything is a satirical program aimed at provoking debate and providing social commentary on topical issues, current affairs and public life in general.
The sketch in last night’s show called ‘Making A Realistic Wish Foundation’ was a satirical sketch and black comedy.
The ABC and The Chaser did not intend to hurt those who have been affected by the terminal illness of a child. We acknowledge the distress this segment has caused and we apologise to anyone we have upset.
As a result, ABC TV will edit the segment out of tonight’s repeat screening on ABC2 and on-line.
In that spirit Crikey would like to apologise for the forthcoming article ‘Terminal cancer kiddies are sick bludgers’. However, it needs to he pointed out that every year dying children cost this nation hundreds of millions of dollars in Disneyland trips, meetings with leading sportspeople and visits from high class escorts for ‘teen terminals’. We would be remiss in our mission if we did not expose the rorts perpetrated on the public purse by these children often for months at a time. Or weeks. Or days.
The Chaser was completely correct to extend their satirical scope to this privileged group of Australians, some of whom don’t even have to go to school everyday, and get to wear hats — satire is about challenging the powerful, the privileged and the corrupt and so in respect of sick and dying children, mmm, hey, look, geese!
We are confident the Chaser will continue in its fearless mission — of building a multi-million dollar comedy brand on public funds by desperately stringing out a third series absent of ideas using cheap shock and outrage. We support them in their mission of breaking through the barriers put up against well-connected Sydney University law students by “the man”. If feelings of a few dying children are allowed to stand in the way of that, well it’s clear you — and they — have no sense of humour.
And now that you’ve read it, maybe think about subscribing.
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Comments
This skit was only ever written with the intention of getting media attention the next day to boost viewing figures for the coming season because ABC don’t spend enough on promotion. Thanks to all the major networks taking the bait they had free advertising on ever major network and newspaper website, literally worth millions in coverage. Well played sirs.
I agree they’ve recieved the coverage they may have hoped for hd and the fact that it’s being discussed widley proves your point. My concern is that they picked an easy target. I think in choosing to produce content recognised as satire, funded by Australian taxpayers, they have a responsibility to
expose the hard truths we often brush under the carpet. What they did can be justified under that banner, but really, where’s the balls?
Yes well, far from “brilliant” I don’t think this “summary” understands the issue at all and it’s lame attempt at humour is even less funny than the Chasers are in their worst moments. This is exactly why I have never bothered to subscribe to Crikey. For a brief moment they were independent and thoughtful but now they just pander to the preceived “majority view”. To make things worse, Crikey is now stuck with “pretentions” of being clever, independent and thoughtful when in reality they are pretty much on a par with the regurgitated rubbish of the Daily Telegaff.