Business of Media
Federal Court’s rule changes imperil public’s ‘right to know’
The Federal Court is shunning calls to overturn its controversial decision to restrict media access to certain legal documents, with the chief justice defending the move on the grounds that allowing “non-parties” – such as journalists – to inspect legal papers as soon as they are filed has led to “undesirable consequences”, reports The Australian’s James Madden.
Last month, the Federal Court enacted new rules, without consultation, to ensure journalists could only obtain access to key information about court matters until after the case’s first hearing.
The change means journalists will no longer be able to report on initial applications and statements of claim when they are lodged with the court, as they will have to wait until the matter’s first hearing to be able to access the files.
The decision has prompted outrage from editors and journalists from media organisations across Australia, who last week wrote a letter to Chief Justice James Allsop to express their concerns over the effect the change will have on reporters’ ability to report fairly and accurately.
On Friday, Chief Justice Allsop sent a letter back to media organisations, in which he sought to explain the court’s move. “From the experience of the court, both registrars and judges, there was a problem which arose when a proceeding was commenced, a non-party inspected filed documents … and published their content before service had occurred or before a party had an opportunity to consider the documents served on them.”
Vice Media hangs a ‘For Sale’ sign
After Vice Media secured a new round of financing in 2017 that valued the company at $5.7 billion, Shane Smith, one of its founders, teased the potential for “hockey stick” growth and a “sexy” stock market debut, reports The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin.
But that once-grandiose talk at Vice has run into reality. The company, which has undergone several rounds of staff cuts in recent years, is putting itself up for sale in a rocky media market — where it will almost certainly fetch much less than executives had once hoped for.
Nancy Dubuc, the chief executive hired in 2018 to replace Smith after a reckoning over workplace sexual harassment, said that the company had “turned a corner” and that she and the company’s investors had decided to sell to a company that could help it grow.
“Has it been difficult?” Dubuc said about the company’s travails in an interview. “Yeah. Has anybody in my chair had a difficult ride at any company? I would say yes. We tend to be a little bit more public than most because of the curiosities and palace intrigue. But I’m about getting a job done, and we have a job to do, and I intend to do it.”
News Brands
ABC under fire for ‘unauthorised’ interview inside an emergency department
Victoria’s Department of Health has received an official complaint into the alleged misconduct of an ABC journalist who reportedly entered the emergency room at a Geelong hospital – without permission – to do an unauthorised interview with a patient, reports The Australian’s Sophie Elsworth.
Entering the emergency department of any hospital without authorisation is considered a serious breach of media protocol, and Victorian healthcare service Barwon Health immediately notified the state’s health department when it became aware of the alleged transgression by the ABC reporter on December 20 last year.
The ABC has denied the reporter failed to obtain permission from hospital staff.
The incident arose after four Melbourne teenage students endured a dramatic eight-hour night-time ordeal when they were swept 22km across Port Phillip Bay from Rosebud to Swan Island on inflatable paddleboards on December 19.
Radio
Kate Ritchie makes announcement after career break
Kate Ritchie has confirmed that she will be back on-air in a matter of weeks, after having taken an extended break from her Nova radio show in October last year, reports news.com.au.
Former Home And Away star Ritchie, 44, gave her radio co-hosts Joel Creasey and Tim Blackwell a plug via her Instagram account yesterday, encouraging her followers to tune in on Monday when the show returns to the airwaves.
And in the same post, she confirmed she’d still be off the air for “a few more weeks.”
Ritchie stunned listeners back in October when she revealed she’d be stepping away from the show for a break after a “hectic” year.
Kyle Sandilands on fatherhood, Idol and his wedding
When the call came in to meet the head of Channel Seven for lunch, Kyle Sandilands already knew the only show that would get him back on television would be Australian Idol, reports News Corp’s Lisa Mayoh.
And, after 15 years off air, he didn’t like his chances.
“I said why the f..k does he want to have lunch, I don’t want to do TV. I told my manager I’d only be interested in doing TV if they brought Idol back — and that’s what the lunch was about,” he told Insider.
“He goes: ‘What do we have to do to get you back on TV?’ and I said a miracle would have to happen and he said: ‘What about Australian Idol?’
“So it was a great lunch that went on and on and dreamt and talked about different people … and the judging panel is excellent.
“I really liked Idol and I missed it when I got fired the first time.”
Television
World Watch channel “heading in the right direction” says SBS
According to OzTAM’s weekly ratings shares, SBS World Watch channel, which launched last May, averages 0.0% viewers, reports TV Tonight.
Its highest daily share is 0.1%.
Now the Sydney Morning Herald reports the average nightly national audience for the Arabic bulletin is about 151 viewers while about 858 people tune in for the Mandarin bulletin.
SBS maintains the different language news bulletins, means viewers do not stick around from show to show.
“SBS WorldWatch is unique in that the language used in each program is different, therefore there is significant churn from one program to the next,” SBS’ director of news and current affairs, Mandi Wicks says. “Unlike other TV channels the format doesn’t lend itself to building an audience over the course of an evening; rather a smaller number of loyal viewers will tune in to watch their language bulletin then dip out, but we believe the offering is an important one.”
Sports Media
After failed bids for AFL and cricket, 10 execs reject doom claims
The two local bosses of Paramount – the US company that owns Network 10 – have blasted suggestions the broadcaster is on the brink, and say it is instead about to report its strongest earnings result in years despite airing no top-tier sports, reports Nine Publishing’s Sam Buckingham-Jones.
Despite there now being no top-tier sport up for grabs until 2027, and after a slew of shows that flopped and landed the network behind the ABC in the overall audience television ratings last year, Jarrod Villani and Beverley McGarvey say they can get competitive audiences and advertising revenue from programs other than sport.
While Villani, Paramount’s chief operating officer, and McGarvey, its chief content officer, would not confirm or comment on financials, sources inside 10 said it will report circa $100 million in underlying earnings and more than $330 million in profit for 2021.