Ten confirms it paid for interview with former Schapelle cellmate Renae Lawrence
Network Ten has admitted it has paid for a prison cell “interview” featuring convicted Australian drug smuggler Renae Lawrence on her time sharing a cell with Schapelle Corby, raising the issue of whether police will again investigate an Australian TV network under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The news special entitled “Schapelle’s Secrets” is being promoted by the TV network as a “world exclusive” and is understood to feature video shot on a mobile phone where according to the Ten promo she “reveals all” about her time as Schapelle’s cellmate. Lawrence is still in jail in Bali.
It will be aired on its 5pm Eyewitness News bulletin, with a follow-up special on The Project from 6.30pm, on host Charlie Pickering’s last night.
The Corby family has since issued a statement slamming Ten for airing the interview for “ratings and money”. See it here.
Ten’s decision to air the paid-for interview with an Australian citizen convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia follows raids conducted by the Australian Federal Police on the Seven Network in February seeking documents around an alleged deal between the network and the Corby family for an interview with Schapelle, shortly after her release from prison.
A spokeswoman for Ten told Mumbrella today that “a small fee was paid to an agency for this interview” with Lawrence. She adds Ten does not believe the interview contravenes Australian proceeds of crime laws.
“The interview was done in recent weeks, not when Schapelle and Renae were cell mates,” said the spokeswoman. “Network Ten paid a news agency representing the interviewer, not Renae Lawrence.”
It is currently unclear whether the interviewer paid Lawrence for the interview.
Ten’s decision to screen the interview comes only weeks after the AFP dropped its investigation into the Seven Network’s attempt to conduct a paid interview with Schapelle Corby, arguing an investigation by Indonesian authorities superseded their own. Seven has since won a court victory against the AFP over the validity of the search warrants executed on that day, which may make any potential investigations into Ten’s deal more complex.
Mumbrella understands the footage was offered to rival networks by a third party asking for as much as $150,000 although it is thought that Ten paid substantially less than that for the footage. The video is thought to show Lawrence stating on camera that Schapelle told her she was guilty.
Ten has been plugging the interview hard over the weekend after announcing it had secured it on Friday, as it bids to gain greater audiences after recent poor ratings.
Despite intense media interest around her release, and reports of a bidding war between rival networks to secure an exclusive interview, Schapelle’s story has failed to translate to bumper audiences for rivals Nine and Seven.
Nine aired a telemovie about her case on the night before Schapelle was released, which pulled in just 1.022m metro viewers, while Seven got 1.9m for its INXS drama. But, when Seven showed heavily touted footage of her first moments of freedom on its Sunday Night show the audience halved from the previous week, an interview with the remaining members of INXS.
Lawrence is serving 20 years in an Indonesian prison after being found with 2.6 kg of heroin on her body in 2005.
Update 3:30pm:
The Australian Federal Police has responded to Mumbrella saying it is aware of the interview this evening, adding: “At this stage it is not appropriate to speculate or comment in regard to this matter.”
Nic Christensen
leave schapelle alone. you lot trying put her back in prison again
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Guilty as sin didn’t need Lawrence to tell us that!
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Amazing that this can be put on tv from a REAL convicted drug smuggler interview but Schapelle has been gagged from saying anything.SHAME channel 10
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Any body who knows anything regarding the truth about the Corbys has or will watch The Expendable project or Expendable TV. or even join one of the many Facebook pages SUPPORTING Schapelle and her family in striving to get the TRUTH out and into the mainsteam media. The truth is there for everyone to make an informed judgement on evidence, and not what they may have seen on TV or read in the papers. This IS and WILL be known as one of Australias biggest abuses in history.. dont let you or one of your family be next,,examine the evidence and then judge…
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Aired at a time when Shapelle Corby is unable to speak or defend herself. Renee Lawrence is herself a convicted heroin smuggler by her own testimony. Renee Lawrence being a convicted drug smuggler should not be allowed any profit from crime. This is corruption at its best.
Shapelle Corby will be found innocent the same as Lindy Chamberlain. They have both been victims of the Australian Media and the Media and TV stations should hang their head in shame. There for the grace of god go you
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I think it’s about time australians opened their eyes and realise schapelle isnt as innocent as everyone thinks trying to throw the blame onto the australian govt. , airport officials and indonesian officials. Yes renae lawrence is a convicted drug courier but at least she has had the guts admit her crime and apologise to indonesia for her crime unlike schapelle who always has to find away to get sympathy from the public. Take off your rose coloured glasses and see the big picture.
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Shapelle deserves to go back to jail. She and her family are a circus.
If I were in her situation I would shut up along with her family and not say a word. She should never have stayed in the luxury resort. Brains most obviously lacking in the Corby family.
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It is not difficult to tell she is lying, when you look into Schapelles case facts, it is not difficult to know she is innocent and set up and left for dead and used as a political pawn and has been used my so many to make a blood profit. The fact is her boogie board bag was handed over and passed 3 airports amazingly without being detected for drugs inside? Scans, sniffer dogs, x-rays and more checks, YEAH RIGHT! It is disgusting even when Schapelle has been released people including the mainstream media just continue to pay for lies and keep trying to put her back inside as it will mean money for the sale of books, magazines, papers and pictures. Rotten filthy world we live in with people who have no real care for others or justice.
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If Australian journalist Peter Greste is found guilty of terrorism (and let’s hope he is NOT), will he also be punished but he Australian Govt. and the Federal and State Police for receiving any money from the sale of a book, pulsing his spry or any interviews?
How can Australian police, State or Federal, or the Govt. create legislation banning people from earning an income based on their experiences, particularly when they have been found guilty in another country with different laws and rules to Australia?
Although this law i to stop convicted criminal publishing their story, half the Australian Govt, State and Federal are themselves found guilty of crimes (NSW is no exception), yet they all want higher pay and to be able to write their memoirs.
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If Australian journalist Peter Greste is found guilty of terrorism (and let’s hope he is NOT), will he also be punished by the Australian Govt. laws and harassed by the Federal and State Police for receiving any money from the sale of a book, publishing his story or any interviews he conducts for print and TV media?
How can the Australian Govt. create legislation banning people from earning an income based on their experiences, particularly when they have been found guilty in another country with different laws and rules to Australia?
How can the police, State or Federal, act on this law if the individual has NOT committed any crime in Australia?
Although this law is to stop convicted criminals profitering from the publishing of their story, half the Australian Govt (State and Federal) are themselves found guilty of crimes (NSW is no exception!), yet they all want higher salaries and to be able to write their memoirs.
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Disgusting gutter media
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Shame on channel ten !
How can you believe anything ! Hear say !
Schapelle con not even defend herself or she will be sent back to jail !
Talk about kick a dog when it’s down .
Shame on all involved .
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They are both convicted drug traffickers, move along now
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Wont be watching it…would rather do something worthwhile with my time.
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This is disgusting. Shame on Channel 10 for this low act.
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The corruption is so blatantly obvious, the system no doubt is led by morons infected and motivated by corruption. If peoples lives weren’t being ruined the Australian media would deserve the highest award for scandal but also for an incredibly hilarious show in making a spectacle of themselves to the world and a big hole for them to eventually fall into. I have lost all respect for our Australian media.
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Those criticising the media for continuing to report the Corby story should remember that the family has chosen on too many occasions to count to both seek publicity and accept money for it. Having invited attention it does seem rather churlish of them to try and control it when it doesn’t suit their case.
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You have to love the ability of a story like this to see the nutters and the racists unite. Corby was convicted by a justice system with no more flaws that ours but because the prosecuting country was Muslim and not white the really dumb people think it can’t be true. On the same evidence here she would have been convicted and if the authorities here thought she was innocent they would have said so. There is even someone trying to draw a parallel with the Chamberlain case. In that one the dingo was convicted, even though it wasn’t carrying the baby.
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still the ignorant condemn an innocent person,nothing to to do with a dingo, a muslim country a reporter in another country,,on the same evidence here it would not have even got to court,AS there was no evidence,,and to those who criticise the family for paid interviews,,no one held a gun to the tv networks to pay their money out,,i sure the ignorants would except payment for writing their degrading comments here,and for the people that like to disrespect an aussie family because they are not rich or a celebrity,just an ordinary family,attacked ,abused and accused by fellow Aussies,well Karma has its own way of Payback,,enjoy when you receive yours…and have a nice day..
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I didn’t watch the channel 10 report on Schapelle Corby informant because the advertisements about it were enough to put me off. I have no interest in watching gutter trash reports that do nothing but kick people down.
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Channels 10 have stooped to the lowest level as far as I am concerned. They obviously enjoy wallowing in dirt. They should be renamed the garbage channel.
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Not good Channel 10. You have lost all your moral values and present nothing but rubbish these days.
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ranae lawrence shouldn’t worry too much about Schapelle Corby’s shenannigans, she should be worried about the Australian government refusing to give her the Schapelle Corby treatment…
http://www.canberratimes.com.a.....35qsx.html
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By sharon on 7 Apr 14 at 8:27 pm – Your comment made is a joke, praising Renee because she admitted her guilt. How could she not, when it was found strapped to her body for all the world to see! No hiding her drugs!!!
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Well for all those people who say Schapelle Corby has courted media attention ask yourselves how can that be? This woman has uttered less than 100 words since her trial in 2005. The media is responsible for creating this 3 ring Circus and continues to this day. If the public were less willing to swallow the cocktail of rubbish that is bed to them on a daily basis and look beneath the buzzwords and poorly represented facts, if you vote with your feet they will be forced to clean up their respective acts or go out of business. Ch10 should be ashamed of itself for airing this rambling drivel that was so obviously stage managed. Other channels were offered this junk and turned it down, just shows hoe desperate Meakin is for ratings. As for Lawrence, I hope the Indonesians punish her for her clear breach of their rules.
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Agree wholeheartedly
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