Media Watch to celebrate 20 years of keeping journalists honest
Media Watch, Australia’s most influential TV programme about journalism, will next month celebrate its 20th anniversary with an hour-long special.
The ABC TV show, currently presented by Jonathan Holmes, is usually broadcast on Monday nights. The Media watch special will air on Thursday May 7 at 8.30pm.
Media Watch, which is feared and celebrated by journalists in roughly equal measures, hence its slogan ‘Everybody loves it – until they’re on it”, began on May 8, 1989. It was originally fronted by journalist-turned-barrister Stuart Littlemore.
Next month’s shows will celebrate the programme’s biggest scalps including commercial radio’s cash for comments scandal. It will also talk to its most famous targets and critics including Melbourne radio presenter Derren Hinch, The Australian’s Chris Mitchell and News Ltd editorial director Campbell Reid who once famously sent the programme a dead fish.
This is a 1997 clip featuring Littlemore and Kerry Packer:
This week’s show was a typical example of a Media Watch scalp, taking to task 2GB presenter Mark Kennedy for making racist comments. As a result the Macquarie Radio Network has suspended him.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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R.I.P. Kerry packer. Media has not been the same since you left.
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Update: Mark Kennedy has now been “boned” by 2GB for his racist remarks on air.
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Hey Tim. My Mumbrella arrived today at 1:06pm. How come Lisa could post a comment at 10:21pm last night, and Freddy could post one at 1:19am this morning? Don’t you despatch the courier e-pigeons all at the same time?
And while you’re at it, how come every comment is numbered as “1.”? Picky bastard aren’t I !!!
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Hi John,
Thanks for your message. You’re looking at a website. We’re here all the time!
Feel free to drop by whenever you like – you’re always welcome.
But we also send out an email newsletter on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays for those who might want a reminder of what we’ve been writing about.
If you want to follow us as-it-happens, we have a number of RSS feeds (see the orange button, top right). And if you’re on Twitter then do follow @mumbrella. I don’t Tweet every single posting, but I do the ones where I feel there’s a conversation to be had.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
One of the best shows on TV. Forget self regulation. Every industry should have a Mediawatch to keep the ratbags honest.
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