Controversy
For the 2006 series of Big Brother, Network Ten appointed two censors to review the show instead of one. Federal Minister for Communications Senator Helen Coonan is reported to say she would be keeping a "close watch on the show's 2006 series". This controversy resulted in Big Brother Uncut being renamed Big Brother: Adults Only for the 2006 season of Big Brother. In two separate findings, the Australian Communications and Media Authority determined Network Ten breached clause 2.4 of the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice. These two breaches were in relation to the broadcast of Big Brother Uncut on 30 May, 13 June and 4 July 2005. The broadcast material was not classified according to the Television Classification Guidelines.
Despite toning down Big Brother: Adults Only significantly in comparison to 2005, the series continued to attract controversy. After Big Brother: Adults Only was abruptly cancelled several weeks early, a subsequent incident of alleged sexual assault in the house saw the removal of two housemates and a huge public outcry calling for the series to be cancelled entirely. This incident generated significant publicity for the show, even prompted the Prime Minister of Australia to call Network Ten to "do a bit of self-regulation and get this stupid program off the air."
Just prior to the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Network Ten broadcast 911: In Plane Site, a documentary that examined conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks. Federal Labor politician Michael Danby demanded that the programming director of the station be sacked.
Network Ten were highly criticised for their broadcast of the 2006 New Year's Eve celebrations, mostly for the sexual innuendo witnessed between high-profile musician John Foreman and Matthew Newton, TV personality Bert Newton's son. Many other complaints were received, particularly in regards to the use of explicit language and crude humour (including a "pashing contest"). This was the first year Ten broadcast the celebrations and fireworks, with Nine Network previously broadcasting the event since 1995.
On 8 October 2008, The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found Network Ten guilty of breaching the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice by using subliminal advertising during the broadcast of the 2007 ARIA Music Awards on 28 October 2007. Network Ten had inserted single frames (lasting 1/25th of a second) into the program broadcast. This was exposed on ABC's Media Watch program.
In mid October, ten was forced to cancel family comedy The New Normal, staring Andrew Rannells (Girls, The Book of Mormon) and Justin Bartha (The Hangover) after the show, about a gay couple starting a family via surrogate, sparked outrage with religious church groups, although the pilot had been successful. Fans of the show are dissappointed about the cancelation.
On 15 November 2012, Network Ten suffered an influx of negative social and media attention amongst religious groups in Australia, sparked after a controversial interview with Israeli representative, Mark Regev, regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Read more about this topic: Network Ten
Famous quotes containing the word controversy:
“Ours was a highly activist administration, with a lot of controversy involved ... but I’m not sure that it would be inconsistent with my own political nature to do it differently if I had it to do all over again.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)