Seven has stared down criticism of its Sunday Night interview with former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and his partner Vikki Campion with a follow-up on last night’s news bulletins.
The interview was widely criticised, including by Crikey, for failing to include answers to pertinent questions regarding misuse of taxpayer money during Joyce and Campion’s relationship, and new positions created for Campion in the offices of other Nationals MPs.
Yesterday afternoon, reporter Alex Cullen tweeted in response, saying he had asked those questions but the answers weren’t included in the final cut. “The response to these qs was the same as we’ve heard time and time again. Vehemently denied hence nothing new.”
In the 6pm news, Seven included previously unscreened interview clips which did address some of those questions, including to do with travel expenses.
The ratings for the full original interview were appalling. It was a flop, with just 1 million viewers (500,000 fewer viewers than producers reportedly hoped for). House Rules immediately before had its biggest audience of the its series so far (1.41 million viewers), meaning 410,000 viewers abandoned Seven during the interview.
Now there’s talk that Nine is chasing Joyce’s ex-wife, Natalie, while again waving hundreds of thousands of dollars. As she and her daughters already have viewer sympathy (whereas Joyce and Campion promoted hostility), this may do well for ratings. Seven Network’s management failure to understand that distinction also confirms just how remote they are from their viewing audience.
Crikeuy: “Alex Cullen tweeted in response, saying he had asked those questions but the answers weren’t included in the final cut. “The response to these qs was the same as we’ve heard time and time again. Vehemently denied hence nothing new.”
Some may remember when Joyce quit accounting and launched himself on the public purse with a vengeance. The St George accountant did the figures and knew where he’d get a free ride, free bed, free booze, free rent and a $40,000 so called award for services rendered to Rhinehart.
This buffoon was greeted by intelligent voters as a laugh, a joke, a dumb as dog shit National MP. They were and are still correct in that assessment. But Joyce has demonstrated an unlimited capacity for self enrichment.
Kerry Stokes of 7 is also very familiar with a free ride from taxpayers and has always been remote and contemptuous of the great unwashed public who’ve supplied him with wonderful opportunities – recall the hand over by Jeff Kennet of our Herman Research Laboratory to Stokes the deal never to be made public.
It is no surprise the Kerry Stokes and Joyce are on the same page in this article.
Surprise surprise, Nine is chasing Cousin Jethro’s first family for an interview, who would ever have predicted it? The self-cannibalising commercial stations are hellbent on alienating their viewers with such tacky and tawdry versions of journalism.
The hapless public will applaud Natalie Joyce should she inform Nine to stick their chequebook where the sun don’t shine.
Edit it, retitle it. “Soapies Joyce”?
I’ve no doubt that, after all the latitude he’s been given by the same media for so lomg, Jethro saw this as some sort of opportunity by which to try to win back fans/votes – a sort of “political advertising”? …… Was Hinch being paid for his self-promotional “Senate Diary” ads?
Off topic, but I’d really like to know. Can someone explain how they know that 400,000 people switched off during the actual airing of the interview?