We do not usually bestow our prestigious Clown of the Week on organisations, but this week was not a usual week in clownery. Think of how many levels of management the footage of 101 Doll Squadron performing at the launch of HMAS Supply had to go through to get us to this point.
Perhaps the choice of dance troupe would have caused a stir anyway (although we note that Alex Bruce-Smith of Pedestrian shared footage of the performance days before the ABC did, to relatively little outcry), but the ABC’s use of the footage is inarguably what blew the performance up.
It juxtaposed the group dancing with shots of military dignitaries apparently reacting with stony faces and awkwardness, and shot the dancers from angles they have since said they found “creepy”. It was certainly utilised as such for a truly gross feature in The Daily Telegraph. But it was later revealed the dignitaries — including Governor-General David Hurley — had not witnessed the performance at all, having arrived after it was done.
And look, mistakes happen. Maybe the whole thing could have been an amusing embarrassment, which would still qualify for Clown of the Week in the classic sense. Except the whole exercise humiliated and clearly distressed a group of young women whose only crime was turning up and doing the job they were hired to do. That their style is an eccentric choice for the military is no fault of theirs.
So it’s noteworthy that the ABC correction (which singles out the governor-general, chief of navy and viewers for apologies) not only neglects to express any regret for how the troupe feels it was portrayed but appears to actively dismiss one of their concerns — why else would it specify that “the ABC’s footage of the dance performance was shot in a standard manner, from the same position as other parts of the ceremony”?
Yep, by shocking coincidence, it’s the least powerful offended party who misses out on an apology. Which is another reason it’s the ABC, rather some individual editor or news producer, who gets clown status this week; at every point, from the misleading cutting to the handling of the aftermath, there have been many sets of hands grasping for the prize
This is in no way to endorse anti-ABC opportunists who are chucking this out of the trenches with the other culture war ordinance. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s attack is hollow and opportunistic, and the Tele‘s sympathetic coverage of the dancer’s statement is laughable given their gleeful use of the creepiest freeze frames they could get their clammy hands on. As for Sky News’ Paul Murray and his annoyance at misleading reporting, well, we’re glad to see his eye for detail remains undiminished.
No winners here, unfortunately.
Agree the dance troop has been poorly treated by both commentators from both the left and right, for different reasons obviously but in the end the dance troop has become collateral damage in the culture wars.
Gosh, this must be the first example in the history of Oz television of a news story being selectively edited.
101 Doll Squadron busted their moves just fine. Kudos to them. The clown award should go to the nong who thought this was an appropriate performance to float a boat, or whatever it was supposed to be happening, for the Royal Australian Navy. A big slap with a clown hand to the idiots in ABC News production who continue to exhibit editorial decisions that are doltish, biased and insulting. They should be sacked and trundle themselves off to Fox where their dubious talents will be better appreciated.
I’m outraged by everything to do with this important topic. Let’s continue to discuss it for weeks as there is so little else to get worked up about at the moment.
It was not the launch. It was the commissioning, an entirely different affair.
HMAS Supply was launched on 25 Nov 2018 (known then as NUSHIP Supply). Launching is when you drop the thing into the water.
Last weekend’s ceremony was the ship taking it’s commission. Literally it officially joined the navy, became a fighting warship, and took on a very specific legal role under maritime law.
Commisioning is a solem, dignified affair (or at least should be), the ship is now being placed into the service of the nation as an armed combatant ship and at that ceremony she officially became one of Her Majesty’s Australian Ships. She became entitled to fly the Australian white ensign, and she gained a number of other rights and obligations under maritime law. Her commissioning penant was unfurled from the masthead. This penant stays there until the ship pays off, possibly in 20 or 30 years time (yes they do wear out and have to be replaced).
All in all an important and noteworthy occasion. One deserving of a dignified and reverent ceremony.
How the ABC depicted the clown show of grid girls and cheerleaders that took place is of course an entirely different matter.