Today Tonight

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Today Tonight
Program logo
Genre	Public affairs
Starring	Anna Coren (East Coast) Leigh McClusky (South Australia) Monika Kos (Western Australia)
Country of origin	Australia
Production
Running time	approx 25 mins (plus commercials)
Broadcast
Original channel	Channel Seven
Original run	1995 – present

Today Tonight is an Australian television current affairs program, broadcast on the Seven Network every weeknight at 6:30pm in direct competition with A Current Affair on the Nine Network.

There are three different versions of the program: Leigh McClusky is the longest serving anchor and fronts the South Australian edition of the show. Monika Kos is the presenter in Western Australia. Anna Coren presents the show that is networked to Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Tasmania.

Contents 1 History 1.1 East Coast 1.2 South Australia 1.3 Western Australia 2 Criticism 2.1 Christopher Skase controversy 2.2 Dole Army hoax 2.3 The "Serial Single Mum" controversy 2.4 Contempt of court allegations 2.5 The "Wa-Wa" controversy 2.6 Defamation of Mark McGaw 2.7 Chain stunt 2.8 Today Tonight admits lying to set up Schappelle Corby's sister 3 References 4 External links

[edit] History

Today Tonight evolved from Real Life, which was hosted by Stan Grant. At the beginning of 1995, the program was replaced by Today Tonight, with local editions produced in each of the main metropolitan markets (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth). In the early 2000s, the Sydney and Brisbane versions were cancelled, and were replaced with the Melbourne-produced bulletin. In 2007, production of the east coast bulletin was shifted to Sydney. Adelaide and Perth continue to air local versions of the program.

[edit] East Coast

Today Tonight started broadcasting to the east coast with three separate bulletins: a Melbourne edition hosted by journalist/columnist Jill Singer, a Sydney edition hosted by Neil Mercer, and a Brisbane edition hosted by Carolyn Tucker. Over summer it was usual for Today Tonight to present a summer edition, which consisted of a single edition broadcast across the entire east coast. In the early 2000s, the Sydney and Brisbane editions were replaced with the Melbourne-produced bulletin.

In 1996, Singer collapsed on-air and was rushed to hospital.^[1] Singer subsequently took leave for a number of months and was replaced on-air by Naomi Robson. Singer returned in late 1996 but was replaced once again by Robson in January 1997.^[2].

The Sydney program was presented by a myriad of presenters from 1995 until 2001. Neil Mercer initially fronted the Sydney edition, later succeeded by Helen Wellings (1996)^[3][4] and Peter Luck (1997-1998)^[5] Stan Grant, ex-host of Today Tonight-predecessor Real Life, returned in 1999 following the departure of Peter Luck.^[6] Grant was sacked by the Seven Network in 2000 after it was exposed he was having an affair with another then Seven Network personality, Tracey Holmes,^[7] and was subsequently replaced by Melissa Doyle. When Doyle went on maternity leave in 2001, the Melbourne edition of Today Tonight hosted by Robson was broadcast into Sydney. This was intended to last only 12 weeks, but the Melbourne-presented version rated higher in Sydney as the local version.^[8] This led to Seven Network executives axing the Sydney edition in favour of an East Coast Edition. Doyle returned at the end of 2002 to present the summer edition.^[9]

The Brisbane edition of Today Tonight was fronted by three different presenters in the course of its 7-8 year run, with Lexy Hamilton Smith and Michelle Reiken presenting after Tucker. On December 9, 2002, Michelle Reiken went on maternity leave over the summer non-ratings period. During this time, the Melbourne/Sydney edition was broadcast into Brisbane. When the 2003 ratings period commenced, Seven Brisbane continued to air the Melbourne/Sydney edition instead of returning to a local version with an alternate presenter. Although the Seven Network announced that a local edition would return when Reiken returned from maternity leave, this never happened. In May 2003, Seven Brisbane officially axed its local version.^[10]

Until late 2006, the east coast edition of Today Tonight continued to be hosted by Naomi Robson. In November 2006, Robson announced she would be leaving Today Tonight to pursue other projects. She was also suspected to have been asked to leave, after a mishap on-air involving swearing at the auto-cues. She presented her last show on December 1. 2006.^[11] According to news reports on January 27 and 28, 2007, Anna Coren was appointed Robson's permanent replacement after six weeks of filling in as the show's summer host.[1] Earlier reports suggested the network had been seeking A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw for the role. ^[12]

[edit] South Australia

Since the program's inception in South Australia in 1995, Leigh McClusky has remained to front the South Australian edition of the program, only taking leave over summer and to give birth to her son in 2002 (John Riddell filled-in^[13]) and to have a daughter in 2006 (Rosanna Mangiarelli filled in^[14]). When the program first started it rated 100,000 behind it's competitor, A Current Affair, although ratings steady increased under McClusky. In 2001, Today Tonight began outrating A Current Affair in what would become a 4 year winning streak.^[15]

[edit] Western Australia

The Western Australian edition of Today Tonight was originally hosted by Yvette Mooney. In 1997, Mooney resigned from her presenting role,^[16] and was replaced by Monika Kos.

[edit] Criticism

Like A Current Affair, Today Tonight is notorious for its sensationalist reporting similar to Inside Edition, and is an example of tabloid television where stories rotate around sensationalised community issues i.e. diet fads, miracle cures, welfare cheats, shonky builders, negligent doctors etc. For this reason the program is constantly under criticism and ridicule, especially by satirical groups such as The Chaser.

[edit] Christopher Skase controversy

ABC TV's Media Watch program revealed that Today Tonight had fabricated much of a report about disgraced Australian businessman Christopher Skase. Today Tonight sent producer Chris Adams and reporter David "Sluggo" Richardson, along with a camera crew, to pursue Skase who was claiming that his health prevented him from being tried. Richardson alleged that because the Today Tonight crew's videos showed that Skase was in good health, Skase used his connections to the Mallorcan authorities in order to establish police roadblocks to seize the Today Tonight crew's videotapes. The only support for these claims was a video of Dave Richardson driving past police, exclaiming "Roadblocks! Let's get out of here". Media Watch proved, through examining the broadcast report, that this footage was in fact shot in Barcelona, not on the island of Mallorca. The "police" that Richardson was passing were in fact Spanish urban guards, who use roadblocks to control traffic flow in the centre of the city.^[17]

[edit] Dole Army hoax

On 4 February 2002, Today Tonight and their main rival A Current Affair both broadcast stories about a so-called "Dole Army" operating from Melbourne's subterranean stormwater drains, and recruiting for an organised effort to defraud the Australian government of unemployment benefits. The next day, an anarchist group claimed they had sold both programs a hoax story, and due to lack of research and a desire to vilify the unemployed, both networks had fallen for the elaborate prank.^[18]

[edit] The "Serial Single Mum" controversy

On 18 July 2004, Today Tonight screened a report by David Richardson about "Australia's Serial Single Mum". The report was about a single mother named "Mary-Anne", a private citizen who lives in suburban Sydney. The program asserted that Mary-Anne "had five children to five different men and pocketed tens of thousands in welfare" from Centrelink. It was later revealed by Media Watch that Mary-Anne was working full-time and had the children to four fathers not five. Media Watch described the exchange between Richardson and Mary-Anne as an "appalling attack", and "Another offensive beat up from Dave 'Sluggo' Richardson".^[19]

[edit] Contempt of court allegations

In 2004, Today Tonight picked up on a story published in Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun about a boy allegedly "divorcing" his mother. Today Tonight's story was subsequently discussed on Seven's breakfast television program Sunrise program. In 2005, journalists, editors and producers from all three media outlets were taken to the Sydney Magistrates' Court for breaching the Children and Young Persons Act 1989 for allegedly naming the child in question. Host Naomi Robson was found not guilty of contempt of court, as the magistrate found she did not have editorial control over the story, but producers of the show were fined.^[20][21]

[edit] The "Wa-Wa" controversy

On 13 September 2006, Naomi Robson and a Today Tonight crew were detained by Indonesian authorities in Papua for working as journalists despite entering the country on tourist visas.^[22]

The Seven Network claimed that its team was sent to the region to do a story on Wa-Wa, a young boy who was apparently in danger of being ritually killed by his tribe, the Korowai (according to a 60 Minutes story on the Nine Network some months earlier). Seven also claimed that their rivals at Nine had sabotaged their story and their mission to "rescue" Wa-Wa from his tribe (who are believed to practise cannibalism), by informing the Indonesian authorities of their visa arrangements. Nine refuted Seven's claims and threatened legal action. Seven alleges that a Nine reporter offered about $100,000 to a guide not to help Seven with their story. Seven's director of news and current affairs, Peter Meakin said "There is evidence to support the claims that, in particular, this man Cornelius was offered $100,000 not to rescue the boy." "I think the phrase was 'name your own price'", he said.^[23]

[edit] Defamation of Mark McGaw

On 2 November 2006 the Supreme Court of New South Wales awarded former Gladiator and rugby league star Mark McGaw $385,000 for a defamatory story Today Tonight broadcast in June 2003. The Supreme Court jury found that the story made two defamatory imputations: that McGaw was "a man of dangerous domestic violence", and that he "bashed his lover so severely that she was hospitalised with horrific injuries".^[24]

[edit] Chain stunt

On 20 February 2007, Today Tonight led with a story about an 84-year-old nursing home resident who was fighting attempts to evict her. The story featured footage of her chained up in her room, and the reporter, Nicolas Boot, said she was "refusing to budge, chaining herself to her room".^{[25] [26]}

In response to the airing of that story, the following day Federal Government officials visited the nursing home. According to a spokesman for the Minister for Ageing, they were told by the resident that the chains had been brought along by the crew, and the process of chaining her up had been instigated by the program.

In response to this incident, host Anna Coren was forced to read an apology to viewers on 21 February, and announced that Nicolas Boot had been stood down pending an internal investigation. The following day, Seven released a statement indicating Boot had left his employment with the Seven Network.^[27] However, no announcement was made as to any actions taken against off-camera staff, such as producers, over this incident, which Seven Head of News and Current Affairs Peter Meakin described as "one of the more embarrassing" incidents which he has had to deal with.^[27]

[edit] Today Tonight admits lying to set up Schappelle Corby's sister

On March 14, 2007 Today Tonight host Anna Coren admitted hiring a private investigator who had lied about being an official to set up Mercedes Corby, sister of Schapelle Corby. ^[28]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official websites
  • East coast edition
  • Adelaide edition
  • Perth edition