The Chaser's made headlines again - Those ABC TV satirists who specialise in pushing boundaries ... You probably heard this week of their skit mocking the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and depicting terminally ill children being offered cheap presents.
Angry feedback from viewers and even the Prime Minister, has led The Chaser cast to formally apologise, and the show's been suspended for two weeks.
Professor Alan Knight is a media expert from Queensland University of Technology, he spoke to us on the show this week about the importance of free speech in a democracy... He made the point that the downside of free speech, is you are going to see things you may not like.
He also made the point that he thought The Chaser skit was not a mockery of children but a send-up.
What do you think?
DISCUSSION POINTS
• Did you find the skit offensive?
• Is there still a role for censorship in the media?
• Or would you agree with Professor Knight, that in a democracy, we need to uphold free speech and take the bad with the good.
• Should we simply let viewers vote with their remote? It seems a quarter of a million people did so, switching off after the skit. Is it better to give people the choice instead of making the choice for them?
• Is free speech an important ideal, even if there is a risk that people will be offended?
Comments (1)
I think the Chaser went way too far with the Make A Wish skit. They are professionals and should know better. I think they showed a total lack of respect.
Should comedy or art be allowed to "explore" these things? Not without limit - there has to be responsibility and respect.
I object most strongly that public money is being used to do this. If these guys are so good - let them go to commercial TV and see if they can make a living with it. On the ABC - they get paid anyway - whether their material is valued by the audience or not.
Something else that has come out of this - some parents are letting their children watch stuff they absolutely shouldn't be! We have observed this at other times also. The movies that parents take children to is very foolish.
Posted by Gary | June 8, 2009 1:13 AM
Posted on June 8, 2009 01:13