60 Minutes

Yep, I can just imagine it right now: “Tonight on 60 Minutes, the inside story behind the arrest of Tara Brown and her crew in Lebanon…”

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Will the 60 Minutes crew be given the usual media treatment? Chase after them while yelling questions at them, camp outside their houses, video them driving in and out of home, to and from work? Seems only fair.

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I personally have little doubt that the media will be in a frenzy at Sydney Airport getting pictures of Tara Brown and crew getting off the plane, etc when they arrive back in Australia!

Perhaps a New Idea story deal plus front cover of Who.

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Feels more like a Tracy Grimshaw exclusive to me, heavily marketed for ACA on Wednesday with an “accidental” overrun to about 7:45pm to try and spoil Seven’s House Rules launch.

If they still have the footage from Beirut then throw a story together quickly and use the ACA interview to promote “the full story” on 60 Minutes next Sunday (which would be May 1) at 7pm, conveniently poised to take down the Masterchef launch as well (assuming it rates which it might not).

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Not while all involve still face criminal charges. They aren’t off the hook yet.
It may have also been part of the release deal for it not to be reported on.

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I can see Nine turning this saga into the drama event of 2018 with Jessica Marais in the role of Tara Brown.

I highly doubt the reporter and crew will be heading back to Lebanon to face the criminal charges. Given that they will probably be dealt with in absentia and are likely to be convicted, you would have to think it will be problematic for them to continue to travel the world in their current roles at Nine.

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If Nine goes down that path, they deserve the ‘field day’ treatment they would get from the media and viewers for exploiting an incident which seems to be a result from a series of errors in judgment

The more “First on Nine” and “Exclusive” type coverage that Nine gives this on their shows like Today, Nine News and ACA, the more the damage will spread with these shows being tarnished as well.

It was interesting to see the largely negative reaction to the story on Gogglebox.

seriously, why the fuck does anyone ever care what the halfwits on that show think about anything? I just don’t get it… they’re all bogan wankers.

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Glad they have been freed and are heading home.
I don’t think we see any big interviews just yet,let’s not forget the crew still have criminal charges pending.
Nine deservedly are paying a big price for the freedom of the crew.l hope this is a wake up call for all current affairs programs.

The children and the mother are the real victims of this situation,l feel for the mother who now will never have her kids back with her in Australia.

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Hopefully it’ll be a while then before that happens. They got very lucky that they dodged the possible 20 year imprisonment.

Well said. Nine and the 60 Minutes crew knew full well they were getting themselves in dangerous territory, and for that they paid almost the full price.

I think it is more like they will be tried in absentia (doubt they would be extradited) and they will be banned from Lebanon for a period of time - something I don’t think any would be concerned about. I very much doubt any will return to face criminal charges.

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I’m sure the CBS News brass in New York are appalled at all this. The house that Ed Murrow built takes it’s brand seriously and the international exposure this has created inevitably casts a dark shadow on them.

Never thought that I’d say this but somehow, I actually wouldn’t be too surprised if this year will be the last for 60 Minutes Australia (or at least the brand anyway) after this latest scandal.

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The AFR suggested earlier in the week that 60 Minutes is too expensive for 9 to keep - diminished ratings with reporters flying around the world seemingly with no expense spared.

Sixty’s ratings for the past year or so have been middling at best – the numbers certainly nothing like its heyday in the 80s and 90s. Yet the cost of sending Tara Brown and friends around the world each week remains huge. We’re talking Alan Bond-era exuberance with the corporate credit card. All of which makes the whole enterprise an indulgence in an era of falling ad revenues and ruthless cost-cutting.

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