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https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/07/channel-ten-premium-ads-gas-lobby-greenwashing-inquiry>
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Channel Ten has been accused of blurring the lines between news and
advertising by running commercials for the natural gas industry that appear to
be part of the network’s prime-time news bulletins.
Sources at the network told
Guardian Australia that starting in March
sponsored segments from gas lobbyists started running that were “made to look
exactly the same as the headlines and using the
10 News sets”.
This was confirmed at the Senate greenwashing inquiry, when Greens senator
Sarah Hanson-Young asked
Ten executives about the integration of gas
sponsorship in the news, and why an ad for gas was “projected onto the news
set, with the news straps and the logo underneath”.
“Australian Energy Producers would have had to pay extra to get that spot,
which you say wasn’t integrated into the news even though their logo was being
shown at the same time as the news was being read,” Hanson-Young said.
In one bulletin aired on 21 May, a voiceover says “this program is brought to
you by Australian Natural Gas” as a giant banner for natural gas is projected
on to the
10 News set in the studio alongside the
10 News logo.
While the video extols the benefits of natural gas, a news ticker runs along
the bottom of the screen with the words “10 News First Top Stories” and shows
headlines such as “Arrest warrant sought for Israeli PM” or “Mercy flights sent
to New Caledonia”.
“Australian natural gas power plants are an important backup when conditions
aren’t ideal for renewables and demand is high, because natural gas can be
turned on or off on demand,” the voiceover says.
Ten’s chief sales officer, Rod Prosser, confirmed sponsors “pay a premium” for
a spot directly before or after a program, in this case
10 News First, but
insisted it was an ad and not part of the news program.
“Much like all of our sponsors and/or partners or advertisers that get premium
place and placement,” Prosser said. “Who gets first and last in break, purely
due to the lack of clutter, will always pay a premium.”
Hanson-Young, who is the chair of the greenwashing Senate inquiry, said the ad
blurs the lines between news and advertising and is an attempt to increase the
social licence of the gas industry.
“The fact that the gas lobby is trying to integrate paid fossil fuel propaganda
into the news in a way which makes it very difficult for audiences to tell the
difference between gas lobby advertising and the news is very concerning,”
Hanson-Young told
Guardian Australia.
“To have a paid ‘news ticker’ style ad appear during an actual news bulletin
raises questions about where the line is between advertising and actual news.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
