Viewers slam siege interviews on Channel Nine and Seven as ‘exploitative’

THEY may have been a ratings bonanza for Seven and Nine, but the Sydney siege interviews haven’t gone down well with everyone who watched last night.

VIEWERS have reacted with concern to the much-anticipated Sydney siege interviews broadcast on Channel Seven and Channel Nine.

Social media users called Nine’s 60 Minutes report “sensationalised” and “tacky”, while others labelled Seven’s Inside the Siege: The Untold Story “exploitative and opportunistic”.

A Reddit thread attacked the networks for being more worried about ratings than the wellbeing of the victims or safeguarding the inquest.

There was criticism of Channel Seven’s decision to use footage of victim Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson, complaints that Channel Nine “traded in spectacle” and that the questions were “too soft”.

Joel Herat broke down on Channel 9 as he described his survivor’s guilt.

Some viewers pointed out human memory can be unreliable in traumatic situations, so the witnesses’ stories could be “all over the place”. Indeed, some accounts did not appear to tally, with hostages giving different accounts of whether victim Tori Johnson was ordered to kneel or not.

But many viewers appreciated the interviews, saying the accounts were “thoughtful” and “truly moving”, or that it was interesting for the public to hear the hostages’ stories to dissipate the myth around the siege.

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Psychologist Jay Spence told news.com.au: “If people don’t want to talk about it they shouldn’t encouraged. That can cause problems and they can become more withdrawn or depressed.

“Does the person want to talk about it? If so, it can help them. If people aren’t ready, they won’t be helped.”

He said that most people would recover from the symptoms of trauma within a month. Those that haven’t may well have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Their symptoms might include physical and emotional disturbance, including jitters or shaking.

The survivors who appeared on the show did agree to do so, but onlookers have raised concerns that their payments could have skewed the decision.

Channel 7 reportedly signed Marcia Mikhael, who was shot in the leg, for $400,000, and John O’Brien for $100,000, while Nine reportedly paid $1 million for cafe workers Fiona Ma, Harriette Denny, Joel Herat and Jarrod Morton Hoffman.

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Lawyers Julie Taylor, the pregnant friend of victim Katrina Dawson, and Stefan Balafoutis, the “white shirt man” harassed by the gunman for moving too much, were the only two of the 16 survivors to not make a TV deal.

The World Health Organisation has expressed concerns over the “single-session debriefing” method of dealing with post-traumatic stress, writing: “Psychological debriefing as an early intervention after trauma is likely ineffective and some evidence suggests that some forms of debriefing may be counterproductive by slowing down natural recovery.

“Debriefing typically involves promoting some form of emotional processing/catharsis by encouraging recollection/ventilation/reworking of the traumatic event in a single session in the near aftermath of the trauma.”

Arrggghh – make ‘em stop please. Personal thanks to 9&7 for their siege programmes last night #sarcasm

— Faye Pea (@afteews) February 8, 2015

Would the 'Sydney Siege Survivors' have still spoken out if no fee was paid to them? #60MinutesAustralia #sydneysiege

— wendy (@wilcox_susie) February 8, 2015

talking to @3AWNeilMitchell about the Siege Survivor Interviews after 9am today - screened too early?

— Michael Carr-Gregg (@MCG58) February 8, 2015

sorry channel 7 , your siege special was not sensitive to all and made one survivor look poor, she comes across as if money is her motive

— Seymour Green (@unusualfoody) February 8, 2015

Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett last month branded the interviews “grubby” and former state coroner John Abernathy said they should not go to air because they could jeopardise inquests.

Former director of public prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery said it could lead to the victims exaggerating their accounts to make good TV.

“There are a lot of areas of concern — moral, ethical, freedom of the press, and so on,” he said. “The part of it I’m particularly interested in is the integrity of the formal legal processes to run their course without being hampered by the sale of stories beforehand.”

An NSW police spokesperson said: “This matter is being investigated on behalf of the state coroner with his direct oversight and control.

Why was #Sydney Siege interviews #broadcasted at dinner time, not later? Wife wanted to watch, but daughter found it distressing.

— John Tan (@TanIntJ) February 8, 2015

Win for @9NewsAUS in the battle of the Siege docos last night. Thoughtful, truly moving accounts from the heroes of that frightening day.

— Brad (@theDubbel) February 8, 2015

Psychologist Sandy Rea questions whether siege victims took payment for their story at the expense of their mental health. On air now.

— News Talk 4BC 1116 (@NewsTalk4BC) February 8, 2015

So for all those that watched the siege shows on 7 & 9 has your appetite for needing to know been satisfied?

— Martin Thomas (@JmtHirdygirl) February 8, 2015

“The investigative team is in constant contact with the Coroner, who is the person who will have the ultimate say in terms of criticism or otherwise.

“As the investigation is still underway, no further information can be provided at this time.”

State coroner Jeremy Gormly said in his opening address: “The question of whether paid interviews ought to be prohibited has been publicly discussed. At present however, the law is that unless there is a contempt, it is not automatically illegal for a witness to give a paid interview. Whether that is to change is a matter of public debate and decision outside this inquest, but dealt with in this inquest.

“In this inquest there is not considered to be likely actionable contempt. The tapes of the interviews are of course a version of the events and will be examined like any other evidence.

“All hostages have already been interviewed for this inquest and statements have been obtained and almost every one of them has been signed.”

Mark Llewellyn, executive producer of the special edition of Seven News, said: “The stories were not sensationalised. They were told accurately with no embellishment.

“The inquest has not been jeopardised. The survivors have not been exploited. They wanted to take part, each and every one of them wanted to have their voice heard. Telling their story is an essential part of their healing. To suggest somehow that they should be silenced so as not to ‘exploit’ them is patronising in the extreme.”

Channel Nine has not yet responded to a request for comment.