News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third-party or mass audience.

Etymology

One theory claims that the English word "news" developed in the 14th century as a special use of the plural form of "new". In Middle English, the equivalent word was ''newes'', like the French ''nouvelles'' and the German ''neues''. Similar developments are found in the Slavic languages – the Czech and Slovak ''noviny'' (from ''nový'', "new"), the cognate Polish ''nowiny'' and Russian ''novosti'' – and in the Celtic languages: the Welsh ''newyddion'' (from ''newydd'') and the Cornish ''nowodhow'' (from ''nowydh'').

History

Before the invention of newspapers in the early 17th century, official government bulletins and edicts were circulated at times in some centralized empires.

The first documented use of an organized courier service for the diffusion of written documents is in Egypt, where Pharaohs used couriers for the diffusion of their decrees in the territory of the State (2400 BC). This practice almost certainly has roots in the much older practice of oral messaging and may have been built on a pre-existing infrastructure.

In Ancient Rome, ''Acta Diurna'', or government announcement bulletins, were made public by Julius Caesar. They were carved in metal or stone and posted in public places.

In China, early government-produced news sheets, called tipao, circulated among court officials during the late Han dynasty (second and third centuries AD). Between 713 and 734, the ''Kaiyuan Za Bao'' ("Bulletin of the Court") of the Chinese Tang Dynasty published government news; it was handwritten on silk and read by government officials. In 1582 there was the first reference to privately published newssheets in Beijing, during the late Ming Dynasty.

In Early modern Europe, increased cross-border interaction created a rising need for information which was met by concise handwritten newssheets. In 1556, the government of Venice first published the monthly ''Notizie scritte'', which cost one gazetta. These avvisi were handwritten newsletters and used to convey political, military, and economic news quickly and efficiently to Italian cities (1500–1700) — sharing some characteristics of newspapers though usually not considered true newspapers. Due to low literacy rates, news was at times disseminated by town criers.

Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, from 1605, is recognized as the world's first newspaper.

The oldest news agency is the Agence France-Presse (AFP). It was founded in 1835 by a Parisian translator and advertising agent, Charles-Louis Havas as Agence Havas.

In modern times, printed news had to be phoned in to a newsroom or brought there by a reporter, where it was typed and either transmitted over wire services or edited and manually set in type along with other news stories for a specific edition. Today, the term "breaking news" has become trite as commercial broadcasting United States cable news services that are available 24-hours a day use live satellite technology to bring current events into consumers' homes as the event occurs. Events that used to take hours or days to become common knowledge in towns or in nations are fed instantaneously to consumers via radio, television, mobile phone, and the Internet.

Newspapers

Most large cities in the United States historically had morning and afternoon newspapers. As the media evolved and news outlets increased to the point of near over-saturation, most afternoon newspapers were shut down. Morning newspapers have been gradually losing circulation, according to reports advanced by the papers themselves. Commonly, news content should contain the "Five Ws" (who, what, when, where, why, and also how) of an event. There should be no questions remaining. Newspapers normally place hard news stories on the first pages, so the most important information is at the beginning. Busy readers can read as little or as much as they desire. Local stations and networks with a set format must take news stories and break them down into the most important aspects due to time constraints. Cable news channels such as BBC News, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN, are able to take advantage of a story, sacrificing other, decidedly less important stories, and giving as much detail about breaking news as possible.

News organizations are often expected to aim for objectivity; reporters claim to try to cover all sides of an issue without bias, as compared to commentators or analysts, who provide opinion or personal point-of-view. The result is a laying out of facts in a sterile, noncommittal manner, and then standing back to "let the reader decide" which view is true. Several governments impose certain constraints or police news organizations against bias. In the United Kingdom, for example, limits are set by the government agency Ofcom, the Office of Communications. Both newspapers and broadcast news programs in the United States are generally expected to remain neutral and avoid bias except for clearly indicated editorial articles or segments. Many single-party governments have operated state-run news organizations, which may present the government's views.

Even in those situations where objectivity is expected, it is difficult to achieve, and individual journalists may fall foul of their own personal bias, or succumb to commercial or political pressure. Similarly, the objectivity of news organizations owned by conglomerated corporations fairly may be questioned, in light of the natural incentive for such groups to report news in a manner intended to advance the conglomerate's financial interests. Individuals and organizations who are the subject of news reports may use news management techniques to try to make a favourable impression. Because each individual has a particular point of view, it is recognized that there can be no absolute objectivity in news reporting.

Newsworthiness

Newsworthiness is defined as a subject having sufficient relevance to the public or a special audience to warrant press attention or coverage.

In some countries and at some points in history, what news media and the public have considered "newsworthy" has met different definitions, such as the notion of news values. For example, mid-twentieth-century news reporting in the United States focused on political and local issues with important socio-economic impacts, such as the landing of a living person on the moon or the cold war. More recently, the focus similarly remains on political and local issues; however, the news mass media now comes under criticism for over-emphasis on "non-news" and "gossip" such as celebrities' personal social issues, local issues of little merit, as well as biased sensationalism of political topics such as terrorism and the economy. The dominance of celebrity and social news, the blurring of the boundary between news and reality shows and other popular culture, and the advent of citizen journalism may suggest that the nature of ‘news’ and news values are evolving and that traditional models of the news process are now only partially relevant. Newsworthiness does not only depend on the topic, but also the presentation of the topic and the selection of information from that topic.

New Ecology of News

“Everything we thought we once knew about journalism needs to be rethought in the Digital Age”, professor of Sociology and Communication Michael Schudson points out. Today the work of journalism can be done from anywhere and done well. It requires no more than a reporter and a laptop. In that way, journalistic authority seems to have become more individual- and less institution-based. But does the individual reporter always have to be an actual journalist? Or can journalistic work be done from anywhere and by anyone? These are questions that refers to the core of journalistic practice and the definition of “news” itself. As Schudson has given emphasis to, the answer is not easily found; “the ground journalists walk upon is shaking, and the experience for both those who work in the field and those on the outside studying it is dizzying”.

Schudson has identified the following six specific areas where the ecology of news in his opinion has changed: 1. The line between the reader and writer has blurred 2. The distinction among tweet, blog post, newspaper story, magazine article, and book has blurred 3. The line between professionals and amateurs has blurred, and a variety of “pro-am” relationships has emerged 4. The boundaries delineating for-profit, public, and non-profit media have blurred, and the cooperation across these models of financing has developed 5. Within commercial news organizations, the line between the news room and the business office has blurred 6. The line between old media and new media has blurred, practically beyond recognition

These alterations inevitably has fundamental ramifications for the contemporary ecology of news. “The boundaries of journalism, which just a few years ago seemed relatively clear, and permanent, have become less distinct, and this blurring, while potentially the foundation of progress even as it is the source of risk, has given rise to a new set of journalistic principles and practices”, Schudson puts it. It is indeed complex, but it seems to be the future.

References

Further reading

Stephens, Mitchell. "The History of News - 3rd Ed" Oxford University Press, New York, 2007.

External links

Category:Television terminology

km:ភាសាខ្មែរ af:Nuus ar:أخبار arc:ܛܐܒܐ roa-rup:Evenimente di tora zh-min-nan:Sin-bûn be:Навіны be-x-old:Навіны bg:Новини bn:সংবাদ ca:Notícia cv:Хыпарсем ceb:Balita cs:Zpravodajství cy:Newyddion de:Nachrichten es:Noticia eo:Novaĵo fa:اخبار fo:Núverandi hendingar fr:Actualité fy:Nijs ko:뉴스 ilo:Agdama a paspasamak id:Berita os:Ног хабæрттæ is:Frétt it:Notizia he:אקטואליה ka:ახალი ამბები sw:Habari lo:Current events la:Nuntius lv:Ziņas lb:Aktualitéit lt:Naujienos li:In 't nuujs hu:Hír mg:Current events mr:बातमी ms:Berita mn:Мэдээ na:Imwin nl:Nieuws ja:ニュース no:Nyhet nn:Nyhende oc:Actualitat or:ସମ୍ବାଦ om:News pap:Eventonan aktual pl:Wiadomość pt:Jornalismo#Notícia ro:Știre ru:Новости scn:Nutizzi simple:News sk:Aktuality sr:Вест fi:Uutinen sv:Nyhet tl:Balita ta:செய்தி th:ข่าว tr:Haber uk:Новини ur:خبریں vi:Tin tức vo:Jenots nuik fiu-vro:Miä sünnüs wa:Wikinoveles yi:נייעס zh-yue:新聞 zh:新闻

name	The Chaser
medium	Print, online, radio, television, stage & Christmas crackers
nationality	Australian
active	1999–present
genre	Satire
subject	Politics
notable work	''The Chaser'' (1999–2005) ''The Election Chaser'' (2001)''The Chaser Decides'' (2004 & 2007), ''CNNNN'' (2002–2003) ''Cirque du Chaser'' (2005) ''The Chaser's War on Everything'' (2006–2009) ''The Chaser's Age of Terror Variety Hour'' (2008) ''Yes We Canberra'' (2010)
website
current members	Charles Firth Andrew Hansen Dominic Knight Chas Licciardello Julian Morrow Craig Reucassel Chris Taylor

}}

The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste. The group's motto is "Striving for Mediocrity in a World of Excellence".

The Chaser

The Chaser's earliest foundations were Charles Firth, Dominic Knight, and Chas Licciardello who went to Sydney Grammar School together and produced a small satirical school magazine entitled ''The Tiger''. Later on, Firth and Knight met Craig Reucassel and Julian Morrow at the University of Sydney. Firth, Knight, Reucassel, Morrow, Licciardello, and later Chaser members Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen all went to the University of Sydney. Firth, Knight, Reucassel and Morrow began writing for the University of Sydney student newspaper entitled ''Honi Soit''. In 1999 the four members began The Chaser and their first newspaper project entitled ''The Chaser''. The Chaser members are:

Charles Firth. Firth decided in 1999 that the founding members should produce a newspaper, in an attempt not to "grow up". Firth was the main person who got the project underway and was at the helm of the newspaper until its collapse in 2005. Firth appeared in The Chaser's television and radio productions until 2004. In 2005, Firth moved to the United States so his wife could finish her PhD. Firth, however, became The Chaser's American correspondent for the 2006 series of ''The Chaser's War on Everything'' and wrote a book titled ''American Hoax''. Firth did some final stunts in America for the 2007 series in late 2006 and early 2007, before returning to Australia and going solo. Firth then began his own satirical newspaper ''The Manic Times'' in 2007, which collapsed soon after and now exists online.

Dominic Knight was one of the founding members of the team. He appeared and starred in the 2001 series of ''The Election Chaser'' and the 2005 mini series ''Chaser News Alert''. He also performed in the stage shows. He normally writes and does not perform for The Chaser's television shows.

Julian Morrow. He became the executive producer of the television series after Andrew Denton left the role in 2004.

Craig Reucassel was a founding member of the team.

Chas Licciardello, who had attended Sydney Grammar School with Firth and Knight, started to work on ''The Chaser'' newspaper in 1999, but did not take any credit for his work. However when the newspaper started to go well, he was happy to put his name to his work. Licciardello refers to himself as a writer and not a performer, which is why he does the ‘edgier’ stunts in the television series. He states that he is not very talented and therefore does “lots of dodgy material”.

Chris Taylor had gone to the University of Sydney but never personally knew the four founding members. He moved to Melbourne under a cadetship with the ABC doing journalism. Taylor approached The Chaser, based in Sydney, and asked if they took contributions and The Chaser accepted them. Taylor spent two years emailing his articles to The Chaser, and then quit his job to do a television series based on the 2001 Australian federal election with The Chaser and became a member of The Chaser. Taylor was the anchor with Reucassel in their television productions ''CNNNN'', ''The Chaser Decides'' and ''The Chaser’s War on Everything'' and worked as the script editor for the television shows.

Andrew Hansen worked with some of The Chaser members at the University of Sydney while studying literature and history, performing in their early revues. Hansen started working with the online Chaser website in 2000 writing columns for his ''shITe'' section, which looked at the worst of the internet. After two years, he was considered for a part in the Chaser’s 2002 television series, for the content on ''shITe''. After ''The Election Chaser'' in 2001, The Chaser decided they needed a performer in the team. Hansen then joined in the group in 2002.

The Chaser projects

''The Chaser'' newspaper

The newspaper, first published in 1999, was The Chaser team's first enterprise. ''The Chaser'' only had a limited fan base, with the average sales numbers per issue well under 30,000. When their newspaper was shown as a lead story in all major Australian news broadcasts, not only was the headline widely spread, the concept and the popularity of the newspaper leapt dramatically.

Founding contributors to the newspaper include Gregor Stronach, Johanna Featherstone, Sholto Macpherson, Matt Taylor, David Stewart, and Arion McNicoll. Later contributors include Kara Greiner, Richard Cooke, Shane Cubis, and Tim Brunero. Cartoonists Fiona Katauskas and Andrew Weldon drew for the newspaper from its early days.

''The Chaser'' and its writers had its first major controversy when their 21 February 2003 edition published Prime Minister John Howard’s private home number on its front page with the headline "Howard ignores the people. So call him at home on (02) 9922 6189". The release of the number comes after Howard’s attitude to half a million protesters recently marching for peace. Howard’s number was blocked by the afternoon after receiving many calls in the morning and federal police had been to The Chaser headquarters. The Chaser have stated they received the phone number via an SMS message in 2002.

The Chaser have released five annuals based on ''The Chaser'' newspaper:

''The Chaser Annual 2000: The Little-Read Book''

''The Chaser Annual 2001: Bradman, The Cremated Years''

''The Chaser Annual 2002: The War on Error''

''Embedded with The Chaser: Annual 2003''

''The Chaser Annual 2004: Intelligence Failures''

After six years of publication The Chaser decided that, due to an inability to meet production costs and failing audiences, they would cease publication of the newspaper. The paper, which originally circulated fortnightly, was being released more sporadically and their 91st and final paper was released on 6 February 2005. The Chaser still planned to continue their writing online and to continue to write their annuals.

The Chaser has since released six annuals and a "best of" annual which compiled the best of the five preceding annuals:

''The Chaser Annual 2005: By Dan Brown''

''50 Golden Years of The Chaser - 1955-2005''

''The Chaser Annual 2006: Burqa's Backyard''

''The Chaser Annual 2007: The Other Secret''

''The Chaser Annual 2008: The Little Rudd Book''

''The Chaser Annual 2009: The Email Eunuch''

''The Chaser Annual 2010: Eat Pray Vomit''

Current writers online are Richard Cooke, Shane Cubis, Dominic Knight, Chas Licciardello, Julian Morrow, and Craig Reucassel with additional material provided by Scott Dooley, Lisa Pryor, David Stewart, Gregor Stronach, and Chris Taylor.

The Chaser on television and radio

After two years of their satirical newspaper, which also included various radio roles, The Chaser had attracted the attention of Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) star Andrew Denton. Denton signed them with ABC and stated "They've got the talent, the work ethic, the fearlessness, the desire". Denton then helped the Chaser to perform their first television program ''The Election Chaser'', on ABC TV, which was to be based on the 2001 Australian federal election and in the format of the national tallyroom. Four episodes were broadcast and the show was nominated for the 2002 Logie for "Most Outstanding Comedy Program". Denton acted as executive producer and script editor for ''The Election Chaser'' and would also do so for ''CNNNN''.

The Chaser team have gone on to create other television shows for ABC TV, including the Logie Award winning ''CNNNN'' in 2002-3 and ''The Chaser Decides'' in 2004. ''CNNNN'' was a satire of not only the popular American news networks CNN and Fox News, but also incorporated Australian and world current affairs into the programme. ''The Election Chaser'' inspired a similar programme covering the 2004 election, ''The Chaser Decides''. The coverage, as with all the Chaser productions, was satirical, but a different view on the way the election was covered by the local media.

''The Chaser Decides'' returned again in 2007 to cover the 24 November election. It purported to be broadcasting from Australian Electoral Commission's National Tally Room.

In 2004-5, Taylor and Reucassel hosted the Triple J radio drive programme ''Today Today''. In 2005 the rest of the team produced ''Chaser News Alert'' ''(CNA)'', aired on ABC2. Episodes of this series were only a few minutes long. Between July 2006 and January 2007 Taylor and Reucassel returned to Triple J to host ''Bloody Sunday'', filling the ''This Sporting Life'' time slot while Roy & HG were on leave from the station. Chas Licciardello and Knight also did a brief fill in show on Triple M called ''Chas and Dom from 'The Chaser'''.

Cirque du Chaser

In March 2005, The Chaser members, with the exception of Firth but with CNNNN collaborator Rebecca De Unamuno, wrote and performed a stage production for the Sydney Big Laugh Comedy Festival. ''Cirque du Chaser'', the name a parody of ''Cirque du Soleil'', was performed to eight sell-out audiences which performed stand up comedy, sketches, live music, and video satire. The Chaser then took the show on a national tour which was also sold out. ''Cirque du Chaser'' gave the team confidence to perform in front of a live audience in their new television show, which would be similar to the stage show. The Chaser filmed a pilot for ABC TV in mid 2005 under the working title ''Hey, Hey it’s the Chaser''.

The Chaser's War on Everything

The Chaser team signed a contract with the ABC to produce 27 half-hour episodes for 2006, which would be based on news reviews, studio monologues and confrontations with politicians, celebrities, and business leaders. The project would be performed in front of a live audience compared with their previous news format television productions and was named ''The Chaser's War on Everything''. The first season of ''The Chaser's War on Everything'' premiered on ABC TV on 17 February 2006 at . The series aired late on Friday evenings where it developed a cult following, getting an average national audience of between 591,000 and 821,000 viewers each episode. The last episode of the 2006 season was broadcast on 8 September 2006.

The first thirteen episodes of the first season were released on DVD on 17 August 2006. The release included commentary by The Chaser and the show's crew and included bonus features and unaired scenes. The second DVD for the first season contained the latter thirteen episodes. It was in the same format of the first DVD and was released on 1 November 2006.

''The Chaser's War on Everything'' returned for a second season on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 at 9pm, moving from their Friday night timeslot. It regularly attracted more than a million viewers per episode.

After 20 June episode of season two, the Chaser team suspended the series for ten weeks, so the usual production run time of twenty-six episodes per year did not conclude before the 2007 Australian Federal Election. The second season returned on 5 September 2007.

The Chaser then announced that ''The Chaser's War On Everything'' was on hold during 2008, with a new (ten episode) series in 2009 which began airing on Wednesday, 27 May 2009. In 2008, the team (without Chris Taylor, but plus writer Dominic Knight) toured Australia with a stage show, ''The Chaser's Age of Terror Variety Hour'', produced in conjunction with Laughing Stock.

On 29 July 2009, the final episode of ''The War'' was broadcast.

The Blow Parade

''The Blow Parade'' is a comedy series performed by Andrew Hansen, Chris Taylor, and Craig Schuftan, originally premiering on the radio station Triple J on 28 April 2010. This 5-part series satirises the music industry, music journalism and syndicated golden-oldie radio shows. Each episode, the host Captain Blow (Hansen) guides listeners through the making of a classic album from yesteryear, from bands that don’t actually exist. The series was written by Chris Taylor, with music by Andrew Hansen, and was produced by Craig Schuftan. It was released on CD and through the iTunes Store Australia with bonus tracks.

Yes We Canberra!

The ABC confirmed reports in July 2010 that The Chaser would return with a new series covering the Australian federal election.

The new programme, entitled ''Yes We Canberra!'', was formally announced on 12 July. The ABC said that the series would air weekly during the election campaign, with a further episode after the election. It purports to be an audience warm-up for the ABC's flagship current affairs program ''Lateline'' (which does not actually have a studio audience). After the Election date was announced (21 August), it was revealed that the show will premiere on 28 July. A DVD was released 15 September 2010. The Chaser - Election Collection containing all the election shows was released 2 December 2010.

The Chaser's Royal Wedding Commentary

Originally set to air on 29 April 2011 on ABC2, a Chaser special was to be shown based on the Wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton featuring live commentary from the team members. However the ABC were advised by the BBC and APTN to pull the show from being aired. In response to the decision by the ABC, Julian Morrow from the Chaser said, "For a monarchy to be issuing decrees about how the media should cover them seems quite out of keeping with modern democratic times... but I suppose that's exactly what the monarchy is." APTN is a private enterprise. The BBC is a corporation, independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen by the BBC Trust.

The Hamster Wheel

In August 2011 the ABC confirmed a new 8-episode series called ''The Hamster Wheel'' to air later in the year. The series will "examine the contemporary media landscape, where everyone from journalists to political fixers is perpetually at risk of spinning out of control".

Public reactions

In July 2006, Licciardello faced charges of "offensive conduct" from the New South Wales Police Force, after turning up at a rugby league football match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the St George Illawarra Dragons on 14 July 2006 dressed up as a Bulldogs fan and attempting to sell fake knives, knuckledusters and balaclavas for a ''War on Everything'' sketch.

In April 2007, a 15 year old boy duped YouTube into deleting all clips posted from ''The Chaser's War On Everything'' by claiming to be a representative of the ABC. They were later reinstated.

At the 2007 Logie Awards some of the Chaser team were "manhandled" by Crown Casino security staff on the red carpet before being closely supervised for the rest of the evening.

During Dick Cheney's visit to Australia in 2007, members of The Chaser team were included on the official list of terrorists, anarchists, and protesters deemed to pose a threat to the US Vice-President.

The Chaser team gained notoriety and considerable media attention over "The Eulogy Song", written by Chris Taylor and performed by Andrew Hansen on the 17 October 2007 episode of ''The Chaser's War On Everything''. The song satirised the media's posthumous praise of deceased celebrities, regardless of their behaviour in life, and mentioned among others John Lennon, Peter Brock, Stan Zemanek, Princess Diana, Steve Irwin, Donald Bradman, and Kerry Packer. The song attracted comment from both the media and politicians including Kevin Rudd and John Howard, the latter of whom used reference to the song in remarks during a sketch later aired on the programme.

APEC arrest

Morrow and Licciardello were arrested by NSW Police on 6 September 2007 outside the InterContinental Hotel after driving a fake motorcade through the Sydney central business district and breaching an APEC security zone. The Chaser crew entered a secure area by masquerading as the motorcade of the Canadian delegation to APEC. They were arrested by police after Licciardello emerged from the car dressed as Osama bin Laden, near the hotel where U.S. President George W. Bush was staying. They were subsequently detained, taken to Surry Hills Police Station for questioning and charged with "entering a restricted area without special justification" under the APEC Meeting (Police Powers) Act 2007. Licciardello, Morrow and the nine other production members were released on bail to appear in court on 4 October 2007. If found guilty, they were liable to serve a maximum 6 months imprisonment, or a maximum 2 years imprisonment if they also had possession or control of a prohibited item with no special justification. The Chaser team issued a statement on 6 September that they had been given permission by police officers to enter the restricted area. Under section 37(2)(b) of the legislation a person has special justification to be in an area if "the person is required, authorised or permitted to be in the area by the Commissioner or a police officer". Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned until 5 December 2007 at the request of ABC lawyers. The charges were dropped near the end of April 2008.

The day after the APEC stunt, police questioned Craig Reucassel, Chris Taylor and Dominic Knight and a film crew from the Chaser after they were involved in a second stunt in central Sydney. The three were released by police after being briefly questioned for carrying around black cardboard boxes dressed up as limousines.

The 'Make a Realistic Wish Foundation' skit

On 3 June 2009 episode, Taylor and Hansen were involved in a skit which was set in a terminally ill children's ward of a hospital, which centered around a spokesman (Taylor) portraying himself along with a doctor (Hansen), from the fictional 'Make a Realistic Wish Foundation' (a spoof of the real Make-a-Wish Foundation). The premise of the skit was that if the terminally ill children are only going to live for a few more months before passing away, it is not worth spending money on lavish gifts for them. The one minute long sketch featured Taylor giving one girl a pencil case instead of a trip to Disneyland. Then along the same lines, Hansen gave another girl a stick instead of a meeting with Zac Efron. The skit concluded with Taylor stating "Why go to any trouble, when they're only gonna die anyway". A similar skit had already been performed in sketch titled "A Reasonable Request Foundation" aired on comedy show The Mansion on Foxtel the previous year.

The reaction to the sketch from media commentators was mostly negative. Then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stated that The Chaser team "should hang their heads in shame". He went on to say that "I didn't see that but it's been described to me...I actually don't mind The Chaser taking the mickey out of me or any other politician, at any time and any place....But having a go at kids with a terminal illness is really beyond the pale, absolutely beyond the pale." That morning, the Chaser team along with the ABC managing director, Mark Scott, apologised for airing the skit, with Scott stating that "We have unreservedly apologised for airing that skit,...It's very clear today from the reaction that it's caused considerable offence and distress, particularly to parents of children that are seriously ill....I've spoken to Julian Morrow from The Chaser and my understanding is that certainly wasn't the intention of the script, but that's the consequences of it." The ABC will now change their procedures for reviewing episode content which gets broadcast. Scott continued, "We're going to look at those processes ... I mean we all know that The Chaser push the edges and it's a tightrope that we walk, and I suppose there are many, many skits that they've put to air that have offended someone along the way - that's part of the nature of the satirical and black comedy that they do." The skit has also been cut from any further television airings. The ABC announced on Friday that The Chaser's War on Everything will be suspended for 2 weeks. This was relayed via a message by The Chaser on their website, who stated that whilst they disagree with the decision to suspend the show, they apologise for making the skit, acknowledging that it went too far.

ABC's Managing Director announced on 2009-06-10 that the ABC's Head of Comedy, Amanda Duthie, had been removed from her position after a review of the process which led to the skit being broadcast. He was quoted as saying, "The segment should not have been broadcast. We recognise that it caused unnecessary and unreasonable hurt and offence to our viewers and the broader community and we have apologised for this," adding, "This was an error of judgement." Ms Duthie will continue to be responsible for Arts and Entertainment programs.

In 24 June 2009 episode, the Chaser team acknowledged they had made a mistake by broadcasting the skit. Later on in the show, they recreated the skit, but instead of targeting sick kids, they make fun of Kevin Rudd's anger-management issues.

See also

References

External links

''The Chaser official website''

''The Chaser's War on Everything''

''The Chaser Forum''

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Pranksters Category:Satire Category:Performing groups established in 1999

fr:The Chaser ko:체이서 zh:追趕者

name	Baek Ji-Young
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
born	March 25, 1976
origin	Republic of Korea
genre	K-pop, R&B, dance
occupation	Singer
years active	1999–present
website	}}

{{infobox korean name| hangul	백지영| hanja| rrBaek Ji-yeong| mrPaek Chiyŏng| colorkhaki| }}

Baek Ji-Young (Hangul: 백지영, born March 25, 1976) is a South Korean pop and ballad singer.

Career

Baek began her music career in 1999, splashing onto the Korean dance scene with her first album ''Sorrow''. The first single, "선택" ''(Choice)'', was unusual in that it was one of the first Korean pop songs to feature Latin beats. However, this single proved to be popular and charted very well. She quickly followed this album with a second, ''Rouge'', which came out in April 2000, selling 360,000 copies and cementing her status as one of Korea's most popular female dance artists.

Two years after the release of ''Tres'', Baek released her fourth album ''Smile'' in September 2003. Although not a runaway success, it managed to sell a decent number of copies, placing 46th for the year. However, her real comeback occurred in 2006, when Baek released her fifth album ''Smile Again'' in March. "사랑 안해" ''(I Won't Love)'', her first single from the album, was a ballad, unlike the rest of her Latin-style singles. Although this was a significant change, it proved to be a very popular song, getting to the top spot on certain performance show charts. This change was not a permanent one, as there were many Latin/dance tracks on the album. In fact, the second single has seen Baek going back to her musical roots, as ''Ez Do Dance'' is a sexy Latin number. She performed this single until the end of summer 2006, at which point she finished promotional activities for the album. In November 2006, Baek won an award for "Best Female Solo Singer" from the MKMF Awards and was one of the candidates for the "Overseas Viewer" award as well.

On September 7, 2007, Baek's sixth album, ''The Sixth Miracle'', was released, with the lead single "" ("''I Only Need One Love''"). She won an award for the album at the Seoul Music Awards in January 2008.

Baek underwent vocal cord surgery to remove a cyst some time in February 2008. Although there were fears that her singing voice may change, the fear of losing her voice entirely is what prompted her to go ahead with the operation.

After recuperating from her surgery, Baek returned with her seventh album, ''Sensibility'', released on November 14, 2008. It was reported that she would come back with a dance single to showcase her strengthened voice, but instead came back with "총 맞은 것처럼" ("''Like a Bullet Hit Me''"), a mid-tempo ballad. The single hit #1 on various online music sites and hit #1 on Korean Broadcasting System's music program ''Music Bank''.

On August 9, 2009, Baek signified her comeback by announcing a collaboration with 2PM member Taecyeon for the title track of her mini-album ''EGO'' called "내 귀에 캔디" (''"My Ear Candy"''). Unlike her previous songs, ''My Ear Candy''is a pop-dance track that includes techno beats. They first performed the song on Kim Jung Eun's Chocolate, although the episode did not air until a week later after her official comeback on Music Core.

''EGO'' was released on August 14, 2009. On October 13, 2009, she contributed to the original soundtrack of popular drama ''IRIS'' with a single "잊지 말아요" (''Don't Forget'').

On November 21, 2009, Baek won the Daesang at MNet Asian Music Awards for Best Female Solo Artist.

She collaborated with Mighty Mouth for their comeback single "사랑이 올까요" (''"Will Love Come"''), released on March 12, 2010 along with a music video. This is her second collaboration with the group, where she featured on their mini-album ''"Love Class"'' in the track "Miss U", released on August 6, 2009.

Controversy

In 2000, a sex tape featuring Baek and her manager at the time, Kim Shi Won, leaked out into the internet community.

The video was recorded secretly in the hotel room without Baek's knowledge. and was later used to threaten Baek when she attempted to change her contracted manager at the peak of her career. The former manager, who fled to the U.S., is currently serving time in a Los Angeles jail for charges of sex with a minor, which he recorded on video.

Discography

Studio albums

1999: ''Sorrow'' (Vol. 1)

2000: ''Rouge'' (Vol. 2)

2001: ''Tres'' (Vol. 3)

2003: ''Smile'' (Vol. 4)

2006: ''Smile Again'' (Vol. 5)

2007: ''The Sixth Miracle'' (Vol. 6)

2008: ''Sensibility'' (Vol. 7)

2011: ''Pitta'' (Vol. 8)

Mini albums

2009: ''EGO''

Repackage albums

2000: ''Volume 1 & 2 Repackage''

Special edition albums

2006: ''Thank You I Can Smile Again''

artist	Baek Ji Young
studio	8
studio link	Studio albums
live	2
live link	Best & live albums
compilation	3
comp link	Best & live albums
ep	9
eps link	EPs
soundtrack	2
soundtrack link	OSTs
option color	}}

Best & live albums

2001: ''Live Concert'' (Live album)

2002: ''Best & Live New Release'' (Best & live album)

2003: ''Ultimate Edition'' (Best album)

2010: ''Timeless; The Best'' (Best album)

Digital EPs

2006: "Love is Beautiful"

2006: "Tomorrow" (SBS ''도전성공시대 '내일은 모델퀸''')

2007: "Crush" (with Jade from Sweetbox)

2007: ''No.1 Hitz : The Biggest Hits From Today's Supersta''

2008: "Love is...Lalala" (with Yuri)

2008: "Gypsy Tears"

2009: "Love Is Not A Crime" (SBS ''Princess Ja Myung Go'' OST)

2009: "Don't Forget" (KBS2 ''IRIS OST'')

2010: "That Woman" (SBS ''Secret Garden'' OST)

2011: "Again, I Love You Today" (KBS2 ''The Princess' Man'' OST)

References

Category:1976 births Category:K-pop singers Category:Living people Category:South Korean female singers Category:South Korean pop singers

ko:백지영 it:Baek Ji Young tl:Baek Ji-Young zh:白智英

name	Yong Jun-hyung
background	solo_singer
birth name	Yong Jae-soon
alias	Joker Poppin' Dragon
birth date	December 19, 1989
birth place	Seoul, South Korea
instrument	Vocals, Rap
genre	R&B, pop, hip hop
occupation	Singer, dancer, rapper
marital status	Jang Hyunseung
years active	2009–present
label	Cube Entertainment
associated acts	Beast.
website	}}

Yong Jun-hyung (Korean: 용준형 ; born December 19, 1989), also known as Poppin' Dragon or Joker , is a South Korean pop singer, rapper, songwriter and dancer. He is a member of the Korean boy group Beast.

Biography

Yong was born Yong Jae-soon in Seoul, South Korea on December 19, 1989. His name was changed to Yong Junhyung when he was in the 6th grade. He was a member of the boyband "Xing" which also consisted of Kevin and Kibum (U-Kiss), Yume, Cheon Hyesung, and ZEN. He went by the name Poppin' Dragon while promoting with Xing. Now he is a member of B2ST and is in charge of rap. He is recognised for producing and writing his own raps in Beast's songs, as well as songs he has featured in. On June 28, Cube Entertainment announced that he is in a relationship with Kara's Goo Hara.

Career

Beast

Beast (비스트, stylized as BEAST or B2ST) is a boy band from South Korea that consists of six members, under Cube Entertainment. Originally known as B2ST, an acronym for Boys 2 Search the Top. However, their name was changed to BEAST (Boys of East Standing Tall). They released their first mini-album Beast Is The B2ST on October 14, 2009, and made their first live performance on KBS's Music Bank 2 days later.

The group has released a total of 5 mini-albums, Beast is the B2ST, Shock of the New Era, Mastermind, Lights Go On Again, My Story, as well as a full-length album, Fiction and Fact.

Solo activities

Noted by his unique hairstyles and exceptional talent in rapmaking, Yong was featured in Lee Gi Kwang's music video "눈물을 닦고" ("Wiping the Tears") as a rapper with Doo Joon. Along with fellow BEAST member Yo Seob, MC and comedian Lee Hyukjae, Moon Hee Jun (formerly of H.O.T.) and Kim Sook, they welcomed Japanese tourists for "Visit Seoul 2010" campaign, where Korean celebrities and Japanese tourists explored Seoul in MBC's ''Star Guide Doshiraku'' to raise awareness of Seoul's famous areas as well as its delicious cuisine.

Yong also featured in Hyuna's solo debut single "Change Yong along with 4minute were also featured in "Heard 'Em All" for Amerie's Asian version of the album In Love & War. He also starred in MBC ''High Kick Through the Roof'' as a cameo in one of its episodes. He was also involved in the rap making and featuring for 4minute’s album "Hit Your Heart" where his composing skills were dutifully noted.

Yong was featured rapping for G.NA’s album title song ‘I’ll Back Off So You Can Live Better’ music video, his appearance giving an opposite vibe from Doo Joon's. Currently, Yong is featured for FADDY ROBOT FOUNDATION together with 4minute`s Hyuna, Outsider, Verbal Jint, Mighty Mouth’s Ssangchu, Vasco and Jico; all profit from this album has been promised to be given out to charity. In order to encourage the public participation in commemorating Seoul Summit Asia Bridge Contents (Representative Choi Jin) had announced that the G20 summit held in Seoul have created campaign song ‘Let’s Go’ composed by Shinsadong Tiger, Lim Sanghyuk, Eddie, and BEAST's Yong Junhyung. Junhyung will also be rapping for the song.

In November 23, 2010, Young Jee released a single named "Crazy, that's what love is" featuring Junhyung in rap making and the rapping. On January 19, 2011, Navi released a single named "Go Again" featuring Junhyung rapping. On 14 March 2011 Wheesung released Heart Aching Story song, featuring Yong Junhyung.

Yong also appeared in M&D's music video for "Close Your Mouth" with FT Island's Hongki & Jonghun, Supreme Team's Simon D and Miss A's Jia which is released on June 22, 2011.

He was also featured rapping for Hyuna's album ''Bubble Pop!'' in the song ‘A Bitter Day’.

Composing talent

Junhyung's talent of composing finally revealed when the song he personally wrote and arranged, ‘Freeze’ being included in B2ST's 1st full-length album, "Fiction and Fact". He also personally involved in making the lyrics for the songs in the album along side other composers. He was the co-composer for Jang Woo Hyuk's ‘Day That Time Stopped’ along with Shinsadong Tiger. The nickname Junhyung uses when he works as a composer is 'Joker'.

Discography

References

External links

BEAST Official website JunHyung Twitter

Category:Beast (South Korean band) members Category:1989 births Category:K-pop singers Category:Korean-language singers Category:Living people Category:South Korean male singers Category:South Korean pop singers Category:South Korean dance musicians Category:South Korean idols Category:South Korean rappers Category:South Korean hip hop musicians Category:Beatboxers

ko:용준형