The Australian | 9 Aug 2001
By Andrew Dodd
Naked ambition: Buff and bluster
JULES Carter made a name for himself last week as the bold Herald Sun sub-editor who ventured across to the Sheraton Towers Hotel to knock on the door of the room where two women were parading naked in full view of the entire newspaper's staff. Next minute the women were posing in the buff next to a beaming Carter as his colleagues looked on in disbelief from the neighbouring building. The paper's photographers snapped copious photos of the encounter – some of which are still circulating on the paper's photo system.
Meanwhile several reporters made phone contact with the pair and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting away, as you do, to a couple of naked women in the next building. Apparently the hotel asked the women to re-robe after a complaint from the Herald Sun's security chief. Nevertheless Diary is told that the paper was slow coming out that day as the women were posing in their bathrobes by the window for most of the afternoon.
Dr Spin: The short and long of it
It's not uncommon in the award-crazy advertising industry for the list of gripes about an award ceremony to be longer than the list of entries. But this year's Australian Writers and Art Directors (AWARD) club awards – the ad industry's equivalent of the Logies – sees a particularly small list of entrants and even more whingers than usual.
Just 187 ads have been shortlisted this year compared with 201 last year and more than 400 in 1996. The organisers attribute this to a tough new judging system. Meanwhile, creatives are still moaning about Sydney-centric judging, the lack of Asian judges, and that ads awarded elsewhere have been left out.
Glossy goss: Science sayonara
NEVER mind falling apples, it seems a falling axe has dealt a mortal blow to glossy science magazine Newton. Publisher Australian Geographic is pulling the plug on the bi-monthly mag at the end of the year, after issue 8 hits the newsstands (issue 6 is now on sale).
Managing director Ken Rosebery says circulation's the problem – it's static at 30,000. The licensing agreement by which Newton sources its graphics from Japan has also caused difficulties.
So does this mean Australia can't support a popular science magazine? Not necessarily so, says Newton managing editor Wilson da Silva, who points out the mag was launched into a flat post-GST market. He maintains if 30,000 people are willing to fork out $12.95 for Newton, many more will buy a cheaper mag.
Paper wars: Ahead of her time
CONGRATULATIONS to Joya Jenson for her moving obituary of entertainer Barbara James in last Thursday's Sydney Morning Herald. The piece gave a detailed account of the musician and singer's life on and off the stage. There was only one problem, as the paper conceded the next day: "The 94-year-old entertainer is alive. We deeply regret the mistake."
Difference a day makes
THE Sunday Times in Perth had the reverse problem this week – the day before Australia's most wanted man, Christopher Skase, died in Majorca, the paper ran a story with the headline "Skase isn't dying". The story quoted Skase's trustee, Max Donnelly of Ferrier Hodgson, saying: "I don't consider he's sick ... He's cried wolf too many times."
Begging your pardon
MORE on corrections, this from The Canberra Times of August 3. "Most One Nation supporters are 'average Australians', not 'average astray aliens', as the editorial on Tuesday quoted the Prime Minister. The error began with voice-recognition technology, and was missed by the author and sub-editors."