almostwitty: From the American Museum of Natural History, between 1901-1904.  https://nextshark.com/19th-century-photo-eating-rice (Default)
almostwitty ([personal profile] almostwitty) wrote2010-01-26 01:55 pm

Drop The Dead Donkey is alive and well…

Remember Drop The Dead Donkey, the seminal UK sitcom set in a news-gathering organisation? And in particular, unscrupulous cameraman Damian Day, who would go so far as to punch a child in a war zone to get the crying shot he needed?

Look at this Associated Press photograph from the site of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in Beirut

Mirrored from almost witty.

[identity profile] actionreplay.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 01:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Must've gone over my head.... what was it?

[identity profile] actionreplay.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 01:22 pm (UTC)(link)
oh the doll? Yeah. Photographer's dream shot, that.

[identity profile] amante-donne.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Because they know that the death or harm of children is a "puller" in terms of news, which is why in most disasters these days they have headlines like X children dead as if the adults don't matter. Media thrive on despair, it sells their product and people love reading it (unless it is happening to them).

[identity profile] twisted-times.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)

Nothing sells newspapers like a good (terrible) disaster.

[identity profile] amante-donne.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 02:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Indeed... And i work in one (well till mid feb)

[identity profile] twisted-times.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)

Out of curiosity, how close is the reality to Press Gang (if you remember it), or Drop The Dead Donkey? ;p

[identity profile] amante-donne.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 09:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Ive not seen either program so im not sure, i work in IT anyway so probably wouldnt see that side of it.

[identity profile] travelsintown.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 02:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh I used to love Drop the Dead Donkey and hell yes, looks like Damian had a hand in that shot!

[identity profile] alryssa.livejournal.com 2010-01-26 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Man, I remember that VERY vaguely. I do recall it being very entertaining.