My father was a print news man.
To him, a broadsheet under one arm was the mark of the refined gentleman.
Yeah.
To me, it was like a wall that he put up every morning at breakfast.
Oh. Mm.
See, TV news is not like that… not anymore.
Television… is for the whole family.
Mm.
So I'd like to propose a toast.
To the News at Six family.
- To us. - Cheers to you all.
- News at Six family. - News at Six.
Which brings me to the main event.
- Marta, if you wouldn't mind. - Here we go.
- Drum roll, please, Robbo. - Ah.
Well done, son.
Hey! Yeah, there you go!
It's another promo.
- Nice. - Yeah. Our biggest yet.
Especially for the '88 Bicentennial.
Yes. 1988.
Hup, the year Australia is gonna chuck itself
- a year-long birthday party. How good. - Mmm.
We are going to be central to Bicentennial coverage.
Actually, we're going to be the Bicentennial.
That's right, we are. We are going to be the Bicentenni…
That's completely right. Dale, you'll be covering pageantry.
Ah, mate, if it floats, flies or flounces, it's for you.
You'll be all over it like a rash, mate.
And, er, Helen, you'll be covering
Prince Charles and Princess Diana, of course.
- Oh, come on. - Oh, come on yourself.
It's a major international event and they're major international celeb…
Speaking of international celebrities,
we welcome the newest member to the News at Six team.
Gerry.
Now, you will be in charge of the international perspective.
You will be doing a shitload
of satellite interviews all over the world.
Some of the guests we've got lined up for you, Gerry,
they are top shelf.
We've got Jackie Collins, Joan Collins, Barbara Cartland,
- Mel Gibson - our Mel… - Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Zsa… Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Cliff Richard and Danny La Rue.
And it's gonna be called…
- Celebrity Smorgasbord. - Smorgasbord.
Good.
Bloody good, though, right?
Is this gonna be the whole year
or just the days leading up to the event?
- All year long. - It's gonna start in December.
Of course… December. Hence the promo.
What we want is, when viewers flip over to us,
we want it to feel like coming home.
- Yeah. - Mm.
What about the Aboriginal perspective?
Uh, well, er…
I did check and, er,
Ernie Dingo is taken.
So…
Well, we have the Irish comedian perspective,
but we can't have a single Aboriginal person?
Oh, come on!
Helen, honestly, look,
Ernie Dingos, they don't grow on trees.
Come on, come on, don't worry about them, alright?
We don't need them.
We've got the team here to cover all the bases.
Come on, Helen. Hm!
Got the newsman. The sportsman. The comedian.
And the woman.
A perfect cross-section of Australia.
- Yes. - The faces of a nation, right?
Actually, that's bloody beautiful.
Might wanna write that down.
- Yep. - Oh, I don't think anyone
at this table's gonna forget that one, Charlie.
- "A" or "the"? - "A". "Of a".
"Of a". "Of a". Yep.
That's good.
I am not gonna go trawling up and down the east coast
- looking at fucking dresses. - Oh, yes, you are.
And you'll do it with your lovely Helen Norville smile.
'Cause if you don't, Little Chuck's gonna turf you out.
- Me or you? - Excuse me, sir.
- I've got a drink. - A telephone call for you.
- What do you want? - It's the newsroom.
Oh.
I've got some deeply distressing news.
Charlie Tate has a double jacuzzi in his ensuite.
What?
Yeah. And a two meter-wide chandelier down that hallway.
Well, he does get a lot of things imported.
Erm…
I've got a little source in Charlie's office.
Last week I took a look at some audience testing.
And you're getting very promising audience scores.
- Do you have a copy? - No.
But I can say you're almost at 30, on par with Helen,
which is astonishing after only a year.
You're cited as… "trustworthy" and "consistent".
Were there negatives?
Oh, yeah, but everyone gets negatives.
What are they?
"Robotic" and "stiff".
Right, there's been a shooting. There's gunmen in Clifton Hill.
- What? - Clifton Hill?
Dennis said first shots reported 15 minutes ago.
- They're firing into traffic. - Are we breaking programming?
There's very little information and no footage.
- So you're going in blind. - Avoid Punt and Hoddle.
They'll have closed those roads off.
I'll update you.
Come on, Noels. Pick up. Pick up.
Thank you so much.
Pick up.
G'day, you've reached Rob…
Shit!
- Thank… Thank you, Charlie. - No worries, mate.
Dennis!
- Who have we got at the scene? - Brian and Ross.
How many shooters are there?
The cops reckon at least two.
What, they don't actually know?
Could be a gang, from the scale of it.
They reckon Hoddle Street's a war zone.
- When will we get footage? - I don't know.
Even without footage, we have enough for a three-minute break.
More if we cover recent shootings.
Yeah, people want the information.
Listen to the phones. We can be on the desk in ten.
…from Clifton hill,
where reports of shootings have emerged.
Several civilians have reportedly been hit,
with the total number of casualties unknown.
As ambulances await the scene…
No, sorry, mate, this road's closed.
Fuck!
Shots fired, shots fired.
Back into your car. Sir, get back into your car.
We need backup.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Sorry, mate, sorry! - You right there?
- Sorry. - Get out of here.
Noels?
Noelene?
Oh…
Fuck me.
So, how many casualties are there?
None confirmed yet, but reports say there's a few.
- Is the gunman still at large? - Yes, and still armed.
One just fired at a police helicopter.
Ten seconds!
And six, five,
four…
Good evening. I'm Helen Norville.
And I'm Dale Jennings.
We interrupt our programming with breaking news
from the heart of Melbourne,
as terror unfolds on a Clifton Hill street.
…sustained gunfire on Hoddle Street.
Eyewitness accounts describe the armed gunman
firing indiscriminately into passing traffic.
There are reports of multiple casualties
but no confirmed death toll at this stage.
It's also unclear as yet how many perpetrators…
Noels, have you contacted
- St Vincent's Hospital yet? - Not yet, but I will…
- Hurry up. - Okay.
…and motorists to avoid the area entirely.
As we go to air our understanding
is that the shooter or shooters have fled the scene
but are still at large…
Hello, this is Noelene.
I'm calling from News at Six.
The timing of police radio reports
suggest Hoddle Street endured heavy gunfire
for approximately 45 minutes.
Dale.
Dale, Dale. Murray's in. They've got the footage.
We're just about to go through the tapes.
Okay.
Okay. So this'll be what time?
When we first got there.
Just before you could hear the helicopters.
Was quarter to ten when the initial gunfire died down.
That's when I left to head here.
Wait, I thought you lived out in Burwood.
I was… visiting a friend.
Okay, so now we're moving up the scene.
Shooters had already split,
but we got the smashed-up cars, the ambos.
You the only crew out there?
- Yeah, for ages. - Yeah, right. Bloody heroes, eh?
- First on the scene. - Is that a dead body?
Yeah. They just left him there.
- Am I cutting around that or? - No, we should keep it, right?
- What? - It's in every second shot.
'Cause no-one fucking moved him for hours.
Yeah, Jean, is Lindsay… Yeah, thanks.
We're not showing dead bodies.
We've shown dead bodies before.
Beirut footage was worse. Vietnam, definitely.
- On a Melbourne street? - So it's okay to show
overseas bodies but not local ones?
We could just stay on the wide shot.
Hurry up. You got?
- Shot of a body. - Ooh.
If we're gonna make the hour, we gotta hurry up.
- Lindsay, what do you reckon? - Um…
We're the only network with these images?
Mm-hm.
Run the bloody things, then, with a big graphic -
"first on the scene".
I can't cut a story in 15 minutes.
No, you just use the raw footage and we'll talk over it.
Come on, let's go, man.
- Fifteen minutes. Hurry up. - Alright.
Well, you want to do this together?
I don't think rolling raw footage
just hours after the event is a good idea.
Oh, Christ almighty.
They've released the identity of the shooter.
- It's just the one? - Yeah.
- He's alive and in custody. - Oh, my god, he's just a kid.
Discharged from the army about a fortnight ago.
Also the official death toll just hit six.
Alright, no, we both haven't slept, we're exhausted -
I think we should wait until the footage has been cut.
I'm going on now. You can do the edited version later.
And in six, five, four…
Good morning. I'm Helen Norville.
Police have now arrested a 19-year-old former military cadet
in the wake of last night's shooting spree,
which has left six confirmed dead
and another 18 people wounded.
News at Six was the first on the scene
and we can now reveal exclusive footage of the aftermath.
We're now seeing Hoddle Street in the wake of the massacre.
They're airing the footage already.
They're the only ones airing footage.
…bullet-ridden vehicles, shattered glass.
Shocking reminders of a night of terror,
where motorists going about their lives were caught…
The kids wouldn't have left for school yet.
You know them -
if it bleeds, it leads.
None of the victims have yet been named,
but we do understand a formal identification process
is currently underway.
Oh.
And we're out!
It may be better to call the police or to…
- Good night, Jean. - We do understand…
- I might need you to take this. - What do you mean?
I'm sorry. Would you mind holding for one moment?
I promise I'll be right back.
A family's called in. They're very distressed.
Well, just say we appreciate the call and we apologize.
They were watching the news and they think they spotted
their father's sedan in the footage.
Oh, not our footage?
They saw their father dead on television.
Oh, for…!
- Jen, stop. - What's going on?
- Anyway I should make tracks. - Here, take some…
Oh, no, I can't, Mrs. Kim - I'm driving.
But, uh… gamsahamnida.
Noels, can I have a quick word?
Mm.
'Night.
Are they still looking?
They're driving me around the bend.
Oh, they just want you safe.
Yeah, and I am. I am safe.
Yeah, I know. I know.
Hey, listen, um,
Dennis asked me today if we're a couple.
- When? - Hey? Oh, this arvo.
He just pulled me aside and said,
"Are you and Noelene an item?"
What did you say?
I said there was nothing going on.
Yeah, and what did he say after that?
I don't know, Noels. He didn't ask about it again.
He had a million things happening, but…
If you don't see us having a future together, just tell me.
- What? - You never want to tell anyone.
You know what's at stake for me if we tell the office.
You didn't think your parents would be alright with it.
- They came around. - They accept it.
But they haven't told our community
or my family back in Korea.
Oh, brilliant. So they think I'm bad for you too.
No! I…
No.
I'm just being cautious.
Because I care about us and I want to protect us.
Yeah, so do I.
I… Look, maybe I'm just…
It's catching up with me, lack of sleep or something,
but I should go.
Uh, afraid this is all we've got for tonight.
- It's great. Thanks. - Yeah.
Mate, uh, I know you probably get this a lot, but, uh…
- You were a brilliant player. - Yeah.
Reckon the Saints could do with a few more guys like you.
Oh, thank you.
It's, uh… yeah.
Anyway, um, listen, what do I owe you?
- Oh, 20 bucks. - Twenty bucks?
Twenty for the night, five extra for guests.
- But for you, I'll waive it. - What? Oh, no, it's just me.
It's alright, mate. We've very discreet.
Okay.
Fuck.
Okay, great. Good, good, good.
What do we have on the background of the shooter?
I've found an old schoolmate.
She's nervous to speak, but I think I can get her there.
Do it. Keep finding others.
I want to know everything about this guy.
Childhood trauma, drugs, trouble getting laid.
Anything that made him a bloody psycho.
I think we should interview Stephen Bramhall.
- Who? - Gun lobbyist?
- Yeah. - We interviewed him
when they caught the Kimberley Killer. Gun rights.
Yeah. Nearly every letter to the editor this morning
is about tightening gun control.
I think there's about to be a big shift with gun legislation.
- In Victoria? - No, nationwide.
- Good luck with that! - This gun lobbyist is pro guns?
Yeah, he's pro shooter.
I don't think we should put a shooter on the desk right now.
Now is exactly the time we should be doing that.
It's making somebody answerable.
- Dennis! - In here.
Okay, Helen, look, we'll just send a crew out.
No, I think we should do it on the desk, live.
Right, we, uh,
we are softening our approach to Hoddle Street.
- What? - Last night a family rang in.
They recognized the body of their father in our footage.
They, uh… learnt about his death by watching us.
That angle was so wide,
there's no way they'd be able to identify him.
Shush up, Helen. Shush up. They recognized the car.
I think we should apologize on the desk.
No, no.
Christ, no, no, no. We're dealing with this privately.
I don't want this going public.
And no-one in this room wants this going public.
Jean is dealing with them directly.
Maybe I should call the family and…
Oh, Christ. Helen, take a breath. Honestly!
Haven't you done enough already?
You are the last person
that should contact that poor bloody family.
You were the one that signed off on that footage.
I remember someone that looks a lot like you
running around the newsroom, pointing to the phone,
saying, "People want information!"
Well, they've been giving us information, Helen.
Complaints. Hundreds of them. About our coverage.
"Too confronting." But mostly they're complaints about you.
"Too uncaring."Too abrasive."
"Too cold." You!
Okay, gun lobbyist's off the table, then.
Tell me that's a joke, or else I'm strangling someone!
It was an interview.
It wasn't gonna be traumatic or confronting.
- Jesus, Helen! - We have to talk about gun laws.
It's one thing to cover gun laws,
it's another thing to put a gun nut on the desk.
Dale, thank you. He is gone. Alright?
We are going to take a gentler approach to this story.
A softer approach. We're going to do bios of the victims.
We're doing hero stories on the first people on the scene.
Mm. Orders from Little Charlie?
Well, Helen, that's the way it's going to be tonight.
You didn't have to cut me down like that.
We should never have shown that footage.
I agree. Okay? The footage was a mistake.
But the police really should have told the family by then.
They will never get that image out of their heads.
Dale, I have been doing this much longer than you.
Now, we can back away from confronting footage,
but we cannot back away from gun laws.
The whole country is on the brink of a colossal change,
and it is our job to report it.
And you really think the best way to do that
is by putting a gun lobbyist on the desk tonight?
I do.
I'll talk to Lindsay.
Great.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate this, Cheryl.
This event is so ill-timed.
Mm. No, it's good to have a distraction.
Can't listen to it anymore.
The details are just ghastly, aren't they?
Yeah, I had nightmares about it.
Hey!
In here, darling.
Promised she'd be here by ten.
Anyway, let's not talk about it anymore.
- Talk about what? - Hey.
Oh, the madness on the streets.
What?
The shooting spree in Clifton Hill.
Is this the first you've heard of it?
Your father dedicated his entire program to it.
I got rid of my telly.
What?
It's all Scott and I ever did.
We just sat there every night getting square eyes.
Was there… I mean, how many people?
Uh… at least six dead
and dozens wounded.
Jesus.
I must say, I was shocked at your coverage.
Airing a dead body on morning news?
I know.
Oh, and you want to know the worst thing?
That man's family, they saw it and they rang in.
What?
Yeah, that's how they found out he was dead.
- That's awful. - Oh, goodness!
Oh.
Uh, look, why don't you get started on Kay?
- Mm-hm. - What can I get you to drink?
Yeah, uh, I'll have a white with three, please.
I'll just have a vodka, please.
Do you have to watch it?
I mean, can't you just stay in the make-up room?
Uh, well, Helen does most of it, so I gotta be there for touch-ups.
Shit.
Yeah, I try and look away,
but she describes it all.
I don't know how she does it. It's like it doesn't affect her.
Mm. I'd be a mess if I had to talk about it all.
Yeah.
Sorry.
I know you're busy, but can I run something by you?
Sure.
It's a personal question.
Um…
Um, I know that you and Dale are…
So I thought you might be a good person to…
Rob and I are together.
Yep.
Um… hm…
We've tried to keep it quiet.
But now Dennis suspects.
And Rob wants to say something.
But I'm worried it will change things in the office,
how I'm seen.
Well, it will.
So I guess you just have to ask yourself, is he really worth it?
He is.
Okay. Well, just be prepared for a lot of gossip,
a lot of innuendo.
And they'll look at you like you're Rob's little girlfriend.
I'd recommend investing in a suit
and stop dressing like a schoolgirl.
You're a producer now, Noelene.
Be assertive and stand your ground.
Anything else?
- No. - Okay.
- Thank you, Helen. - Mm.
A fellow Duntroon cadet described him
as an immature boy obsessed with fantasy…
Christ, I'd better not regret this, Dale.
…required of a soldier.
A toxic combination that erupted into violence.
As the initial shock of Hoddle Street subsides,
the community now turns its gaze to gun legislation.
Joining us tonight is Stephen Bramhall,
chair of the Australasian Firearm Alliance.
- Stephen, welcome. - Thank you for having me.
Stephen, could you talk us through the firearms used
in the shooting on Sunday night?
Well, the thing you have to understand about those guns is
it's not unusual to have a spread of firearms like that.
The Mossberg pump-action shotgun
and the Ruger semiautomatic rifle,
farmers might typically use them to control vermin.
Dale, you're Bendigo stock - you'd know that.
- And the third weapon? - That was another rifle.
A Norinco M14.
And the Norinco is military grade - correct?
Yes.
I assume he was qualified from his time in the Army Reserve.
And all three weapons were owned legally.
Well, the facts about the gunman
paints a portrait of a rather angry and volatile young man.
How was he able to gain a gun licence in the first place?
Well, Helen, psychological unfitness
is hard to catch.
This is a man who scored 100% on the test for his licence
and who passed the psych evaluation
for Australia's finest military academy.
I mean, it does cause grave concern
about Duntroon's screening process, don't you think?
You'd have to ask them.
- Oh, he's a slippery bastard. - He's good.
…calls to toughen firearm legislation.
Stephen, what restrictions would you welcome?
Mm. No, none of them.
Ah.
We've already tightened gun laws, and this still happened.
Restrictions just allow the state to better control its citizens.
Mm. So you believe that civilians should be able
to just walk around with military-grade weapons?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Easy, Helen. Jesus.
…responsible gun owners aren't to blame for this.
That looney was.
And I think you in media also bear a lot of responsibility…
Go to Sport now.
Now!
Violence on television…
Yeah?
Cheryl, get Rob onto the desk now.
Now!
Uh, they want you on the desk.
- What, already? - Yeah, yeah, right now.
- What? - Run.
Here ya.
It's a common response for gun lobbyists
to blame everyone and everything,
except the readily available firearms…
Sick minds do this kind of thing for one reason alone. Attention.
Attention that you give them.
When this happened, you lot couldn't have been more excited.
- That is no accurate at all. - You put his name in lights.
Oh, what a shitshow.
This happened because a civilian
was able to walk into a shop on High Street and walk out
with a military-grade weapon made for war zones.
Now, if you condone that, are you not essentially
condoning all the deaths on Hoddle Street?
Do you know what your network was broadcasting on Sunday,
when all those people died?
A crime thriller,
with a body count, I'm told, in the double digits.
You said yourself this boy's head was full of fantasies of war.
Where do you think they came from?
That's all we have time for. Thank you, Stephen,
for a very spirited debate.
Right now we're joined by Rob Rickards
- and all the latest in sport… - Jesus!
Dennis, why did you agree to this?
Why?
Australia's highest test run scorer, Greg Chappell,
has won a place on the tuntry's cock…
Rather, the country's top cricket admi…
Let's try that again, shall we? He's won a place on…
Get it out, ya cloth-eared bastard! Get it out!
Ah, sorry.
The former test captain is already a national selector.
Chappell retired…
This is a fuckin' debacle! A fucking debacle!
…and he's admitted…
I want to see that rabble in my office as soon as this bulletin is over.
Get 'em in!
Brett Mckenna has more.
And we're out!
…surrounding Chappell's ability to sit on the ACB is
whether he's had enough experience as an administrator.
Suggestions he needed to serve an apprenticeship
are rubbish in his eyes…
How's that focus now? Did you get it fixed?
Okay, so,
Geoff, we got the latest version of the script is on autocue.
Sorry, Paul.
- I have amended it again. - Uh…
I think I've added 40 seconds or so.
I'll make the additions as I go.
- Okay. - 30 seconds!
Don't worry, I won't mention the News at Six.
At least, not by name.
Yeah. Okay.
Good evening. I'm Geoff Walters.
- Welcome to The Walters Report. - Dale.
I wasn't gonna let him continue to spout absolute bullshit.
We agreed to maintain a calm tone.
- I wasn't the one losing it. - Helen.
Geoff's show just started. I think something's happening.
…has brought out some of the finest qualities of Melbourne.
Unfortunately… it has also brought out some of the worst.
I'm talking about the actions of one television network, in particular.
What should be a vital community service
provided by the media
has clearly become a race to the bottom.
And the approach taken by the network in question
represents a troubling new low.
Yesterday morning, mere hours after the tragedy,
the network rushed to air,
crowing that they had been "first on the scene".
But in their haste,
they aired footage of a deceased victim
before the police had a chance to inform his family.
A loving family learned of the senseless murder
of their husband and father
via a TV news program.
I won't further insult this family by naming them
or parading them in front of cameras.
But I do want to offer my condolences
and my sincerest apologies
on behalf of all respectable media.
And I want to assure our viewers
you will not see any graphic, damaging images here.
That's 'cause you don't bloody have any.
I believe journalists should conduct themselves
with unwavering integrity at all times,
but particularly in the face of a tragedy like this.
Charles Tate on the line for you.
When the pursuit of a story
becomes a desperate scramble for ratings,
we lose sight of humanity.
That network and the newsreader in question
was out of line and out of control.
Hello, Charlie, how are you?
She has clearly lost touch with the values of our community.
You know, technically, it might be,
but other people did cover the story.
You assured me you go through every single story
with a fine-tooth comb.
So I'm just a bit confused
how your comb didn't catch this giant fucking knot.
Well… well, that, um, that inci… that…
You know, that-that-that incident occurred
during an update.
Uh, and that is…
That's Dennis Tibbs' responsibility, I'm sorry to say.
Yeah, and while we're here on this subject, you know,
apparently the other day Helen was, um…
…says it was only due to quick maneuvers by the police
that his team could reach the wounded.
They drove into what they thought
was the line of fire at the time to protect…
Dale, Helen, an ear, please.
Charlie Tate wants you off the desk.
For how long?
Well, for as long as it takes
for the Hoddle Street story to die down.
She's off.
This is only gonna fuel the critics.
Oh, Dale, listen, son.
You're doing alright with Charlie Tate. She's not.
And between us,
Helen is very lucky this is not a permanent decision.
Um, are you okay?
Yeah. Yep. Uh, just…
I hadn't… I got chucked out there,
I just couldn't get my head around the script.
Um, could we go over a couple of things for tomorrow?
Now?
I'm just pretty buggered. Could we do it in the morning?
"Tuntry's cock".
Good work, Rob.
May I come in for a minute?
Drink?
Uh, no, I'm fine, thank you.
No, I meant… do I need one?
So,
you want me off the desk?
For now, yes.
It's a mistake.
We shouldn't have shown that footage. I accept that.
But we all signed off on it.
- Oh, you all signed off on it? - Yes.
And when things like this happen,
you have to hold your nerve, you have to keep moving forward.
Something about this story, Helen.
I don't know what it is. Your instincts are just off.
How?
I don't know, it's just your whole approach.
I mean, it's just grueling.
It's aggressive. It's…
- A fucking massacre. - Yeah.
What, you want me to soft-pedal this?
No. It's just that I've seen you cover tragedies in the past.
Right? When you were beside Geoff.
Geoff was the stoic, you were his counterweight.
You let the news affect you.
It was as if you were channeling our emotions for us.
I mean, I've seen you cry on the bloody TV before.
So, 'cause I'm a woman, that's how I'm supposed to respond?
Yes.
Okay.
Then I'll recalibrate.
But I can't do that sitting at home. I need to be on the desk.
Okay.
If you think you can right the ship,
I will call Lindsay.
But I will be switching on tomorrow night
and I need to see that change.
Understood?
Rob?
I know it's silly.
I'm just not keen to drive through the city just yet.
It's all clear, Mum. They had the road open in hours.
No, I know, I know.
I'm… a bit nervy still
in the car, thinking about it.
It's getting a bit much. Some of the stories…
Um, I gotta go, Mum. I'll call you back.
- Alright, love. Bye. - Bye.
You okay?
Yeah.
The police have released three more names of the victims,
so we can move away from the specifics
of the night and the killer.
Noelene's already working on a way to contact the families.
Dale, I'm not gonna go in today.
What? I thought you said Charlie had backtracked.
Yeah, he did.
But I still think that my judgement's just kind of,
just kind of off with this.
- I don't think so. - Dale, you said it too.
Yeah, I… I thought that we focused initially
too much on the horror of the night and the killer.
But now we have the names of the victims,
we can focus on their stories.
And I've seen you interviewing grieving people, Helen.
Dale, I'm not gonna go and talk to the victims' families.
I'm like the last person that they'd want to see.
Okay.
Helen.
I'll call you at lunch.
Um,
er, that detail that I told you yesterday.
About the family that saw their father on the news.
Yes. Tragic.
Oh, you didn't pass that on, did you?
- Sorry? - Last night?
Mr. Walters, he…
On his show, he did, um, like a bit about…
Like a speech. Like… it was quite a long speech…
Cheryl, I would never
exploit a family's tragedy like that.
Oh, I know. Of course not. Um…
I'm shocked that you would even…
No, I'm not saying that…
Well, what are you saying?
Um…
Uh… Sorry, I don't know. Um…
Well, from what I can gather,
that poor family
couldn't get answers out of the police or the News at Six.
So, er, they were trying all the networks,
including Geoff's.
That's how he became aware of the tragedy
and why he felt compelled to speak.
Oh.
Um…
I must be just…
Sorry, I must just still be a bit rattled or…
Can we just…
Hey, oh, I had a really good idea,
um, for a hairstyle for the, uh, Variety Club Luncheon.
Mm.
Oh, well… we'll see.
Where were you?
When?
Last night.
I went straight to your place after I finished work.
You weren't there.
Where were you?
Oh, I was probably…
I don't know, what time was it? Uh, er…
Maybe probably asleep.
It was 9:30.
The house was totally empty. Your car wasn't there.
Where were you?
Ah.
Um…
This is not what it sounds like. I've been staying at a motel.
Not like that.
Not like that. I…
Actually, I just needed to…
Oh, this is so stupid.
- What? - You're fine.
I'm fine. I just…
At home…
I still can't sleep.
It's the slightest sound and it's like it's still Sunday night.
And me not knowing where you are, it…
Hearing those shots…
Just… I'm fuckin' such an idiot.
- No, you're not. - I am.
I was on the other side of the city.
You're fine.
Everything that people went through that night
and, uh,
here I am, still can't sleep in my own bed.
It's okay.
On this week's show, we have
"when did you pop the question?"
Oh, my Lord.
Didn't think it was possible,
but you look even worse than yesterday.
Have you heard?
About the bereaved family,
Geoff's diatribe, or Helen being stood down?
I knew that story wouldn't play well.
I knew the minute I saw it. But I let her just go with it.
Because Helen thinks I'm preoccupied with the viewers
or what'll be popular and she's the serious journalist.
Dale, what you're describing are good audience instincts.
You've got them.
Frankly, yours might be better than Helen's these days.
"When I popped the question, I was in a field…"
- Hello. - Hi.
So get in the shower, get camera ready,
I'm coming over with a crew.
No.
I need you to trust me. I've got an idea.
I'll be there in 20 minutes. Okay? Bye.
We've done the victims, the killer, cops, politician.
But no-one has looked at the impact
this has had on ordinary people.
- You're pitching me vox pops? - I'm pitching a portrait
of a grieving city trying to piece itself back together.
That's vox pops.
Alright.
Fucking vox pops.
My kids know that street.
It's how we get into the city.
And everyone's talking about it at their school.
So, how do you explain it to them?
Um, I just told them, "Something really terrible happened,
"but you're safe."
I don't know if I believe it anymore.
I think the kids can tell that I don't.
There's posters up on High Street for the action movies.
Stallone with machine guns.
You can't see 'em the same way now.
Do you think that media plays a role in the real-world violence?
I don't know. Maybe.
There's a new Schwarzenegger movie out next week.
It's bloody called Predator.
Are you gonna boycott the film?
Nah, I'm probably still gonna watch it.
But, for some, there is cause for hope
amidst the fear and sorrow.
A lot of the victims are my age - early twenties.
So I guess that really shook me.
I've started volunteering at the helpline that they set up.
There are a lot of calls and a lot of hurt,
but makes you feel more connected.
You know? Because I guess we've just gotta stay together.
- Thank you. - Especially in times like these.
As ordinary people demonstrate such courage and grace
in the wake of such a tragedy, simply by carrying on,
we realize that the spirit of this community
can never be extinguished.
I am Helen Norville, News at Six.
Oh, God. When's it gonna be ready?
What? No, no, no. I needed it yesterday.
Well, hurry up.
What?
Rob and I have something to disclose.
Go on. It's alright.
Oh, great, this is like a guessing game, is it?
We're seeing each other, mate.
We have been for a bit, so, uh… you were right.
- You keeping secrets from me? - This won't affect my work.
- Lindsay will be painful. - I can deal with him.
- Reception girls will eat you alive. - Let 'em talk.
Jesus, you two. Okay, okay, okay.
So,
as far as I'm concerned…
Broadcast it all you want.
- Ah, you prick. - Oh, it's a fluff piece, okay?
It's a non-story.
I wouldn't put it any higher than the fourth segment.
Hello, Dennis. Yep.
Are you done?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Ah, yep.
Oh.
Um… me?
Um,
yeah, yeah, I can, um,
I can be there in an hour.
- 'Night. - Bye.
Charles Tate rang.
He'd like you to call him, please.
Thank you.
Yes?
You watched?
As promised, yeah.
As threatened.
And?
Well, I had a few notes.
Like?
I loved it.
It's exactly what I didn't know I needed.
It was a great course correction, so…
more of that, please.
Okay.
Oh, and Helen, um,
in the future if any directive of mine rubs you the wrong way,
my door is always open.
Well, you may regret that.
I'll take my chances.
Um… sorry.
I was asked to come by.
Dennis Tibb.
Dennis Tibb for you.
Go through.
How do they get it in there?
Mate, this decision to air the footage of the body.
Who signed off on it?
It was, um, discussed as a… as a team.
There was, uh, Lindsay, Helen, Dale, myself.
And, um… Oh, and our producer Noelene.
She was… she was there.
It's interesting. Um…
It's just strange because Lindsay had told me
that it was your decision.
And yours alone.
I mean, it was a pretty chaotic morning.
There was a lot happening really quickly…
Hey, what are your thoughts about Lindsay, Dennis?
Just in general, you know, as a news director.
Oh, in general, Lindsay's…
Well, he's my boss.
Yeah. It's not what I asked ya, mate.
Lin… Lin-Lin-Lindsay's…
- He's hot-headed. - Yeah, volcanic, you might say?
A funny bloke, isn't he? It's like…
I don't know. It's like he's stuck in the mid-seventies, isn't he?
I think early sixties.
Yeah.
Dennis, who would you say in your estimation
is the best news director working today?
Um…
Some would say Vincent Callahan is the best.
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah, yeah.
I know him. We started out together.
He's really smart. He's, um, full of ideas.
I… I could… I could suss him out if you wanted me to.
Mate, forgive me.
I have to ask this question one more time.
Who signed off on that footage?
Well, um…
I was concerned, so I called Lindsay.
Told him to come and have a look at it.
And he absolutely told us to use it.
Yes.
Yes, I'd appreciate it
if you could suss out this Vincent for me.
Cheers.
You're welcome.