The Newsreader (2021) s02e02 Episode Script

People Like You and Me

HOST: News At Six's very
own golden couple of news.
Please welcome the magnificent
Miss Helen Norville
and Mr Dale Jennings.
INTERVIEWER: Geoff,
Saturday's the first time
that you'll be in direct competition
with your former colleagues
at the News At Six.
EVELYN: With Kay back from London,
I'll be doing all the favourites.
People say I'm a bit
like Keating, actually,
just a sort of, uh
certain gravitas or something.
ROB: I thought you wanted to start
telling the office post-election.
NOELENE: Well, not the very next day.
You've maintained a dignified silence.
It's time the truth about her emerged.
Helen
It's just she's so
shrill and aggressive.
I reckon we give her a couple
of months to pull it in.
If she can't
we talk replacements.
(LIQUID TRICKLES)
(CUTLERY CLATTERS)
(LIQUID TRICKLES)
(CUTLERY CLATTERS)
CHARLIE: My father was a print newsman.
To him, a broadsheet under one arm
was the mark of the refined gentleman.
LINDSAY: Hear, hear.
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.
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. To us.
- Welcome.
- GERRY: Cheers.
Which brings me to the main
event. Marta, if you wouldn't mind.
Here we go.
Drum roll, please, Robert. Ah.
(DRUMS)
Well done, son.
(IMITATES TRUMPETING)
Hey! Yeah! There you go!
That's another promo.
Nice. Yeah. Our biggest yet.
Especially for the '88 bicentennial.
Yes. 1988. Yep.
The year Australia is gonna chuck
itself a year-long birthday party.
How good? Mm.
We are going to be central
to Bicentennial Cup.
Actually, we're gonna
BE the bicentennial.
That's right, we are. We are
going to be the bicentennial.
That's completely right. And, Dale,
you will be covering the pageantry.
Now, mate, if it floats, flies
or flounces, it's for you.
You'll be all over it like a rash, mate.
And, 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 celebrities.
And speaking of
international celebrities,
we welcome the newest member
to the News At Six team.
Gerry. Hey! Good to have you, mate.
Now, you will be in charge of
the international perspective.
You will be doing a shitload of
satellite interviews all over the world.
And 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.
Uh Mel Gibson our Mel.
- That's good.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor.
(CHUCKLES) Zsa Zsa Gabor,
Cliff Richard and Danny La Rue.
And it's gonna be called
Celebrity
BOTH: Smorgasbord.
- (LAUGHS)
- Bloody good, though, right?
So, is this gonna be the whole year
or just the days
leading up to the event?
All year
- long.
- Actually it's gonna start in December.
Of course. December.
Hence the promo. (CHUCKLES)
What we want is, when
you sweep over to us,
we want to feel it coming home.
Yeah.
Mm.
What about the Aboriginal perspective?
(HALF LAUGHS)
Well Uh
(CLEARS THROAT)
I didn't check.
And, uh
Ernie Dingo was taken, so
Well, we have the 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. Mm!
We've got the newsman, the
sportsman, the comedian.
And a woman.
The perfect cross-section of Australia.
Yes. The faces of a nation, right?
Actually, that's bloody beautiful.
Um You might wanna write that down.
I don't think anyone at this table
is gonna forget that one, Charlie.
'A' or 'the'?
'A'. "Of a."
"Of a." "Of a." Yep.
Mm. 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're gonna do it with
your lovely Helen Norville smile
because, if you don't, little
Chuck's gonna turf you out.
Me or you?
- MARTA: Excuse me, sir.
- I've got a drink, thanks.
- No, there's a telephone call for you.
- What do you want?
- It's the newsroom.
- Oh, my God.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I've got some deeply distressing news.
Charlie Tate has a double
jacuzzi in his en suite.
- What?
- Yeah.
And a two-metre-wide
chandelier down that hallway.
He does get a lot of things imported.
Um
I've got a little source
in Charlie's office.
Last week, I took a look
at some audience testing.
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'.
Uh Right, there's been a shooting.
There's gunmen in in Clifton Hill.
- What?
- Clifton Hill?
Dennis said first shots
were reported 15 minutes ago
and they're firing into traffic.
- Are we breaking into
- Can I use this phone?
There's little information,
- there's no footage.
- That's fine. Dale?
You're going in blind. I'm just gonna
We should avoid Plunkett and Hoddle.
They'd have closed those roads off.
(PHONE LINE RINGS)
Come on, Noels. Pick up. Pick up.
(PHONE LINE RINGS)
Pick up.
VOICEMAIL: G'day. You've reached Rob
Shit!
Thank you, Charlie.
- Thanks for having me.
- No worries, mate.
(ENGINE STARTS)
(TYRES SKID)
Dennis!
Dennis! Who have we got at the scene?
DENNIS: Brian and Ross. I
sent them straight there.
How many shooters are there?
Well, the cops reckon
there's at least two.
What? They don't actually know?
Well, it could be a gang
from the sound of it.
Locals are calling us non-stop. They
reckon Hoddle Street's a war zone.
- When are we gonna get some footage?
- I don't know.
Even without footage, we've got
enough for a three-minute brief.
More if we cover recent shootings.
Yeah. I mean, people who want
the information sit at the phones.
We can be on the desk in 10.
(HELICOPTER ROTORS WHIRR)
RADIO NEWSREADER: Reports
of shootings have emerged.
Several civilians have
reportedly been hit
with the total number of casualties
unknown, as ambulances await
POLICE: No, no. Sorry,
mate, this road's closed.
- (GUNSHOT)
- Agh!
- Shots fired. Shots fired.
- (GUNSHOT)
Back into your car! Sir,
get back into your car!
We need back up.
(STARTS ENGINE)
- Shit!
- Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
- Sorry, mate! Sorry!
- You right there?
- Sorry!
- Get out of here. You can't be here.
(TYRES SKID)
(TYRES SKID)
Noels!
Noelene!
(SIGHS)
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
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.
(NEWS AT SIX THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
CREW: 10 seconds!
And six!
Five!
Four!
(NEWS AT SIX THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
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.
(HUBBUB)
Sustained gunfire on Hoddle Street.
Witness accounts described an
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?
- Um Not yet, but I will hurry up.
- Police are advising stay inside
and motorists to avoid
the area entirely.
Our understanding is that
the shooter or shooters
have fled the scene
but are still at large
and heavily armed.
A manhunt is currently underway.
The timing of police-radio reports
suggest Hoddle Street
endured heavy gunfire
for approximately 45 minutes.
(BIRDS SQUALL)
Dale? Dale. Dale.
Murray's in. They've got the footage.
We're just about to
go through the tapes.
- DENNIS: OK. So, this would be what time?
- BRIAN: This is when we first got there.
It was just before you could
hear the helicopters, so
It was 9:45 when the
initial gunfire died down.
- That's when I left to head here.
- Yeah, right.
Wait, I thought you
lived out in Burwood?
I was visiting a friend.
OK, so, now we're moving up the scene.
Shooters had already split, but we
got the smashed-up cars, the ambos.
OK, so, you guys were
the only crew out there?
- Yeah. For ages.
- Yeah, right. Bloody heroes, eh?
First on the scene.
MURRAY: Is that a dead body?
Yeah, they just left him there.
Am I cutting around that or
No, I mean, we should keep it, right?
- DALE: What?
- He's in every second shot.
Yeah, because no-one
fucking moved him for hours.
Yeah, Jean, is Lindsay
Yeah. Alright. Thanks.
We're not showing dead bodies.
We can show dead bodies, man.
We've shown dead bodies before.
That Beirut footage was worse
than this. Vietnam definitely.
- On a Melbourne street?
- So, it's OK to show overseas bodies
- but not local ones?
- We can just stay on the wider shot.
- Alright, what have you got?
- A shot of a body.
Ooh. Body.
Right, if we're gonna make the
hour, we've got to hurry up.
So, Lindsay, what do you reckon?
Um
We're the only network
with these images?
Mm-hm.
Run the bloody things
in 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.
DALE: Oh
Come on, let's go, man.
- 15 minutes. Hurry up.
- Alright, alright, alright.
Do you wanna do this together?
I don't think rolling raw footage
just hours after the event has happened
- is a good idea.
- Oh, Christ Almighty.
Hey, 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.
No, I'm going on now. You can
do the edited version later.
(NEWS AT SIX THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
CREW: And in six!
Five!
Four!
(NEWS AT SIX THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
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.
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.
Yeah, I know.
If it bleeds, it leads.
None of the victims have yet been named.
But we do understand a
formal identification process
is currently underway.
(GASPS) God.
(GASPS)
And we're out!
JEAN: It may be better to
call the police or to
- Bludging.
- We do understand.
- I might need you to take this.
- What do you mean?
I'm so sorry. Would you mind
holding for just 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 apologise.
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
(GRUNTS)
- Jen, stop.
- What's going on?
Anyway, I should make tracks.
Here, take some.
Oh, no, I can't, I can't, Mrs
Kim, I'm driving, but, uh
Gamsa hapnida.
Noels, can I have a quick word?
Mm.
(SIGHS)
They're still looking.
(LAUGHS)
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 were a couple.
When?
Hey? Uh 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
he didn't ask about it again.
He had a million things happening.
If you don't see us having a
future together, just tell me.
- What?
- Well, you never wanna tell anyone.
You know what's at stake for
me if we tell the office and
You didn't think your parents
would be alright with it,
- and 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.
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,
the lack of sleep or
something, but I should go.
(CAR DOOR SHUTS)
(ENGINE STARTS)
(SIREN WAILS)
(HELICOPTER ROTORS WHIRR)
(GUNSHOT)
(GUNSHOT)
I'm afraid this is all
we've got for tonight.
It's great. Thanks.
Mate, uh I know you
probably get this a lot,
- but, uh
- (CHUCKLES)
you were a brilliant player.
Yeah.
I reckon the Saints could do
with a few more guys like you.
Oh, thank you.
That's, uh Anyway,
listen, what do I owe you?
- Oh, 20 bucks.
- 20 bucks?
20 for the night. Five extra for guests.
But, for you, I'll waive it.
- What? Oh, no, no. It's just me.
- No, it's alright, mate.
- We're very discreet.
- (CHUCKLES)
(EXHALES HEAVILY)
DENNIS: OK, great. Good, good, good.
So, now, what do we have on
the background on the shooter?
I think I found one
of his old schoolmates.
She's pretty nervous to speak,
but I think I can get her there.
Yes, do it. Do it, do it.
Keep finding others. OK?
I wanna know everything
about this guy
childhood trauma, drugs,
trouble getting laid.
OK? Anything that made
this guy a bloody psycho.
I think that we should
interview Stephen Bramhall.
- Who?
- Gun lobbyist?
- Yeah.
- Who, Noelene?
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 that there's about to be
a really big shift with gun legislation.
- In Victoria?
- No, nationwide.
- Ha! Good luck with that. (LAUGHS)
- This gun lobbyist is pro guns?
Yeah, he's he's pro shooter.
Ah, I don't think we should putting
a shooter on the desk right now.
I think now's exactly the
time we should be doing that.
I mean, it's it's
making somebody answerable.
- LINDSAY: Dennis!
- Uh In here.
OK, Helen, look, we'll
just send a crew out.
No, I think we should
do it on the desk live.
(SLAMS DOOR)
Right, we, uh
We are softening our
approach to Hoddle Street.
- What?
- Last night a family rang in.
They recognised the body of
their father in our footage.
They learned about his
death by watching us.
That That angle was so wide
there's no way that they'd
be able to identify a
Oh, shush up, Helen. Shush up.
They recognised the car.
I think we should apologise 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.
I think maybe I should call
the family personally and
Oh, Christ, Helen, take a breath!
Honestly.
I mean, 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.
(GROANS) You see,
now, I remember someone
that looks a lot like you
running around the newsroom,
pointing to the phone, saying,
"People want some information!"
Well, THEY'VE been giving US
some 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!
OK, so, gun lobbyist
off the table then, eh?
Tell me that's a fucking joke! If
it's not, I'm strangling someone!
It was an interview. It
wasn't gonna be traumatic.
It wasn't gonna be confronting.
- Jesus, Helen!
- We have to talk about gun laws.
I think it's one thing
to cover gun laws,
I think 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 be doing
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.
(PHONES RING)
You didn't have to
cut me down like that.
We should never have shown that footage.
I agree. OK? The footage was a mistake.
But to be fair, 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.
(DOOR SLAMS)
EVELYN: I can't tell you how
much I appreciate this, Cheryl.
This event is so ill-timed.
No, it's good to have a distraction.
I can't listen to it anymore.
The details are just
ghastly, aren't they?
Yeah, I had nightmares about it.
KAY: Hey!
In here, darling!
(WHISPERS) Promised
she'd be here by 10:00.
Anyway, let's not talk about it anymore.
- Talk about what?
- Hey.
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.
(GASPS) What?!
That's all Scott and I ever did,
we just sat there every
night getting square eyes.
Was it 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 wanna 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.
What can I get you to drink?
Yeah, 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've got to 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.
(KNOCKS)
Yeah.
Sorry.
I know you're busy, but
can I run something by you?
Sure.
It's a personal question.
(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)
Um (CLEARS THROAT)
I know that you and Dale are
so, I thought you might
be a good person to
(EXHALES SHAKILY)
Rob and I are together.
Yeah.
Um Hm
We've tried to keep it quiet,
but now Dennis suspects,
and Rob wants to say something,
but I'm worried it would
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.
OK. Well, just be prepared for a
lot of gossip, a lot of innuendo.
And they're gonna 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.
- OK.
- Thank you, Helen.
- Mm-hm.
DALE: A fellow Duntroon cadet
described him as an immature boy
obsessed with fantasies
LINDSAY: Christ, I better
not regret this, Dale.
discipline 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 semi-automatic rifle
farmers might typically
use them to control vermin.
And, Dale, you're Bendigo
stock, you'd know that.
And the third weapon?
It 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?
- Well, you'd have to ask them.
- He's a slippery bastard, isn't he?
- It's good, it's good.
If there are calls to toughen
firearm legislation, Stephen,
what restrictions would you welcome?
Mm. No, none of them.
Ah. But we've
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,
- even if that means something like
- No, no, no, no, no, no, easy, Helen.
- Jesus.
- At the end of the day
responsible gun owners aren't to
blame for this, that looney was,
and I think you in the media also
bear a lot of responsibility
- Go to sports now.
- for what happened
Now!
(PHONE RINGS)
- CHERYL: Yeah?
- Cheryl, get Rob onto the desk now.
Now!
They want you on the desk.
- What? Already?
- Yeah, yeah, right now.
- What?
- Come on.
Here!
You know, it's a common response
for gun lobbyists, isn't it,
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 not accurate at all.
- You literally put his name in lights.
What a shitshow.
(PHONES RING)
This happened because a civilian
was able to walk into a shop
- Ohh
- 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.
Now, you said yourself this boy's
head was full of fantasies of war.
Where do you think they came from?
Well, I'm afraid that's
all we have time for.
- Can I have an answer?
- Thank you very much,
Stephen Bramhall, for
a very spirited debate.
But right now we're
joined by Rob Rickards
and all the latest in sport.
Jesus, Dennis.
Why did you agree to this?
Why?!
ROB: Australia's highest test
run scorer, Greg Chappell,
has won a place on the
tountry's cock (CLEARS THROAT)
rather, the country's
top cricket admin
Let's try that again, shall
we? He's won a place on the
Get it out, you cloth-haired
bastard. Get it out!
(SIGHS) Sorry.
The former test captain is already
a national selector. Chappell
This is a fucking debacle!
A fucking debacle!
I wanna see that rabble in my office
as soon as his bulletin is over.
Get him in!
Brett McKenna has more.
- CREW: And we're out!
- BRETT: Any doubt 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.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
OK, so, Geoff, we got the latest
version of the script is on autocue.
- Sorry, Paul. I've amended it again.
- Uh
I think I've added 40 seconds or
so. I'll make the additions as I go.
- OK
- 30 seconds!
Don't worry. I won't
mention the News At Six.
At least not by name.
Yeah. OK.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Good evening. I'm Geoff
Walters, and welcome to
Dale!
I wasn't gonna just let him continue
- spouting absolute bullshit.
- We agreed to maintain a calm tone.
I wasn't the one losing it.
Hey. Geoff's show just started.
I think something's happening.
It's 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.
I want to assure our viewers
you will not see any
graphic, damaging images here.
Yeah, that's because you
don't bloody have any.
Now, 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's clearly lost touch with
the values of our community.
(STAMMERS) You know,
I technically 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, that, um That incid
That That incident occurred
during an update,
uh and that is
that's Dennis Tibb's
responsibility, I'm sorry to say.
Now, while we're here on
this subject, you know,
apparently, the other
day, Helen was, um
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
NEWSREADER: But he says it was only due
to quick manoeuvres by the police
that his team could
reach the wounded here.
GUEST: They drove into the line of
what they thought was the line
of fire at the time to protect
Dale, Helen, in here, 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.
- Are you OK?
- Yeah. Yep.
Just I hadn't
I got chucked out there. I just
couldn't get my head around the script.
Could we go over a couple
of things for tomorrow?
(SIGHS) Now?
I'm pretty buggered. Can we
Can we do it in the morning?
"Tountry's cock."
- Good work, Rob.
- (UNDER BREATH) Fuck.
(INSECTS CHIRP)
May I come in for a minute?
Drink?
No, I'm fine, thank you.
No, I mean
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.
- Mm.
And when things like this happen, you
you have to hold your nerve, you
have to keep moving forward
Something about the 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
gruelling, 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 star,
you were his counterweight.
You let the news affect you.
It was as if you were
channelling our emotions for us.
I mean, I've seen you cry
on the bloody TV before.
So, because I'm a woman, that's
how I'm supposed to respond?
Yes.
OK.
Then I'll recalibrate.
But I can't do that sitting at
home. I need to be on the desk.
OK.
OK.
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?
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR SHUTS)
Rob!
(BIRDS TWITTER, DOG BARKS)
(ON PHONE) I know it's silly,
I'm just not keen to drive
through the city just yet.
It's all clear now, Mum. They
had the road opened 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
I've got to go, Mum. I'll
call you back, alright?
- Alright, love.
- Bye. Bye.
You OK?
Yeah.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Alright, well,
the police have released three
more names of the victims,
so, I think 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 I'm
not gonna go in today.
What?
I thought you said Charlie 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.
- No, you said it too.
Yeah
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, it's
Dale, I'm not gonna go and
talk to the victims' families.
I'm, like, the last person
that they'd wanna see.
(CLEARS THROAT)
OK.
OK.
Alright.
I'll call you at lunch.
(DOOR SHUTS)
(KETTLE WHISTLES)
(CONTINUES WHISTLING)
(RINGS BUZZER)
(LOCK CLICKS)
Uh
Uh 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?
It Mr Walters, on his show,
he did, um a bit
about, like, a speech,
like quite a long speech
Cheryl, I would never exploit
a family's tragedy like that.
Oh, I know. (CHUCKLES
NERVOUSLY) Of course not.
I'm shocked that you would even
No, I I'm not saying that.
Well, what ARE you saying?
Um
Uh (COUGHS)
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, 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
(CHUCKLES AWKWARDLY) I must've just
Sorry. I must just still
be a bit rattled or
(CHUCKLES AWKWARDLY)
Can we just
Hey, ooh, I had a really good idea
for a hairstyle for the
Variety Club luncheon.
Oh, well,
we'll see.
(SIGHS)
- Where were you?
- When?
Last night.
I went straight to your place after
I finished work. You weren't there.
Where were you?
I was probably
What time was it? I, uh
Maybe probably asleep.
It was 9:30.
The house was totally
empty. Your car wasn't there.
Where were you?
Uh
Um
This is not what it sounds like.
I've been staying in a motel.
Not like that.
(LAUGHS) Not like that. I
Actually, I just needed to
This is so stupid.
- What?
- You're fine. I'm fine. I just
At home
I still can't sleep.
The slightest sound,
and it's like it's still Sunday night.
And me not knowing where you are and
(EXHALES HEAVILY)
Hearing those shots
I'm just fucking such an idiot.
- No, you're not.
- I am, I
I was on the other side of the city,
you're fine,
everything that people went
through that night, and, uh
here I am, I still can't
sleep in my own bed.
(EXHALES HEAVILY)
It's OK.
GERRY: (OUTSIDE) And on
this week's show we have
When Did You Pop The Question?
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
Oh, my Lord.
(CHUCKLES)
I 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 it from the minute I saw it,
but I let her just go with it
because Helen thinks I'm preoccupied
with the viewers or
what will 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!
(LAUGHS)
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello?
(ON PHONE) Hi. So, get in
the shower. Get camera-ready.
I'm coming over with a crew.
No.
(PHONE RINGS)
I need you to trust
me. I've got an idea.
And I'll be there in 20 minutes, OK?
Bye.
(PHONE LINE BEEPS)
We've done the victims,
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 again.
That's vox pops.
Alright.
Alright.
Fucking vox pops. (LAUGHS)
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 (SIGHS) I just told them that,
"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 all the action movies.
Stallone with machine guns.
You can't see them the same way now.
Do you think that media plays
a role in real-world violence?
I don't know. Maybe.
Well, there's a new
Schwarzenegger movie out next week.
It's bloody called Predator.
Are you gonna boycott the film?
No. 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 20s,
so, I guess that really shook me.
I started volunteering at the
helpline that they've set up.
There are a lot of
calls and a lot of hurt,
but it makes you feel
more connected, you know,
because I guess we've
just got to stay together,
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 realise that the
spirit of this community
can never be extinguished.
I am Helen Norville, News At Six.
DENNIS: Oh, God. So,
when's it gonna be ready?
What? No, no, no, no.
I need 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're keeping secrets from me.
This won't affect my work.
- Lindsay's gonna be painful.
- I can deal with Lindsay.
Reception girls are gonna eat you alive.
Let them talk.
Oh, Jesus, you two. OK, OK, OK.
So
(SIGHS) as far as I'm concerned
(CHORTLES)
broadcast it all you want.
- Oh, you prick.
- Oh, it's a fluff piece.
OK? It's a non-story.
I wouldn't put it any higher
than the fourth segment.
(PHONE RINGS)
(LAUGHS)
Hello? Dennis. Yeah. Are you done?
BOTH: Yeah. Yeah.
Uh Yep.
Oh. (CLEARS THROAT)
Um
Me?
Um
Yeah, yeah, I can, um
I can be there in an hour.
- Goodnight.
- BOTH: Bye.
(KNOCKS)
Charles Tate rang. He'd
like you to call him, please.
Thank you.
(PHONE RINGS)
Yes?
(ON PHONE) You watched?
As promised, yeah.
As threatened.
And?
Oh, I had a few notes.
Like?
I loved it.
It was exactly what I
didn't know I needed.
It was a great course correction, so
More of that, please.
OK.
Oh, and, Helen, um
in the future, if any directive
of mine rubs you the wrong way,
uh my door is always open.
You may regret that.
I'll take my chances.
Sorry. I was asked to come by.
Dennis Tibbs.
Dennis Tibbs for you.
Go through.
How do they get in there?
Who made this decision to
air the footage of the body?
Who signed off on it?
(CLEARS THROAT)
That was, um
It was discussed as
a as a as a team.
There was Lindsay, Helen, Dale, myself,
and oh, and our producer, Noelene.
She was She was She was there.
It's interesting. Um
This is strange because Lindsay had
told me that it was your decision.
And yours alone.
(SCOFFS)
(SCOFFS) I mean, it was
a pretty chaotic morning.
There was a lot
happening really quickly.
What are your thoughts
about Lindsay, Dennis?
Just in general, you
know, as a news director.
Oh, in general, Lindsay's
I mean, he's my boss.
Yeah, it's not what I asked you, mate.
Lin Lin Lin Lindsay's
He's hot-headed.
Volcanic
- Yeah.
- you might say?
(IMITATES EXPLOSION)
He's a funny bloke, isn't
he? It's It's like
I don't know. It's like
he's stuck in the mid '70s.
(SIGHS) I think early '60s.
Yeah. (CHUCKLES)
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 full of ideas.
I could 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 (CLEARS THROAT)
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.
(EXHALES HEAVILY)
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
Tonight, share prices
drop around the world.
DALE: And stock markets are
gripped by frantic selling.
My savings
that I was relying on, that I put
exactly where you told me to, Dad,
they've been decimated!
Lindsay's in trouble, is he? Why
didn't you go for the job yourself?
Well, mate, no-one that looks
like me is gonna get that job.
That trollop from The Sun,
Donna Gillies, the gossip woman,
she's got something going to
print, she wants a response.
GERRY: A couple of years
ago, someone was keen
to sell a story to her about
me, she needed compensation,
so, now we go to her for every
birthday, every announcement.
We need legal advice right now.
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