tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/schapelle-corby-3044/articlesSchapelle Corby – The Conversation2017-06-07T23:32:47Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/789142017-06-07T23:32:47Z2017-06-07T23:32:47ZSchapelle Corby fails to draw a Twitter audience<p>Between the bombshell announcement of further deep staff cuts at Fairfax publications, subsequent strike action by its journalists, the handing down of the 2017 federal budget, and the much-publicised return of drug smuggler Schapelle Corby to Australia, the news in May was surprisingly strongly focused on domestic Australian issues.</p>
<p>But not all of these matters were reflected equally strongly in the Australian Twitter News Index (ATNIX) for the month. ATNIX tracks the sharing of articles from Australian news and opinion sites on Twitter.</p>
<p>The major story in the Australian news industry itself during May was <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-03/fairfax-media-cut-further-125-editorial-staff-in-restructure/8492738">the staff strike at Fairfax</a>, triggered by significant job cuts across the editorial offices of the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and other publications. The walkout – which also affected Fairfax’s coverage of the federal budget – clearly received considerable sympathy from Australia’s Twitter users; several well-connected Twitter users in Australia posted calls to boycott Fairfax sites and refrain from sharing their articles during this time.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"860625159790526464"}"></div></p>
<p>As a result, during the period of the strike on 3 to 10 May, sharing rates for articles in the leading Fairfax publications declined precipitously. Both SMH and The Age only return to standard day-to-day sharing levels on Twitter by the middle of the month.</p>
<p>Indeed, the Sydney Morning Herald’s weakness over the course of the strike is so pronounced that it very nearly enables perennially third-placed site news.com.au to catch up. news.com.au’s strong performance is driven in part also by its attention-grabbing coverage of <a href="http://www.news.com.au/news-story/b628f1e1ca3813a29307398dabb4f589">a “mystery monster” washing up on the shore of an Indonesian island</a>, which went viral well beyond the site’s ordinary Australian audience. The article was shared in some 4,600 tweets on 13 May alone, and in almost 5,800 tweets over the course of the entire month.</p>
<p>Another Sydney paper, the Daily Telegraph, doesn’t usually show up on ATNIX, as few Twitter users appear prepared to publicly share the stories they read on its site. However, in May it too records a brief but major spike in sharing, for its coverage of <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/sydney-confidential/news-story/8a8f82a38746dff4d6204aa750bde3f9">Korean boy band BTS’s arrival in Sydney</a> (4,400 shares on 25 May). This is another example of an Australian news story spreading well beyond the national audience.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172369/original/file-20170606-18469-1swg5yt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian Twitter News Index, May 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Axel Bruns / QUT Digital Media Research Centre</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meanwhile, the return of drug smuggler Schapelle Corby from Bali on 27 May barely even rates a mention in the Australian Twittersphere. This is even in spite of, or quite possibly because of, the breathless coverage of Corby’s release by the mainstream media. While the leading commercial TV networks even interrupted their scheduled programming to bring us shaky dashcam footage of Corby’s progress from her Balinese residence to the airport, none of the most shared news links on Twitter during this time relate to the story. </p>
<p>ABC News does perform exceptionally well during these final days of the month – but the stories that drive that performance are about <a href="http://abc.net.au/news/8570158">U.S. Senator John McCain’s visit to Australia</a> (2,600 shares), and <a href="http://abc.net.au/news/8567166">a fisherman’s close encounter with a great white shark</a> (1,100 shares). Meanwhile, Nine News and Yahoo! 7 News receive practically no attention from Twitter users for their efforts in covering the Corby saga.</p>
<p>This pattern of disinterest is also reflected in <a href="http://connexity.com/au/hitwise/">Hitwise data</a> on the total number of visits to these Australian news sites. Despite the hype, the last few days of May appear utterly ordinary: Nine News and Yahoo! 7 News, along with most other news sites, fail to see any notable influx of visitors as a result of this latest development in the Corby saga. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/172370/original/file-20170606-28191-4ddn41.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Total visits to selected Australian news and opinion sites, May 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Data courtesy of Hitwise, a division of Connexity.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meanwhile, in spite of the considerable impact on how much its articles were shared on Twitter, the total number of visits to Fairfax sites during the staff strike appears to decline only slightly against the long-term average. Readers might not have advertised in tweets that they continued to read the SMH and The Age during this time, but continue to read they did, for the most part. The 37.8 million site visits to the SMH in May, for instance, are virtually unchanged from previous months.</p>
<p>It’s notable, though, that on budget Tuesday and the following Wednesday (9 and 10 May), it is ABC News that performs well above average: for the coverage of this major event in the Australian political calendar, readers clearly preferred the national broadcaster this year.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>ATNIX is based on tracking all tweets which contain links pointing to the URLs of a large selection of leading Australian news and opinion sites (even if those links have been shortened at some point). Datasets for those sites which cover more than just news and opinion (abc.net.au, sbs.com.au, ninemsn.com.au) are filtered to exclude the non-news sections of those sites (e.g. abc.net.au/tv, catchup.ninemsn.com.au).</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78914/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<h4 class="border">Disclosure</h4><p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research is supported by the ARC Future Fellowship project "Understanding Intermedia Information Flows in the Australian Online Public Sphere". Axel Bruns is collaborating with The Conversation in the ARC Linkage project "Amplifying Public Value: Scholarly Contributions' Impact on Public Debate".
Data on Australian Internet users’ news browsing patterns are provided courtesy of Hitwise, a division of Connexity (<a href="http://connexity.com/au/hitwise/">http://connexity.com/au/hitwise/</a>).</span></em></p>The Schapelle Corby media circus wasn’t reflected in Twitter stats and calls to boycott Fairfax during the staff strike show limited impact on this social media platform as well.Axel Bruns, Professor, Creative Industries, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/230782014-02-11T04:36:19Z2014-02-11T04:36:19ZNando’s plays chicken with Schapelle and wins<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41223/original/7n6s2k59-1392089922.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C979%2C998&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Someone thought it was a peri peri good idea to cash in on Corby. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">monkeyc.net</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fast-food chain Nando’s has done it again. While the <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/national/schapelle-corby-released-from-kerobokan-prison-on-parole-arrives-at-luxury-spa-20140210-32avh.html">release of Schapelle Corby</a> on parole was hitting all the Australian news headlines yesterday, Nando’s used a technique known as “topical advertising” to get attention, controversy, and discussion of the ad and brand.</p>
<p>In the ad, that was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nandosaus">posted as a message on Nando’s Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NandosAUS">Twitter</a>, it said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Schapelle, now that you’re out, try our delicious Peri-Peri Chicken … The only bars you’ll see are on our grill.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While some media <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/nandos-australia-hijacks-schapelle-corby-release-with-push-to-buy-their-chicken-upsets-social-media/story-fni0xqrc-1226822708915">have described</a> it as being in “poor taste” (not so good for a food product), a campaign “backfire” and a “social media fail”, people still talked and joked about it – which, from an advertising point of view, is still a result. </p>
<h2>Nando’s ad strategy</h2>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Facebook</span></span>
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<p>This is not the first time Nando’s has been controversial in its advertising messages. Over the years the company has developed a reputation for controversial advertising to support its international growth. This has included advertisements with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWcfQceBib4">pole-dancing mums</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7yzDSgKNU8">big-breasted bimbos</a>, and <a href="http://darrenfishman.com/nandos-topical/">numerous print ads</a> with double entendres about chickens, breasts and celebrities etc. </p>
<p>In the competitive fast-food market, Nando’s advertising has been effective in generating heated discussion. This strategy has resulted in a number of their print, radio and television advertisements creating a stir which has led to much publicity, both positive and negative.</p>
<h2>Topical advertising</h2>
<p>Topical advertising describes the situation whereby advertisers take advantage of a current event or issue to get the attention of potential customers, often using humour – or attempts at humour – as a hook. So while trying to be current and relevant, it can also be quite clever and generate extra publicity.</p>
<p>Nando’s regularly run topical advertisements that mention the economy, competitors, politicians, and even refugees. On June 24 2010, Julia Gillard became Australia’s first female prime minister. While there were thousands of words written about the historic event, in a quickly arranged show by the advertising industry thousands of dollars of politics-related advertising featured in newspapers the following day, including, from Nando’s: “Yes Julia … Chicks Rule”. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=229&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=229&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=229&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=288&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=288&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/41218/original/vhtngyj2-1392087084.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=288&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>Some other examples of the ads run in this vein include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>“Taking a break?” with a picture of Kevin Rudd (JetStar)</p></li>
<li><p>“The Leader in Cleaning Up Party Spills” (Viva Paper Towels)</p></li>
<li><p>“Kevin, Here’s a Cabinet That Won’t Let You Down” (Ikea)</p></li>
<li><p>“Support For our New Prime Minister” (Nurofen)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Another occasion that resulted in a number of topical ads being run in newspapers occurred nine months earlier, on September 23 2009. Sydney had thousands of tonnes of dust dumped on it, in a spectacular show of nature. This “once-in-a-lifetime” shrouding of red dust in Sydney was another big event that got the advertising industry moving. The next day’s ads included:</p>
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<ul>
<li><p>“How do you get red dust out of white pants? Time to call your Mum?” (Telstra)</p></li>
<li><p>“Now that the dust has settled, enjoy a streak free shine” (Windex)</p></li>
<li><p>“A little dirt isn’t the end of the world” (OMO)</p></li>
<li><p>“Great for stains. And dust storms” (Napisan)</p></li>
<li><p>“We see the world in orange. We wanted you to see it that way too. – We’re sorry about the dust” (Bankwest)</p></li>
</ul>
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<p>There were also ads for Subaru, Viva Glass, Mirror Wipes and Visa that related to the dust storm. Even Tourism NT claimed that it was part of the NT “get ceNTered” campaign “Bringing the red centre to Sydney”. So while many turned up to work late or even took the day off work, creatives at advertising agencies were working over time.</p>
<p>International news has also been a cause of topical advertisements. On the last day of the George Bush administration hair removal company Veet ran an advertisement with the headline “Goodbye Bush”. </p>
<p>So we shouldn’t be so shocked when an ad appears on the same day as Schapelle Corby’s release. And while it is being digitally forwarded or talked about, it should not be seen as a “fail”.</p>
<p>Wherever there is news there are also quick-thinking creative minds – and an advertising buck to be made.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/23078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Waller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Fast-food chain Nando’s has done it again. While the release of Schapelle Corby on parole was hitting all the Australian news headlines yesterday, Nando’s used a technique known as “topical advertising…David Waller, Senior Lecturer, School of Marketing, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/229282014-02-07T01:46:53Z2014-02-07T01:46:53ZDo feminists have a duty to care about ‘Our Schapelle’?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/40946/original/j9xfpc6x-1391728387.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pitching the saga of convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby as one of gender inequality is laughable.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Mick Tsikas</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>I’d written <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-06/rosewarne-a-smuggler-for-all-seasons/5241600">a piece for the ABC</a> about “Our Schapelle”.</p>
<p>As is often my approach it was largely a think piece. Not a condemnation, not a defence, it was simply some observations – some talking points – about Australia’s unrelenting fascination with the case. I contended that Schapelle Corby’s endurance as a media spectacle is grounded in her appeal to both bogans and their detractors alike.</p>
<p>Facetious, sure, but that’s my bent. </p>
<p>This morning, I woke to a meaty handful of … interesting tweets. A few particularly unique ones stood out; my favourite alleging my apparent kinship with Rupert Murdoch. Another daring to “spotlight” my contempt for the working class. A phone call came mid-morning where I was asked, point blank: “Did you read my tweet? I called you a rabid dog.”</p>
<p>Nice.</p>
<p>I’ll take being called a Nazi, a “toadie” (whatever that might involve), a dog, a capitalist, whatever on the chin. These are the kind of low-hanging, default jibes deployed by those with differing views. The bit that really stuck in my craw however, was the accusations of me being a <em>bad feminist</em>. A <em>witch-burner</em>. That I’m on some kind of crusade to condemn Our Schapelle based on her being a woman.</p>
<p>Feminism wasn’t actually mentioned in my ABC article article at all so I daresay this brouhaha stems from some hasty Googling. I’m okay about this: I’m, as they say, <em>copacetic</em> with my politics.</p>
<p>What I’m far less okay with is Schapelle’s incarceration being turned into some kind of <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/austory/content/2005/s1495856.htm">Heather Osland</a> case. That my daring to ask some questions about media coverage, about public preoccupations, somehow makes me opposed to gender equality.</p>
<p>For the record, I don’t think Schapelle’s gender is unimportant here. On the contrary, in fact, she got lashings of undue media coverage because she was female, because she was white and because she was sufficiently feminine. Whether such coverage helped or hindered her case is open to debate, but many a rock would need to be turned before we found someone who couldn’t identify her in a lineup.</p>
<p>And this boils down to her being photogenic-enough.</p>
<p>So Schapelle happens to be a woman. Not all that interesting: roughly 50% of us identify with this descriptor. </p>
<p>She’s a woman but she’s also a person who was convicted of drug smuggling. She wasn’t <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/01/afghan-woman-freed-marry-rapist">locked up in Afghanistan for “adultery”</a>, she wasn’t <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2487387/Woman-arrested-Saudi-Arabia-driving-sick-father-hospital.html">arrested in Saudi Arabia for driving a car</a>, this wasn’t a case of prosecution on the grounds of her gender. She was convicted of trying to smuggle drugs into a country that prides itself on mind-bogglingly tough penalties. </p>
<p>Sure, she has lady bits. Does this make it a feminist case? Does it present feminists with some kind of obligation to rally around her? No. it bloody well doesn’t. </p>
<p>I’m not going to offer a potted history of the many different “feminisms” here. Suffice it to say we’re a broad church, persistently – and vigorously – duelling with one another. And yet of all the many issues we battle over, I can’t think of any of our factions who could spin a feminist defence of Schapelle here.</p>
<p>The idea that women should show <em>carte blanche</em> loyalty to our “sisters” – even when those sisters are convicted of crimes – is hilarious. It smacks of the worst kind of reverse discrimination, of wishful thinking and is pretty much proof of residence in fantasyland.</p>
<p>Feminists can, and do, criticise each other. While my feminism hasn’t quite “progressed” to ringing other women up and calling them dogs, hey, we’re a broad church. </p>
<p>I’m not sure this church, however, has room for an immediate assumption that just because we dare disagree with one another, that this is evidence of treachery, of <a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/women-can-critique-each-other-without-a-catfight/desc/">a brewing cat fight</a> or some kind of post-feminism agenda. In fact, these are the very allegations that misogynists use to distract us, to turn us against each other and to paint women as petty.</p>
<p>I don’t actually have strident views on the contents of that boogie board bag one way or the other. I’ve never really cared all that much. At my disposal, however, is Schapelle’s conviction and, more in my realm of interest, unrelenting media coverage. </p>
<p>What I do know – and what I do care about – is that there are actual political prisoners in jails around the world whose causes ache for even a skerrick of the attention Schapelle has been given. Equally I know that the day we publicly care for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renae_Lawrence">Renae Lawrence</a> to the extent that we seem to for Our Schapelle is gobsmackingly unimaginable. </p>
<p>There’s infinite frames to examine the Schapelle story. Pitching it as one of gender inequality is laughable.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/22928/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lauren Rosewarne does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>I’d written a piece for the ABC about “Our Schapelle”. As is often my approach it was largely a think piece. Not a condemnation, not a defence, it was simply some observations – some talking points – about…Lauren Rosewarne, Senior Lecturer, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/224852014-02-04T19:46:49Z2014-02-04T19:46:49ZDid she do it? The ethics of the Schapelle Corby telemovie<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/40575/original/g8b24mch-1391484569.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Schapelle Corby remains behind bars – but Channel 9 is spruiking its telemovie about her time in jail in Indonesia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Mick Tsikas</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>However 4.2 kilograms of marijuana made its way into Indonesia in a body board bag in 2004, the story of Schapelle Corby’s arrest, conviction and subsequent jailing for drug smuggling is known by every Australian. The barbeque discussions about whether Corby was guilty were perhaps only rivalled by those drawn-out speculations by Australians a few decades ago about whether a mother would fabricate a tale about her baby being taken by a dingo.</p>
<p>With Corby <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/03/corby-edges-closer-bali-parole-decision">reportedly awaiting</a> the results of a parole hearing, Channel 9 has begun promoting its upcoming telemovie, Schapelle, which <a href="http://www.yourtv.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=1174561&showcomments=true">screens on Feburary 10</a>. It promises to tell us “the whole story”. </p>
<p>Delivered in a dramatic voiceover, the preview asks us, “Did she do it?”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/blmL9cFiV38?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for Channel 9’s Schapelle.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>TV drama that challenges the courts</h2>
<p>Corby sits inside Kerobokan prison in Bali today because she was found guilty of importing drugs by the Denpasar District Court. Yet the new telemovie invites controversy by throwing the Indonesian verdict into question.</p>
<p>The version of the truth included in the movie has been derived in part from the controversial book <a href="http://www.sinsofthefather.net/">Sins of the Father</a>, written by journalist Eamonn Duff and published in 2011. The book’s core allegation was that Schapelle’s father, Michael, now deceased, was involved in a drug syndicate and that he was the source of the drugs in his daughter’s bag.</p>
<p>Corby’s own book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Schapelle-Corby-My-Story/dp/1405037911">My Story</a>, was published in 2006. In 2008, the documentary Schapelle Corby: The Hidden Truth included interviews with Schapelle and her family members.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2SCZvgakqs8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for Schapelle Corby: The Hidden Truth.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While the stories told in these books and documentaries are not in agreement, they have some basis in interviews and statements provided by people close to the events. </p>
<p>A biographical film, however, is necessarily based on the fictions required of screenwriting and acting.</p>
<p>Is it ethical for this telemovie to purport to reveal Corby’s “true story” at a time in which she is still serving a prison sentence and in which intricate negotiations are taking place to secure her release on parole?</p>
<h2>Learning from Lindy Chamberlain</h2>
<p>There is a similar precedent in the form of John Bryson’s 1985 book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Evil-Angels-Dark-Movie-Title/dp/0553272071">Evil Angels</a>, which also issued a challenge to the Supreme Court verdict that held that Lindy Chamberlain had murdered her daughter Azaria in 1980. </p>
<p>Chamberlain continued to serve her sentence until new evidence saw her released in 1986. All charges were acquitted just two months before the film version of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094924/">Evil Angels</a>, starring Meryl Streep, had its cinema release in 1988. </p>
<p>In 1983, while Chamberlain was imprisoned, a lower budget production, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086580/">Who Killed Baby Azaria?</a>, screened on Channel 10. It combined dramatised re-enactments of testimony, along with writer Frank Moorhouse’s addresses to the camera. Like most Australians at the time, the film largely went along with the consensus that Chamberlain was responsible for killing her daughter.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sg-e73-4gAc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Who Killed Baby Azaria?</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Various <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/polls/schapelle-corby-and-drugs-20111109-1n6i7.html">polls</a> taken in recent years show that the court of public opinion believes Corby is guilty too. This is a turnaround from initial widespread presumption of her innocence. </p>
<p>Even given the public perception of her guilt, the prospect of Corby’s first interview on release from prison is attracting intense media discussion, especially regarding the large fee expected to be paid to secure the interview. The Schapelle telemovie aims to capitalise on the public interest in the story regardless of which network she agrees to speak with.</p>
<h2>Who is in the media spotlight?</h2>
<p>Corby’s life, and that of her immediate family, has been a media spectacle for a decade. The nature of the Kerobokan prison has meant that photographs of Corby and her cell have been easy to obtain and publish. </p>
<p>In contrast, the lives of the “<a href="http://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2007/july/1283823425/daniel-hoare/australian-exceptionalism">Bali Nine</a>” – a group of Australians convicted for drug smuggling in 2005 – have been comparatively invisible. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/40574/original/bsq344cy-1391484358.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/40574/original/bsq344cy-1391484358.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/40574/original/bsq344cy-1391484358.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/40574/original/bsq344cy-1391484358.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/40574/original/bsq344cy-1391484358.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/40574/original/bsq344cy-1391484358.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/40574/original/bsq344cy-1391484358.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bali’s Kerobokan prison, where Schapelle Corby and members of the Bali Nine are held.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP Image/Johannes Christo</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Their stories, and their physical appearances, have not had the same market value as that of a former beauty school student. <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/bali-nine-smuggler-myuran-sukumaran-nervous-worried-after-executions/story-fncynjr2-1226645904075">Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan</a> are also housed in Kerobokan, but unlike Corby, they will never leave the prison and will be subject to execution by firing squad. </p>
<p>Similarly, far less commercial media attention was devoted to Van Tuong Nguyen who was hanged in Singapore in 2005 for trafficking heroin. In 2013, his story was developed into a mini-series for SBS called <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/sbsinternational/programs/view/id/760/t/Better-Man">Better Man</a>. </p>
<p>While the dramatisation was produced <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/box-seat/kim-nguyen-traumatised-by-sbs-show-on-son-van-nguyens-execution-20130722-2qdww.html">against the wishes</a> of his family, the purpose of a fictional version of Nguyen’s life, which was cut short at just 25 years old, differs from the dramatisation of Corby’s arrest and imprisonment.</p>
<p>Better Man can be seen as an attempt to throw into question the practice of capital punishment. Indeed, producers of the 2006 documentary about Nguyen, Just Punishment, <a href="http://www.independentaustralia.net/art/art-display/a-better-man-and-van-nguyen,5561">believe that their film</a> played some part in the groundswell of pressure that encouraged Singapore to remove mandatory death sentences for some forms of drug trafficking in 2012. </p>
<p>The Schapelle telemovie is not premised on a need to tell a story about an injustice (though that might be possible). Instead, it aims to capitalise on the elevation of a convicted drug trafficker to celebrity status.</p>
<p>How the film will contribute to long-term opinion about a woman who may soon have to attempt to rebuild her life after almost a decade in an overcrowded prison is unclear. </p>
<p>What it says about our thirst for true crime stories delivered to us as if they are titillating reality TV content is much more evident.</p>
<p><br>
<em>Schapelle <a href="http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2014/02/airdate-schapelle.html">screens on Channel 9</a> on February 10.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/22485/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Smith has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>However 4.2 kilograms of marijuana made its way into Indonesia in a body board bag in 2004, the story of Schapelle Corby’s arrest, conviction and subsequent jailing for drug smuggling is known by every…Michelle Smith, Research Fellow, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/71982012-05-23T20:40:51Z2012-05-23T20:40:51ZFair trade: Indonesians want justice for jailed teens if Schapelle Corby goes free<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/10988/original/sy8qtk2b-1337749980.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There isn't much sympathy for convicted Australian drug smugglers in Indonesia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Mick Tsikas</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Schapelle Corby’s fate may be the centre of public attention in Australia, but not here in Indonesia where I currently live and work. The hot topic here for the past few days has been whether or not <a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/22/inconsistency-over-gaga-confusing-ipw.html">Lady Gaga</a> will be permitted to perform at a concert in Jakarta next month.</p>
<p>Corby’s case simply does not have the resonance in Indonesia that it does in Australia. I suspect few Indonesians believe she is innocent; she is commonly referred to in the media as the “Marijuana Queen”.</p>
<p>The current interest in the case – to the extent that there has been one – is on suggestions that a deal had been done with the Australian government, linking Corby’s remission with the freeing of Indonesians <a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/05/time-rethink-australian-policies.html">currently held</a> in Australian jails.</p>
<p>The Minister for Justice and Human Rights, Amir Syamsuddin, is quoted as saying he hoped Australia would reciprocate Indonesia’s actions in the Corby case, particularly in terms of Indonesian children in Australian prisons. “The Australian government has not promised anything”, he said, “but we hope there will be a positive response from the Australian government.”</p>
<p>Australian government <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/senator-bob-carr-rejects-schapelle-corby-deal-with-indonesia/story-e6frf7jx-1226364183673">denials</a> of any such deal, made by both Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Attorney General Nicola Roxon, have also been reported, though to what extent they are believed is anyone’s guess. </p>
<p>Whether this presidential decision means anything for other Australians in Indonesian jails on drugs charges is unclear. If there is little public sympathy evident for Corby, there is virtually none for those convicted of more serious drug offences.</p>
<p>Decisions on remissions or pardons in such cases are essentially political ones. And while public opinion is clearly not the final arbiter, it is an important contributing factor. </p>
<p>Indonesia holds national presidential and parliamentary elections in 2014. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) cannot himself stand for another term as president, having reached the constitutional limit of two terms. But he will want to try to ensure his successor will be someone sympathetic to his own aims and interests.</p>
<p>He will also want to try to boost the parliamentary representation of his party, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(Indonesia)">Partai Demokrat</a>. </p>
<p>But this will be a tough task. All the current indications are that both Yudhoyono personally and Partai Demokrat in general are in trouble with the electorate. Socially and probably politically, the electorate is becoming more conservative, led in particular by groups presenting themselves as defending traditional Islamic values against the allegedly “liberal” values promoted by SBY and his government. </p>
<p>In the past, Yudhoyono has shown no inclination to take on such groups, even on issues of direct significance to Indonesians, such as violence against religious minorities. He is hardly likely to take the political risk of doing so on an issue where the beneficiaries are foreigners – and drug traffickers at that.</p>
<p>Already he has been criticised for even considering Corby’s clemency appeal. </p>
<p>A senior member of parliament from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperous_Justice_Party">Islamist Prosperity and Justice Party</a> (PKS), Nasir Djamil, <a href="http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/pks-lawmaker-opposes-clemency-for-australias-corby/513981">said last month</a> – when the possibility of a remission was being discussed – that he hoped the government would not grant a remission. Such an action, he said, would do nothing dissuade “other Australians who wanted to distribute narcotics in Indonesia”.</p>
<p>Further, as Hikmahanto Juwana from the University of Indonesia <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/world/backlash-in-indonesia-against-corby-clemency-20120523-1z4kz.html">observed</a> today, the president cannot afford to be seen to be weak in the eyes of the Indonesian public, given it is well-known that Australia has been exerting pressure on Jakarta on the Corby issue for quite some time.</p>
<p>So politically, SBY’s hands may well be tied.</p>
<p>But there is another important issue underlying this case, which affects the relationship between Australia and Indonesia: human rights. </p>
<p>In Indonesia, Australia’s reputation on human rights issues is a decidedly mixed one. </p>
<p>We are seen to protest loudly when our citizens are jailed in Indonesia, following due Indonesian legal process.</p>
<p>However as most Indonesians now know, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-13/indonesian-children-detained-in-wa-prisons-to-be-released/3663078">for years Indonesian children were held in adult prisons in Australia</a>, in clear violation of Australian law as well as Australia’s international obligations.</p>
<p>Were it not for the agitation of a few Australians, notably <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/he-was-13-years-old-when-australia-locked-him-in-an-adult-prison-for-people-smuggling-20120519-1yxfc.html">Ross Taylor</a> and <a href="http://www.indonesia-institute.org.au/board.html">Colin Singer</a> from Perth, these children would probably still be in jail, their causes unheard. Only after the issue began attracting media attention did the government act – and then only grudgingly.</p>
<p>This is in stark contrast to the government’s reactions to the holding of an <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/bali-boy-handed-two-month-sentence-for-drug-offences/story-fn7x8me2-1226205252333">Australian boy in Bali</a> last year on a charge of possession of marijuana: both the then Foreign Minister and the Prime Minister involved themselves personally – and very publicly - in the case.</p>
<p>We urge the commutation of death sentences on Australians convicted of drug smuggling in Indonesia. But we call for the execution of those convicted of terrorism offences.</p>
<p>We cannot have it both ways. If we are not consistent in our application of human rights principles in Australia, we can hardly criticise Indonesia if it is not consistent either.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/7198/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colin Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Schapelle Corby’s fate may be the centre of public attention in Australia, but not here in Indonesia where I currently live and work. The hot topic here for the past few days has been whether or not Lady…Colin Brown, Adjunct Professor, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.