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The Chaser (newspaper)
Encyclopedia
The Chaser was a newspaper, published in Australia
by political satire group The Chaser
from 1999 to 2005.
The newspaper, first published on 9 May 1999, was The Chaser team's most famous (or infamous) enterprise. Among other things, they have published Australian Prime Minister John Howard
's private, unlisted home phone number on their front page, which caused wide controversy. Apparently the phone number was sent to one of the writers by SMS
and they sat on it for a while, until the opportunity to use it came up when John Howard ignored anti-war protests. The Chaser only had a limited fan base, with the average sales numbers per issue well under 30,000. But when their newspaper was shown as a lead story in all major Australian news broadcasts, not only was the headline widely spread, but the concept and the popularity of the newspaper leaped dramatically.
Another coup by The Chaser newspaper involved the award ceremony for Australian Television, the Logies
. The top award presented - the Gold Logie - is decided by a popular vote. Due to the small level of voting (restricted only to readers of the magazine
TV Week
), the Chaser team encouraged all their readers to vote for little known SBS
news reader Anton Enus
for the award. It was rumoured that the ploy was only just unsuccessful.
The newspaper also received considerable notoriety for its 9/11 edition, which was going to print just as the planes hit the World Trade Center
. The team were widely condemned for headlines including "World Trade Center Janitor Declares 'Best Sickie Ever'".
In 2005, production of the paper was wound down due to lack of profitability, as well as to ease the demands on the writers. The Chaser team did however announce that they will be concentrating on other forms of media in the future. The Chaser is still published in electronic form on its web site. The site includes discussion boards for members and non-members to contribute their own satirical pieces and debate contemporary political issues. The final paper was published in February 2005.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by political satire group The Chaser
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste...
from 1999 to 2005.
The newspaper, first published on 9 May 1999, was The Chaser team's most famous (or infamous) enterprise. Among other things, they have published Australian Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
's private, unlisted home phone number on their front page, which caused wide controversy. Apparently the phone number was sent to one of the writers by SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
and they sat on it for a while, until the opportunity to use it came up when John Howard ignored anti-war protests. The Chaser only had a limited fan base, with the average sales numbers per issue well under 30,000. But when their newspaper was shown as a lead story in all major Australian news broadcasts, not only was the headline widely spread, but the concept and the popularity of the newspaper leaped dramatically.
Another coup by The Chaser newspaper involved the award ceremony for Australian Television, the Logies
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
. The top award presented - the Gold Logie - is decided by a popular vote. Due to the small level of voting (restricted only to readers of the magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
TV Week
TV Week
TV Week is a weekly television magazine in Australia, first published as a Melbourne-only publication in December 1957 , and bearing a strong affiliation to television station GTV.The publication is still publishing weekly...
), the Chaser team encouraged all their readers to vote for little known SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
news reader Anton Enus
Anton Enus
Anton Enus, is a South African-born Australian news presenter for SBS television.Until December 2007, Enus anchored the late edition of SBS World News Australia, which aired on weeknights at 9.30pm...
for the award. It was rumoured that the ploy was only just unsuccessful.
The newspaper also received considerable notoriety for its 9/11 edition, which was going to print just as the planes hit the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
. The team were widely condemned for headlines including "World Trade Center Janitor Declares 'Best Sickie Ever'".
In 2005, production of the paper was wound down due to lack of profitability, as well as to ease the demands on the writers. The Chaser team did however announce that they will be concentrating on other forms of media in the future. The Chaser is still published in electronic form on its web site. The site includes discussion boards for members and non-members to contribute their own satirical pieces and debate contemporary political issues. The final paper was published in February 2005.