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Nine ‘creatively’ promotes Yellow Brick Road on ACA

ACA features a report with Mark Bouris from wealth advisers Yellow Brick Road, but didn't disclose that Nine is a part-owner of the company.

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In July Nine Entertainment Co. formalised its purchase of 19.9% of wealth management firm Yellow Brick Road, headed up by Mark Bouris.

At the time Nine’s CEO David Gyngell said “We will utilise the reach and penetration of Nine Entertainment Co. to spread the message of Yellow Brick Road across the community.”

Nine even said it would promote Yellow Brick Road through “creative television programming.”

Last night on A Current Affair the lead story featured Bouris giving home ‘loan advice rescue’ to a young couple.

It was reported by Leila McKinnon, who is married to the Nine boss.

At no stage did anybody disclose that Nine has an investment in Yellow Brick Road. While the company wasn’t named at any stage there was clearly signage and logos visible.

Earlier this week ACA also featured a story on online shoe retailer Styletread. Nine has a $4m investment in the $20m company and it did disclose this in its report.

So it’s disappointing that the home loan story with Bouris didn’t.

Bouris will also feature in Nine’s upcoming Celebrity Apprentice Australia.

16 Responses

  2. “@kyle, calling Leila a “journalist” is just an insult not only to the word itself, but all the real journalists. Getting married to management and hosting the garbage that is called a current affair does not make her a journalist.”

    I agree 100%, but I’m guessing that her job is safe.

  4. David, I respectfully disagree. The news-helicopter fiasco was blown ridiculously out of proportion – do viewers really care what particular section of invisible land a reporter is hovering over as he does his piece to camera? But here we have a blatant advertisement and endorsement of a part-Nine-owned company on a show that purports to be a news program. It’s bad enough that they disguise paid advertising as content in reprehensible shows like Getaway, but to deceive ACA viewers (and let’s face it, most of their viewers aren’t too bright) for financial gain, well, I agree with the other commenters. If the helicopter ruse was a sackable offence, I fully expect Nine to get the termination notices out over this one.

    But of course, they won’t. Because we all know that the real reason the helicopter incident became a sackable offence was because Nine was embarrassed at being caught red-handed by a rival network – a rival network that in this case, also takes money for paid advertising masquerading as journalism on their so-called “current affairs” show.

  5. Mr Gyngell, can you spell hypocrisy? Are you able to use it in a sentence and keep a straight face? Is it against the law to not declare a financial interest or merely unethical as I guess that you can live with that?

    Mr Gyngell appears quite comfortable with QTQ clearing out a bit of trash lately whilst his own house continues to harbour grime and muck.

  6. @kyle, calling Leila a “journalist” is just an insult not only to the word itself, but all the real journalists. Getting married to management and hosting the garbage that is called a current affair does not make her a journalist.

    1. 9hata: Let’s be fair. Leila was a journo long before she married David Gyngell, including when she worked for Seven. It would have been better for the report to declare Nine’s interest in YBR but I think you’re wearing your hate too much on your sleeve.

  7. Double standards. C’mon David – hold these buggers to account. In one article Jeffrey Browne is quoted on “ethical standard” and here you have genuine evidence of double standard because the jounalist in question has a relationship with management. What’s 9s spin on this going to be?

  8. typical 9 garbage. Take your audience for a fool, and they will dissappear. Just look at the dwindling ratings for aca, becoming as embaressing as renovator and 7pm project ratings. Advertisements dressed up as “news”. Meh junk deserves to be pulled of air, even further 9 need to lose their broadcasting licence.

  9. Quick Nine – you better sack the report, the producer and let someone else resign in disgust at not following standards and reporting on the truth.

    Bad timing really.

  10. So, in standing with precedent, all those involved in not disclosing this will be fired?

    After all, those that watched it were misled in thinking this would have been an impartial report. They “creatively” deceived their viewers.

    Now we know what Nine does in these situations, it must stand that there would be no other choice, yes?

    Or is there a different set of rules applied, because it’s “ACA”.

    Yeah… I could think of a word that would describe that.

  14. Hmmm

    (Nine News’ commitment to accuracy. This is critical not only to our charter, but to maintaining the trust we have developed with our audience over a very long period.”
    All News staff will receive further training on their editorial, legal and code obligations.’)

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