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Billboard company rejects Can of Worms ads

TEN's Can of Worms gets its very own controversy after a billboard company gets nervous over the wording of its ad.

Sometimes you just can’t buy controversy, but TEN’s upcoming Can of Worms has landed its first -perfectly timed in the lead-up to the premiere.

Outdoor advertising giant APN has rejected two of the proposed ads for the panel show hosted by Ian “Dicko” Dickson, and relented on a third, because of the nature of their wording.

Rejected were two questions: “Is it wrong to tell your kids there is no God?” and “Is it wrong to dress up as Hitler for a fancy dress party?”

The company has backed down on a third question which was initially rejected: “Is it OK to spy on your kids online?”

The questions are ‘worms’ which will form part of the talk-fest on the TEN show.

“I can’t for the life of me see what’s so controversial about putting out a question like: ‘Is it OK to tell your kids there is no God?’,” Zapruder’s Other Films’ Anita Jacoby tells The Australian.

“I mean, isn’t that what we talk about around the dinner table every night? For one politically correct person within an organisation — who is fearful of government — to say we can’t talk about these things is wrong.”

The questions were some of the more tame ‘worms’ that will be coming. On its official website the show asks: Is porn just a normal part of everyday life? If a woman has had a boob job is it an open invitation to have a good look? Is it ok to go elsewhere for sex if you’re not getting any at home?

A TEN source said APN, which is a rival organisation to TEN’s own EYECorp Outdoor group, had pointed to its guidelines which say anything “political, sexual or offensive” was not acceptable.

Earlier this month, another outdoor advertising company, Adshel, was forced to back down on a decision to ban billboards on bus shelters in Brisbane promoting safe sex and the use of condoms. Adshel had been targeted by the Australian Christian Lobby.

Can of Worms will premiere in July.

24 Responses

  1. gerry: “and thus this billboard itself is trying to inflict the show’s view on religion onto viewers”

    But the show’s already doing this (by the logic you’ve suggested). This is nothing more than an advertisement for it.

    By such reasoning I’d expect APN should be rejecting *all* advertising that states opinion or statements that are outright wrong, as if they’re fact. Somehow I don’t think that’s in the nature of most billboard advertising.

    What actually happened was that APN pointed to a policy stating nothing offensive. So now I’m confident that from here on, APN will not accept any ad that advocates or implies the existence of a God as if it’s fact.

  2. The question: “Is it okay to tell your kids there is no God” is implying that there is no God, and thus this billboard itself is trying to inflict the show’s view on religion onto viewers. Who said there was no God? Just because you believe there is no God doesn’t mean that there is no God. The question should have been along the lines of “is it okay to inflict your religious views onto your kids?” as this does not imply if there is or is not a God. And no one can prove that there is or isn’t a God so the first question is incorrect and presumes that there isn’t a God when this can’t be proved.

  3. APN shouldn’t be blamed here, rather the close-minded people who want their vioce on everything. If they agreed to show the billboard they would get the brunt of the complaints, not just TEN and Zapruder’s Other Films.

  4. The APN has stopped atheist billboards / bus messages on more than one occassion as have other advertising organisations.

    I don’t know why everyone is so afraid of some whining bigots from the ACL these days. Just ignore them and they will soon realise they do not have the power they think they do.

  5. what Jeremy said would have been a far more acceptable question – but then i suppose it doesnt have the same “controversy” around it

    And like i said, I’m not a religious nutter, and I wouldnt like it if the questions was something like “Don’t you agree that God is the most devine being in the World and the answer to all our questions?” but a person is entitled to beleive in whatever they want – if thats God or Aliens or Santa and not have a billboard mocking them – don’t you all agree?

    This is not about whether God is real or not, this is about deliberate choices of world with the intent to ridicule or offend.

  6. @DansDans… Not sure what your point is…. Are you saying the question isn’t even allowed to be discussed? And personally i think the answer to the God question is obvious – you tell your kids what you believe without forcing your beliefs on them.

  7. That’s ridiculous. They’re not saying it’s ok to do those things, they’re asking “Is it ok?” The answer to both the banned questions could be “Yes!”.

    Here’s a question for you – is it wrong for some random marketing d!ckhead to decide what questions are permitted to be asked in this supposedly free society?

  8. Perhaps the question should have been: “Is it OK to tell your kids there is a god?” Pushing religion onto kids should be seriously looked at. Teach them morals.. not religion.

  9. EYECorp Outdoor group says its anything “political, sexual or offensive” was not acceptable.
    Really i see billboards everyday that are just that
    sometimes all three

  10. No doubt the advertising company was scared of the Christian backlash if they had gone ahead with the billboards. We tell our kids that Santa isn’t real, so why not fess up that god is also a make believe character, the stuff of fairytales.

  11. The ads look promising! Let people on the street answer the ‘worms’ and keep the editing fast. We don’t need a panel trying to interject humour.

  12. @DabsDans She’s the producer of a TV show which is about asking big questions… so she’s asking one. And she has the right to say that in any case.

  13. @DansDans – why can’t she say that? Would the opposite question be okay? (“Is it okay to tell your kids there is a God?”)

    Good questions, a promising start. Hope they get to tackle the questions with some depth.

  14. I’m surprised Nine didn’t commission this show.

    It would have been another flop for sure.

    A panel show discussing controversial topics? And headed by that annoying gasbag Dicko???

    I won’t be watching.

  15. As it closer to the date i am really looking forward to this show. I just hope they have intelligent debate rather than cheap gag material with such acts as Fitzy and Mick

  16. I’m no bible basher or religious freak, but what gives “Zapruder’s Other Films’ Anita Jacoby ” the right to say something like “Is it OK to tell your kids there is no God?” Who does she think she is?

  17. I think Anita Jacoby’s comments are a bit melodramatic. Who is Australia sits around the dinner table and talks about God? Who in Australia cares? The Hitler one is just stupid and so overdone. How about posting this question on the billboard: “Did Network 10 ruin their channel by programming 2.5 hours of news at the beginning of the year?”

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