I auditioned for the Stig; all I got was ACA lies

[Quicksand]

A Current Affair’s road safety crusade could be about to enter slippery legal territory after it used recycled footage from a two-year-old Top Gear audition tape in a faked attempt to “trap” a hoon driver.

Last night on ACA, the heavily promoted opening segment, entitled “Car Hoon” and tagged with an “exclusive” watermark, ran three full minutes of footage of a mystery man called “Carlo” driving his souped-up Nissan somewhere on Sydney’s roads.

<YouTube video here in original source link. Click below to view it>

“We’ll let the video speak for itself, because we want your help to find him,” intoned host Tracey Grimshaw before airing the video of ”Carlo” “drifting” across double lines to the network’s heavy metal soundtrack. At the end of the segment, reporter Tom Steinfort issued a shout for viewers to catch “Crazy Carlo”, and promised a follow-up on tonight’s program.

“But first we have to find him and that’s where you come in. We believe his name is Carlo — Crazy Carlo.” Steinfort then aired a cleaned-up image of the vehicle’s registration.

But Crikey can reveal that the source for the story was the YouTube clip below, uploaded to the web on September 26 last year. The clip clearly identified the driver’s first and last name and its intended purpose — an audition tape for the mysterious Stig test-driver on the local version of Top Gear.

“Hi everybody at Freehand, my name is Carlo Arena and I would like to be your Stig.”

<YouTube video here in original source link. Click below to view it>

(For those unaware, The Stig is an white-clad character on both versions of Top Gear who test-drives vehicles under a cloak of anonymity. Top Gear’s production company Freehand issued a shout out for Stig auditions way back in 2007. Arena submitted an audition and hadn’t heard anything back — until last night.)

Damningly for Steinfort and Nine, the YouTube source not only includes lingering footage of the driver, but also reveals his first and last name, which Steinfort claims not to know. None of this footage was aired by Nine.

Crikey contacted Arena and his representative (Arena was in a meeting consulting with his lawyers) told Crikey there were only two copies of the video — one retained by Arena and the other sent to Freehand. The YouTube video was uploaded about a year after the initial audition tape was submitted and the poster and the initial commenters were far from friendly. Nine secured the rights to Top Gear at around the same time the video was posted.

“Look at the date on the YouTube video. You can draw your own conclusions,” Arena’s representative said.

Crikey understands that the Nissan in question was sold just months after the video was shot, on February 22, 2008, and the registration was binned when it later became a track car — rendering Nine’s shout-out pointless.

On the Freehand website, there are explicit instructions that the identity of the driver submitting tapes to the company would not be revealed. Under the section “How to Apply”, the company says the following:

Record anything you think demonstrates for what you are and what you can do … and if you want to be The Stig —  persuade us you know how to drive and we’ll NEVER reveal who you are — and you won’t either.”

Arena’s representative admitted to Crikey that the stunt was “dangerous”, said the road in question had been blocked off with other vehicles.

We called Freehand executive producer Peter Abbott to ask whether he had liaised with Nine over the tape but were told he was “asleep” in Los Angeles, despite it being 4pm Los Angeles time when we called. Another Freehand employee, who did not want to be named, told Crikey they had received “thousands” of audition tapes along the lines of Arena’s but were “certain” copies hadn’t been released to Nine.

Steinfort and A Current Affair refused to respond to Crikey’s requests for urgent comment.

But YouTube commenters on the source for the story were damning.

“So how did A Current Affair get the tape? If they want viewers to help them find him, why didn’t they show the video of him speaking to the camera at the start?” said one.

“I love how they slap “ACA exclusive” on the video - it’s on YouTube ffs, not exactly exclusive”, said another.

Source: http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/02/03/...-was-aca-lies/

Sorry if repost, i searched for the main key words mentioned in this article and nothing came up on the forums search results so...

[aye you]

its sad to sa, but it really doesn't surprise me that ACA would fake a story like this just for the ratings. It seems that ACA and 7's today tonight love to run stories for their own benefit.

Public Defimation case anyone?

[RedHotGT]

ACA going off half-c0cked about a story...
NO...
NEVER...

I look forward to seeing them worm their way out of this one...

EDIT: That boy can steer....

[GTP owner]

Bad news all around. This is only going to end in a lot of lawyers making lots of money and the muppets doing what muppets do best - move their mouth while someone else has a hand up their bah-humbug!

[RedHotGT]

I love that ACA and TT both say that they discuss their shows bewteen themselves before they air..
Yet by sheer fluke they (at least once or twice a week) run the same stories... or a story directly opposing the other...

Wait until TT get to burn ACA on this one...

[UNR8D]

I truely hope ACA get screwed by this... talk about a media beat up. Gutter journalism at its best.

[SunDrifter]

Some youtube commenter mentioned the statue of limitations for those driving offenses in NSW is six months. So hopefully Carlos won't get into too much trouble with plod. (perhaps one of the law types here can confirm this?)

Not the I condone that sort of driving (on public roads), but the idea of being harassed by ACA two years after the video was taken is IMO worse then drifting on a closed road.

[Fev]

Can't stand this show. They should all be slapped and then booted off the air, they've never done a selfless segment in the shows history and all they do is create fear and misconceptions.

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by loftie

I look forward to seeing them worm their way out of this one...

It's already begun...the part below in red cracks me up the most!!!!

Nine network flagship A Current Affair has been forced into an embarrassing backdown over its public pleas to “track down” an alleged hoon driver it already knew the identity of, claiming it wanted to give the driver a chance to “explain” himself.

As Crikey reported yesterday, on Tuesday night ACA host Tracy Grimshaw asked Australia for help to track down “Crazy Carlo”, even though they were aware of his real identity and the real reason behind the controversial “drifting” clip — Carlo was auditioning for Top Gear. Nine had used two-year-old YouTube footage lifted from a Top Gear audition tape to kick along its dangerous driving crusade.

As 1 million viewers huddled around ACA last night for the follow up story, reporter Tom Steinfort, under the headline “Hunt for Carlo”, claimed that the network had “withheld” Carlo Arena’s identity because he wanted him to “explain why he was behaving this way”.

But Crikey understands that ACA left a message on Arena’s voicemail claiming it wanted to get his side of the story — at 6.35pm on Tuesday, as the episode airing the two year old footage of him went to air.

“Now we thought it would have been unfair to splash the drivers’ full name and face across the country without first giving him the chance to explain why he was behaving this way on a public road. With that in mind we withheld a portion of the video in which he does indeed name himself, and claims he wants to be a stunt driver on SBS’ local version of Top Gear,” Steinfort explained mysteriously.

But if Nine really wanted viewers to find him, wouldn’t it have been helpful to tell viewers his name?

Just to be clear on this, this is what Steinfort said in the original story:

“But first we have to find him, and that’s where you come in. We believe his name is Carlo, Crazy Carlo”.

And then, this:

“So what do we know about this mad man? We know his registration plate.

“And the one thing we know for certain is that we can’t afford to have this dangerous driver anywhere near our roads.”

Even the Police were stumped.

“Police are asking for everyone’s help to catch this clown.”

Grimshaw ended the report with this:

“Well if you know this “Carlo” from Sydney and his Nissan, please call or email us and we’ll do our best to track him down for tomorrow night’s program”.

Not only did Nine know him, but they also had his mobile.

Steinfort made no mention of Channel 9’s heavily promoted acquisition of the rights to the Australian version of the show, referring instead to the old “SBS” program, which hasn’t aired for months.

As part of their original story, Nine also consulted Ian Luff, a motoring expert it had drafted in to sink the knife in.

Crikey contacted Luff yesterday, who repeatedly refused to deny he had seen the full unedited YouTube clip that revealed Arena’s identity and the Top Gear link. But here the story gets even murkier. Arena told Crikey through his spokesperson that he had spoken to Luff at a wake for Sydney’s Oran Park raceway last Monday.

Arena also received a certificate of excellence from Luff after he attended one of his driver motivation courses. Oran Park was a key legal site for the controversial practice of “drifting” cited in the original ACA story before it was earmarked for sale for a new housing development.

The story has received major traction. Today Tonight, also boasting a million viewers, led with the video last night, linking the real reason behind the clip — the Top Gear audition tape — to the potential for more trouble on the roads.

They may have a point. As Arena has pointed out, the production company behind Top Gear, Freehand, explicitly encouraged drivers on its website to strut their stuff for the cameras under the promise of anonymity. The real identity of the mysterious Stig is never revealed on the show.

But what about Nine’s promised “police investigation”? Is there any prospect of a two-year-old YouTube audition tape being used as evidence to throw Arena “behind bars”?

Last night NSW Police Acting Superintendent Dave Evans told ACA viewers that the plod was launching an investigation into Arena and, amid prodding from Steinfort, said that he should be locked up.

“We’ll certainly be knocking on his door,” Evans said. “Activity like that on NSW roads. That’s where he should be: behind bars”.

Crikey contacted Evans this morning who clarified his comments, claiming that “…video vision alone is not enough to charge the driver.”

And Evans confirmed that under NSW law, the statute of limitations on “drive manner dangerous” and “hoon legislation” is six months, contradicting last night’s assertions from both Steinfort and himself that Arena and his film crew were “facing charges”.

Source: http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/02/04/...ke-hoon-story/

[DJL351]

Originally Posted by loftie

Wait until TT get to burn ACA on this one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCUuPE_hdzw

[FalconXR6]

If you've got a youtube video of you or your mates doing anything that is classed as "illegal" on public roads, here's your cue to remove the video !

I wonder if 0-100 times will be targetted next ?

Things could get very interesting...

[RedHotGT]

Originally Posted by DJL351

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCUuPE_hdzw

is that on tonight? or was it on last night??

Off Topic - I hope that Channel 9 don't wreck Top Gear....

[GS608]

I thought it was funny when TT ran the same story but showed the full clip and tried blaming Top Gear for hoons

[Whitey Ford]

If you watch ACA you get what you deserve.

It's like watching Star Trek and complaining it's not factual enough. Come on, it's rubbish TV.

[GTP owner]

I hear the "supercar scare" of 1974 happening all over again - watch governments crack down on anything with more than 200kw, and the fpv and hsv variants cop a hiding from the do gooders

[mrbaxr6t]

I find free to air television very moronic when on the one hand they are telling you that a television show top gear in this instance inspires people to go out and break laws then they cut to commercial where they want you to be a lemming and go and purchase something - they cant have it both ways but it seems thats how they want it - have your cake and eat it too addage springs to mind : :

[fakegt]

People, Demand = Supply, The only way to put an end to these crap shows is for the viewer(Thats you) to STOP watching them. If you keep tuning in, they keep making the show, we know though past efforts that they make lots of stuff up, edit interviews to tell it the way they want to portray you.
Good thing to do is to watch an ABC show called "Media Watch", they expose the bad behaviour of ACA, Today Tonight, Talk Back Radio and low rent Newspapers. You most likely see a story of this latest attempt to get ratings on the show next Monay night. http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/

So tonight at 6.30 make the first step to help their demise, Get up off the couch and do something meaningful, Walk the dog , play with the kids or bang a CD on!
These shows are an embarressment to Journalism.
Thats my rant!
Cheers, Dave

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by UNR8D

I truely hope ACA get screwed by this... talk about a media beat up. Gutter journalism at its best.

+ 1 to that, pass the popcorn please Charles.

[onfire]

If it's not Top Gear, it's the Fast and the Furious, if its not Torretto and his crew, it's those damn playstations.. and if it's not those video games, it's those damn Americans and their damn rap music.

Christ, if this was 1975 I wouldn't know who I was to blame.

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by loftie

...Off Topic - I hope that Channel 9 don't wreck Top Gear....

I didn't watch it on SBS because they chopped parts out of the shows. 9 is going to have to chop a further 20 minutes for adverts.

There are other ways to watch the entire show in HD, minus adverts, less than a day after it's released in the UK.

As for ACA, I was first amazed that they continue to show dribble like this and other stories, but when you see the ratings, I'm totally blown away that a lot of people get sucked into and continue to watch this, TT and other garbage like it.

[ltd_on20s]

download them off torrent sites.


i can't believe really how aca and TT continually get away with crap that even FOX, and yes thats horrendous, would cringe at.

damn disgrace.

i refuse to get my news from mainstream journalism anyway. it's a joke.

[NET351]

I never watch the BS but happened to catch the story as I was flicking channels. And it ****ed me off to see yet another example of poor journalism. Biased story with an agenda to scare and shock. The worst part is it adds fuel to the fire that car enthusiasts are all hoons! In turn that puts more pressure on those of us with classic cars with hot motors that do the right thing and race at the track. Let's hope media watch slams them!

[Airmon]

Love how TT use a very 'bogan' voice over to read aloud the comments supporting the act.

[mrbaxr6t]

Originally Posted by GTP owner

I hear the "supercar scare" of 1974 happening all over again - watch governments crack down on anything with more than 200kw, and the fpv and hsv variants cop a hiding from the do gooders

mate they don't need any ideas and I hope this dark era of GTHO killing does not repeat itself. And if it does watch all the enthusiasts do what they did then - not buy a new car

[UNR8D]

they winge because they build near a race track, then complain when its taken to the streets, general public and media have alot to answer for regarding as to why this is being such a huge topic, the moron's complain about it but hate all the solutions, people have been racing since you were transported in chariots so its not exaclty going to stop by people sticking their head in the sand and hoping it all goes away.

[Bundy]

wow feels like I've been here before.....

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthr...94#post3024494

Originally Posted by bundy

on that fast and furious note......

Avid watchers of Top Gear, 5th Gear, Extreme Machines, Grunt Files, Sumernats, Gazzanats, Motovation, NHRA, ANDRA, V8 Supercars, World rally, A1 GP, F1............

oh boy am I a hoon

[magoo66]

Originally Posted by Whitey Ford

If you watch ACA you get what you deserve.

It's like watching Star Trek and complaining it's not factual enough. Come on, it's rubbish TV.

Well that certainly explains why the Federation haven't been answering my letters regarding entry into Starfleet Academy. LOL.

[TUF_302]

ACA Made something up!? Serioulsy! they wouldn't do something like that! :

[elvisidal]

ACA has gone way downhill since the departure of the hair helmet.
Anyone remember eric bana's take off him on fast forward?

Originally Posted by FalconXR6

If you've got a youtube video of you or your mates doing anything that is classed as "illegal" on public roads, here's your cue to remove the video !

I wonder if 0-100 times will be targetted next ?

Things could get very interesting...

shouldn't be there anyway.I remember a few stories about 3-4 years ago of the force charging people using you tube clips as evidence.
Put em on Vimeo instead

[fou_bleu]

Oh my god! Top Gear is to blame for every 'hoon' act anyone does on earth? GET A LIFE!!! lol

Anyways, he can probably drive that Nissan 200SX better than a copper could drive his SV6 or XR6! lol
Oh the sanity ACA & TT lack... it's hilarious!