DR1 launched a new consumer watch-dog show called Kontant this evening. It's presented with the incredible and repeatedly excellence of the undoubtedly best Danish TV-journalist currently gracing our TV's: Mette Vibe Utzon. (Besides this new venture, she also runs Debatten — the best debate show I can remember ever seeing.)
Utzon's new show is really, really amazing. It's the most straight-forward, tightly-packed, and hard-hitting watch-dog show you could imagine. With just 25 minutes to present two stories, they deliver a sublime cutting and presentation of the stable watch-dog ingredients:
Hidden camera tapings catching sales people lying and revealing dirty secrets from their organizations
Consumer outrage with five people saying "this sucks, they're ripping us off"
Purchase law attorney proclaiming that "this is clearly illegal" and demanding further investigations
Big picture of the company boss looking really evil while the presenter regrets the complete denial of all requests for comments
Trade spokesperson condemning the particular business for their ill-fate actions
Statistical data irrefutably proving systematic deception of consumers
Closing encouragement to return to the store where you've been ripped off to get what's yours
This is Must See TV. If nothing else then for the educational Tour de Force in investigative and critical journalism. I'm in awe.
I think your concept of critical journalism suffers from the low standards of danish journalism.
This program was a traditional danish consumer program containing two relatively uinteresting stories. I have no idea why you would be ever so impressed with this show.
To address the show itself; I found the use of hidden cameras to be pointless. The salesman would probably have answered in the exact same way even if he was being interviewed for television. Seemed a feeble attempt to seem investigative when it actually wasn't.
Furthermore timing how long it would take to find an outdated salad had no argumentative point. If the supermarket in question actually had a salad that was expired, it would be obvious to anyone, that it would take no more than a few minuts to find it. Hence why even bother making this point or try to compare different supermarkets on this basis. It was without any relevance whatsoever.
All in all I found the program relatively informative but traditional and in no way hard-hitting. Hard-hitting journalism is a very rare commodity in Denmark. Though eg. Deadline on DR2 is a much better choice if that is what you are looking for.
Didn't see the program though I've seen trailers for it. I remember thinking "oh no" another variation over Jersild's Rapporten.
I used to really like and trust Rapporten but once they had a story about how Microsoft were ignoring security concerns. I would be the first to bash Microsoft for that, but it was amazingly clear to me that the story there were not well researched and that the journalist were just bullying representatives from Microsoft.
When you know a business very well you can see through that, but otherwise those programmes rely on you trusting the journalist to present all the fact and be fair. My trust in danish tv-journalists have suffered one major blow and my trust is shaken.
I was impressed by the execution of the show. I readily acknowledge that neither the revelations nor the topics was earth-shattering, but within their scope, I thought this came close to perfection.
I also agree that the clock in the second segment was without argumentative merit, but they made it up in total by repeating the expert's statements three times with perfect intervals:
"This... This salad is ruined"
I was ready to clap my hands by the third time.
The topics were OK, but the execution anything but.
Kontant is very much unlike Rapporten. It's much more about facts and expert opinions than random, ranting editorializing, which I concur that Rapporten has a lot of.
Challenge by Allan on January 20, 2:18
Apart from the fact that Debatten actually started out as a good show (before their current host, which I generally dislike) then I took David's article to be a brilliant piece of sarcasm -- but based on his comments I see that this does not seem to be the intended goal...
I am contacting you because I need your help.
There is an organization called American Cash Flow Association that is scandalous, deceptive and defrauding toward innocent Americans.
The states of TN, WS and IL have filed cease and desist against them.
There should be a class action suit made against them for the problems they have caused.
Most are taken on the front side of the scandals in a get rich quick scenario as they have concocted a great scam over the years, often changing their name.
Media has negatively covered them in the past and they still hold strong as the attention dies. The scandalous behavior has been covered by the Washington Post, Newsweek and aprox. 145 other news papers.
My company has an interesting defraud with them that is on the backside of the usual deceptive path. The members defrauded us for a coprerate loan and then were protected by American Cash Flow in writting when confronted. We are out $10.5k up front to them, 10k attorney fee for the loan and lost opportunity. They said they had a funding source but, when we asked the source we recieved a full letter of no such sourcing existing. We have given them many opportunities to make the wrong right. We have proof and are seeking help from you. Please give us the opportunity to share with you our story.
We plan to protest the convention in New Orleans and are contacting others who have complained about them. This is a huge story that needs to be uncovered in an expose' and to inform government officials of the public outcry.
The BBB half heartedly protects them as they are paying members.
One can go to the internet and investigate them for for an hour and find many people angry, desepted and in need of help.
As a final note that you may find interesting, past leaders have gone up for charges and lost yet they continue to operate by changing or adding corporate names.
They hold aprox. 30 names at one address revealing their deception.
These guys are lawyers and corporation so we offer our complaint two fold based on both.
We feel it is our mission to tell our story in order to keep others from being harmed.
Good Job,
James Prater
CEO Summer Salt Entertainment
cell 818-395-1251
I look forward to your call
Not sure what this site is but I feel like I have been ripped-off by Circuit City and there extended warrenty program. They keep want to keep replacing a defective cell phone with another defectinve cell phone and refuse to give me a store credit. Can anyone help me.
