Adelaide viewers criticise Sunrise for belated fire coverage

@sunriseon7 pic.twitter.com/HOsEVsZQcs

— Sophie (@barbietheturtle) January 4, 2015

Sunrise has copped a truckload of complaints on social media from Adelaide viewers who have accused it of ignoring fires in South Australia for 2 days, before finally reporting on a “small grass fire.”

Fires surrounding Adelaide, described by authorities as the worst conditions since the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, have destroyed 12 homes with fears for 20 others, injured 23 people and destroyed 13,000 hectares of scrub.

Weekend Sunrise did include a full news report and live Press Conference, but locals were incensed at the lack of coverage over the preceding days, and in particular the wording that “Meanwhile more than 300 fires have started in Victoria over the past two days.”

It’s a rare misstep for the network given its ratings dominance in South Australia and where David Koch as Chairman of Port Adelaide.

On the Sunrise Facebook page, viewers let rip:

Maureen Hall “Have been watching Sunrise and Channel 7 news for years, but feel very let down over the last 48 hours over their lack of coverage of our South Australian fires.”

Amanda Lovatt “If you want 100% coverage on the so called “grass fire” and If you have access to Foxtel, put on channel 600 and or 601, Sky News has been keeping me informed since it started. Oh and ABC News. Don’t bother watching Sunrise, th.e reports are misleading and inaccurate”

Kass Lehmann “Wow sunrise, I used to watch you all the time but over the years I’ve stop due to this type of crap. We are all Australians and it would be nice for once to stop hearing just about Vic, NSW, QLD and maybe equal amounts of our whole country because in case you didn’t know SA, WA and NT are also part of this country.”

Tracy Heasman Bettridge “You finally report about Adelaide. . Then make Melbourne sound worse with 300 fires.. what a joke!!! U disgust me sunrise”

Scott Sharland “I guess it isn’t “a small grass fire” after all Sunrise. You are a joke ch7!!”

Aimee-Adele Cece “‘Meanwhile in Melbourne’… So basically no big deal for the South Australians who have lost homes, animals the huge risk on our firefighters trying to save those affected. We have lost complete suburbs in our fire at the moment. Isn’t one of ur hosts the chairman for one of our football teams? what a true supporter for our state! Sorry what were you saying about ‘meanwhile back in Melbourne?'”

Megan Megsy Brooks “Just a little grass fire as Justin Felkel Said! Only just 11,500 ha & 175klms total perimeter but it’s tiny I guess because South Australia has a bigger land mass than Victoria! Sunrise u disgrace Me! And I normally watch ur show Too!”

Mitchell Heard “Took you 3 days!! If this were happening in Sydney or Melbourne it would be non sto coverage and a special extended edition of Sunrise. Nope, Adelaide and SA must not exist to you guys Hashtag Morons!!!!”

Tania Robertson “Loving Today’s (on nine) coverage of the fires in SA, am so far away from family and friends in SA and Today have done such a great job of making it a priority, I now wake up with Today!!!”

Carol “Young why isnt Channel 7 covering this continuously like they do when there are fires and floods in the eastern states. Hello we are just as important here in Adeliade, there is more to Australia than the eastern states you know. I am so annoyed that I am going to probably wath another cannel from now on…….wake up”

Lee Pixie “Mean while fires have been started in Victoria it shows who you really care about… Everyone South Australia doesn’t exist to Chanel 7 let alone to sunrise”

Steph Stewart Matt Little “Oh thank god I’m not the only one who feels this way…. When the siege in Sydney was on Sunrise televised every minute of it… Yet now something that is threatening so many is happening and I have to wait for the news to see what is going on….poor effort Sunrise… My thoughts and prayers go out to the families effected”

Sarah Hart “Couple days late sunrise, I’d love to know what would be headlines if half of SA didn’t say something…”

Adam Blom “Very poor effort Sunrise? Why was this not considered news worthy? If this was a Melb or Sydney fire you would have been there in a flash & spent entire broadcast from “ground zero”. I guess it was all too hard…maybe Mel Doyle – the self-appointed ‘news breaker’ wasn’t available?”

Mathew Nicholson “Thanks for that 1 minute coverage of the SA fires. What a joke.”

Rebecca Long “Pathetic Sunrise, the coverage was 10 times better on CBS, CNN etc. It seems the Adelaide “BUSH” fires rate as news to the rest of the world.”

Gabi Ashmeade “Finally. Only took 3 days. Were all watching ABC now…”

Sara Reynolds “Bit late to the game sunrise.”

Twitter also vented against the show:

Andrew Osborne ‏@ervefel
@sunriseon7 Hang-on.. The fire has been going for 44hrs & has >170km frontage, yet this is the first we hear of it…?!

Jacqueline Ogilvy ‏@luvjacqueline1
@sunriseon7 wow your fire coverage is terrible.Have a read over your tweets below,mostly immature headlines.Unfollowing #prayforadelaide

∞turtles∞ ‏@ainsley_mae
@sunriseon7 This fire has been gone for many days now and only now you mention a little bit,such a disgrace

Kaz Bar ‏@princess_me1983
@sunriseon7 not such a “small grass fire” then is it?

Johnny ‏@SouthOzJohnny
@sunriseon7 So now you give it some coverage…

Brendan Collyer ‏@brendanc84
@sunriseon7 really? Just a small grass fire is that what they had to say?

Veronica ‏@blondie4rhino73
@sunriseon7 a case of better late than never NOT!

Kate Wall ‏@TheKateWall
this morning they covered all about vic but SA’s fires were just small grass fire, which has been big n uncontrolled for 2days

Chri$tine ‏@Stinemachine13
@sunriseon7 lol You finally woke up! No worries Sunrise, we don’t need you anyway. The good folk of South Australia are fine on our own!

To Ny ‏@madtat
@TheKateWall @sunriseon7 its 7 they wont bother unless they can show footage its all about ratings they dont care otherwise

Ashley Warren ‏@Ashley_Warren1
@sunriseon7 a bit late what a disgrace. “small grass Fire” is it. “under control” is it. time for a public apology.

SA Bushfire Recovery hotline: 1800 302 787

Update:
Sunrise advises “Weekend Sunrise had the most comprehensive coverage of the SA bushfires, including going Live into SA on Sunday and doing an extra 30 minutes on that day just for that market to keep them updated on the situation as it changed. The story dominated Weekend Sunrise rundowns on both Saturday and Sunday, and indeed this morning, with live crosses to reporters and fire officials across the city. The blazes were described at all times as out of control when they were. Our reporting was informative and accurate.”