Activists con TV shows By VANESSA WILLIAMS 06feb02 A CURRENT Affair and Today Tonight have been duped by masked activists pretending to be food-scavenging, drain-dwelling bludgers raising a "dole army" on the Internet. The group, called the Dole Army, used the stunt to promote their website and test how far the programs would go to verify stories, a spokeswoman for the group said. ACA and Today Tonight ran the story on Monday. In the stories, the group said they chose not to work, lived in tunnels and drains and scavenged bins for food. Dole Army member Agent Koala, who refused to give her real name, also claimed Today Tonight footage of tunnels beneath Melbourne was actually filmed in a 10m-long tube-like structure above ground in a disused Brunswick brick factory. Today Tonight's Melbourne supervising producer Steve Carey said his crew had assured him part of the film was shot underground. Mr Carey said the program had taken the group "in good faith". Yesterday, he called them "faceless liars". The show, aired on Channel 7, gave the Dole Army $1000 for their story, after the group demanded payment for an interview, because it was in the public interest for people to be informed of their activities, Mr Carey said. Agent Koala alleged Channel 9's A Current Affair also offered $2000 to stop them talking to the rival show and gave them 30 blank digital tapes. ACA producer Allen Craig denied money was offered but said tapes were given after the Dole Army gave them footage. "They asked for money . . . there was no way in the world I was going to pay nameless people in balaclavas," Mr Craig said. The Dole Army is a group of 70 activists, comprising the unemployed and employed, actors, artists and university students, which runs a website for the unemployed. http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=22011&group=webcast http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,3721885%255E662,00.html
