Self-claimed as Australia's oldest newspaper, The Betoota Advocate is hitting the road for the first-time ever for a national live tour.
Editor-at-large Errol Parker and editor Clancy Overell will bring to the stage their trademark wit and humour that have made them, and The Betoota Advocate, one of the country's most-trusted news sources.
Clancy says The Betoota Advocate Live show will be a chance for readers to see what really happens behind the scenes and how the news gets made.
“What we're going to be doing is lifting the veil a little bit on what it is that we do at The Betoota Advocate in the newsroom and talking about the process we go through to write these articles that everybody's read,” Clancy says.
“We'll be revealing a little bit about the inner workings of the actual newspaper, of course with a focus on the town that inspires us and that we are the voice of to everyone around the country.”
Established in the mid-1800s on the sunburnt plains of far-west Queensland, The Betoota Advocate made the transition into digital news in 2014 and became widely read for its informative and entirely factual articles.
With thought-provoking and socially-conscious articles like ‘Builder Shocked As Apprentice Comes Back From Bunnings With Tartan Paint, Box Of Bright Sparks’, ‘Demolished Cheeseboard Suggests The Girls Are Having A Real Crack Tonight‘, ‘Reversing Boat Trailer Results in Chorus of Woo Sounds From Nearby Dads', and ‘Australia Enjoys Another Peaceful Day Under Oppressive Gun Control Laws’, it's little wonder why the other media organisations even bother anymore.
In a year filled with choice news stories just ripe for the Betoota treatment – from citizenship sagas to procreating politicians – Errol says that one story more than any other stood out from the rest in his journalistic view. “It's hard as a cricket fan to walk past the ball-tampering scandal and the complete farce that was f...ing right up behind it,” he says.
“You've got these pretty young fellas who've just been the victim of unfounded outrage and poor context, and they've paid dearly for it. I mean, two of them are off in Canada playing the hit-and-giggle over there, and you've got Cam Bancroft who's just been living in the nets for the past nine months. I mean where is it going to end?”
And don't even get them started on the whole Channel Nine/ Fairfax merger rigmarole. “Everything in this industry is always governed by the bottom line and when Fairfax were at their accountants just before tax time this year, I bet the accountant had a pretty straight face and he said: 'look, I think it might be time to marry-up, fellas'.”
Though both admit it’s a grim time to be a journalist, what with all this ‘fake news’ being bandied about, they says it’s also exciting to see what the future holds for the Fourth Estate.
To the incoming generation of budding young journalists undeterred by the forebodings of doom, Clancy and Errol have some ageless wisdom to impart. “Never underestimate a politician’s willingness to talk about themselves [sic] and appear relevant,” Clancy offers.
Errol adds: “The easiest way to get a good picture of a man is to keep your mouth closed and just listen, and never underestimate the power of what having a good handshake and good manners can get you.”
The Betoota Advocate Live 2018 Tour
Sat 3 Nov - Townsville Civic TheatreSun 4 Nov - Darwin Entertainment Centre
Tue 6 Nov - Empire Theatre (Toowoomba)
Thu 8 Nov - QPAC (Brisbane)
Fri 9 Nov - NightQuarter (Gold Coast)
Sun 11 Nov - Anita’s Theatre (Wollongong)
Tue 13 Nov - Civic Theatre (Newcastle)
Fri 16 Nov - Astor Theatre (Perth)
Sat 17 Nov - Hamer Hall (Melbourne)
Sun 18 Nov - Odeon Theatre (Hobart)
Thu 22 Nov - AEC Theatre (Adelaide)
Fri 30 Nov - Llewellyn Hall (Canberra)
Sat 1 Dec - Sydney Opera House
