Friday, 19 October 2007

Ant & Dec : Seedy UK

BIG FAT FRAUD

Michael Grade was having problems with what Fraud actually is on the Today programme, how about this Michael:

An Illegal activity of trying to conceal information intentionally for personal gain. Many frauds involving financial transactions are committed by business professionals, who use their knowledge and gained credibility to deceive customers

Or how about all of these

He was also trying to push the line that ITV weren’t trying to gain financial from running competitions fraudulently. I’m not totally sure but I believe intent only changes the severity of the sentence not the culpability; it’s the difference between manslaughter and murder for instance.

Let’s be clear ITV loved the huge dollops of free cash that came into the channel, they all got rich and didn’t care a jot about doing things properly. They held tens of meetings where editorial decisions were made and no one questioned whether fixing the competitions was wrong. The audience weren’t totally daft most people knew it was a lottery but enjoyed a flutter via text, with distant hope of a win and the chance to meet and Ant and Dec. The also enjoyed voting for their favourite celeb etc. which however vacouous the programme hardly a crime. The exs in charge didn’t care and committed fraud by deliberately fixing things. If your pay is liked to ratings and you take peoples money dishonestly in order to boost ratings it's a crime.

How would Michael Grades defence work at a village fete? How would you feel if you bought a tombola ticket and the organisers decided that the woman next to you might jump up and down that bit more when she won a bottle of pomagne?

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