Claims Tibet ad pulled at last minute

The Age[Sunday, August 10, 2008]

Josh Gordon

CHANNEL Seven has been accused of "pulling" an advertisement highlighting human rights abuses in Tibet, booked to be screened during Friday night's opening ceremony.

Advocacy organisation GetUp! claims that a TV ad produced jointly with the Australia Tibet Council was dumped at the last minute by Games host network Seven because the broadcaster feared it would damage commercial arrangements with the International Olympic Committee and China.

The ad depicts an Australian Tibetan woman making a plea to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to speak out on human rights issues in Tibet before he leaves Beijing. GetUp! said the 30-second ad was scheduled to run both before and after the ceremony in five capital cities and five regional centres.

GetUp! director Brett Solomon said his organisation would now buy time on channels Nine and Ten to air the ad over the next two weeks.

"Our plan is to run the television ad on every other (major) station in the country but Seven," Mr Solomon said.

But Seven is denying the claims, saying GetUp! had in fact booked an ad relating to the Government's Fuel Watch scheme, but Seven had been unable to air it because the opening ceremony ran 45 minutes late. Mr Francis said GetUp! was one of 18 clients whose ads did not air.

Mr Solomon said Seven's claims were "completely untrue".