Whilst it’s not exactly ‘already done news’, it certainly feels like you could be accurate in reporting each night that there’s “more tragedy from Ukraine”, and unfortunately this evening was no exception. With the backing of SBS’s new team, The Feed is able to regularly show some harrowing and awful footage from Ukraine- this time from the Russian border.
Because, y’know, everything gets better when the Russian military is involved…
The show’s first major story though, brought the tone back up- if to a still challenging level. The point where money and religion meet, be it on tax exempt status, Scientology, donations or otherwise, is always going to be a hot topic worth bringing up. To the absolute credit to team at The Feed, they managed to present this is a relatively neutral way; it would be all too easy to fall into one’s own prejudices here, especially considering how much money churches accrue without paying tax OR how important churches are to a functioning society (depending on which side of the fence you fall here). Special shout out to the animated graphics team here, who frankly always do excellent work.
The night’s main story was an excellent look into the gay community of Broken Hill. Living in the city (as I’m sure so many The Feed viewers, AU Review readers do), it’s easy to forget how marginalised certain things are just a few hours west- and the homosexual community is top of the list. The team gave a brilliant brief look into the community of Broken Hill, and the steps they’re taking to change attitudes and beliefs in the stereotypically less-then-open-minded culture of Western New South Wales.
For all the leaps and bounds the Sydney Mardi Gras has taken, this is where the battle is still being fought. Where men in pubs giggle at the idea of someone being gay or shrug and smirk out a “no comment” when asked their view. This was a great look into something many of us may unfortunately forget about from time to time, and one of the show’s best pieces of the year so far.
Review Score: THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Feed airs Monday-Thursday, 7:35 (repeated 10:30) on SBS2
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