Challenge Discovery Channel's Shark Week

Written by Administrator

Thursday, 25 June 2009 17:12

Discovery Channel's Shark Week programming has become increasingly sensationalist, reinforcing false, mythologized images of sharks as stupid, vicious killing machines. Some friends of ours have prepared an online petition calling for a boycott of Shark Week. Have a look at the petition here and please consider supporting it.

Discovery usually includes some amount of fair, balanced, interesting, and factually accurate programming about sharks during Shark Week. These programs may not get the ratings that the terrible sensationalist garbage gets, but this indicates that Discovery Channel is capable of airing great shark stories. We encourage them to do more of the good stuff.

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science teachR said:

...
I have to say that I am an active supporter of shark conservation, and every year, the programs on the Discovery Channel become worse to the point of where I have stopped watching it. Instead, I use the anger from the "sensationalized" t.v. potrayal of sharks to fuel my own efforts for conservation. I have lived in South Florida for the past 6 years and teach middle school aged children about the importance of sharks as apex predators and their role in the ocean ecosystems. I was amazed at the misconceptions that these children had about sharks before giving them any "factual" knowledge that was not from the media. When really thinking about it, it is very much due to bad programming and a major lack of public awareness about the "big picture" not just the negatives which media loves to play on. The Discovery Channel really needs to stop and think about the young minds that are watching their shows, building a generation of conservation not destruction is key to the survival of sharks.

August 13, 2009
Votes: +0

michael christie said:

	What happen to the public service announcements???? Did I blink during Shark Week? Where was Sen John Kerry's public service announments? Was this one more politician's lets get on board for the cause of the moment ploys? If it was shame on him.I'll wait,but then I think he should hear from all of us.We shouldn't have to put up with this!
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August 07, 2009
Votes: +0

stacey songy said:

	rebeccar i think they should protect the shark even know they attack people shark think u r prey i was watahing on tv if i was attack shark i would still save them and love sharks even great white shark
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August 02, 2009
Votes: +0

me said:

hell's aquarium
Sorry if this is off topic, but did anyone catch this release this week? Thought it might be of interest to all prehistoric fans.

ACTRESS LANA WOOD ATTACKED
BY 70 FOOT SHARK

Hollywood actress Lana Wood, who once played Plenty O’Toole opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever, was attacked by what eyewitnesses say was a Megalodon, a 70-foot, 70,000 pound prehistoric cousin of the Great White shark. The attack occurred in the waters off the coast of Monterey, California. . .in the pages of New York Times best-selling author Steve Alten’s new release MEG: Hell’s Aquarium.
Lana Wood, a former Playboy centerfold, has an extensive career in the movies, and wrote a best-selling memoir about her late sister, actress Natalie Wood, back in 1986. She contacted Steve Alten a year ago and asked him to make her a character in his new MEG book, the fourth and best story in the series.

In his review of Hell’s Aquarium, Steve Donoghue, Managing Editor of Open Letters Monthly states, “Alten writes the whole thing in hyperkinetic present tense, with turns and twists in every scene until it squeaks…there’s a scene late in the book involving a shark autopsy that any thriller-writer would give a tonsil to have thought up! The whole thing fizzes with the kind of fun delirium only the most effective giant killer shark novels dare to attempt.”

http://www.wix.com/Meg_HellsAquarium/meg

July 29, 2009
Votes: -1

Henry said:

Kerry teams with cable channel to protect sharks
Some good news????

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/07/kerry_teams_wit.html

Senator John F. Kerry's office announced today that he’s joining forces with the Discovery Channel to help end the illegal practice of shark finning.

Throughout the channel's 22nd annual "Shark Week" of programming, it will run public service announcements and push an online petition to support a bill Kerry introduced in April that would close a loophole for shark fin transport and strengthen enforcement to ensure sharks are transported with their fins attached.

In shark finning, fisherman slice off a shark’s fin primarily for use in shark fin soup. But critics say the practice has led to a seventy-five percent decrease in certain shark populations over the last fifteen years.

“Huge demands on the foreign fin trade have fueled massive population declines and a serious disruption of our waters,” Kerry said in a statement. “We need much stronger solutions to finally end this illicit trade, and current protections haven’t gotten the job done. We need to get serious, and I’m thrilled to see Discovery Channel’s willingness to roll up its sleeves and help get the job done.”

July 27, 2009
Votes: -1

Michael Christie said:

Sharkdiver
I was part of a group of shark divers from all over the U.S. down at Stuart Cove's two years ago. A film maker was filming us dive with the sharks and interviewing us regarding our back grounds and asking us questions about shark diving.There were doctors,nurses,business people,etc telling the film maker the joy we all had diving with these incredible creatures.The film maker submitted the project to the Discover's Channel and was told it was not informative enough.I guess not showing us being attack wasn't of interest to them. I agree, the Discover's has been missing the point lately.They should be helping create awareness to protect sharks and educate people in the important role they play in our aquatic ecosystem.

July 10, 2009
Votes: +4

Kim said:

	... I also have come to be annoyed with Discovery's Shark Week programming. Last year, after the conclusion of Shark Week I wrote to Discovery telling how upsetting their programming choice was. I never heard back. I can only hope that this year they think long and hard about the programming they air.
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June 29, 2009
Votes: +3

Sharkbait said:

Couldn't agree more!
I agree...I was totally disgusted with the last installment of shark week. It was all about attacks and no information on species, shark conservation, etc. It was total yellow journalism and made it sound like you would be brutally attacked any time you go to the beach. People need to be shown what sharks are really like and that most shark attacks can be avoided, few are random and unprovoked.

June 28, 2009
Votes: +3

brandon paige said:

	dive manager I agree, sensationalized shark programs should not be allowed on TV. People that don't dive all fear sharks and so do many divers. In this day and age we all need to be PR agents for sharks and educate as many people as we can about sharks and their role in the ocean.
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June 27, 2009
Votes: +3

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