WELL, that was quite a frenzied pig-sticking, the sort of thing you'd expect at the tail end of a medieval carnival. I am, of course, referring to the response to the Gupta family's African News Network 7.
Here was such inept broadcasting that it reconfirmed a long-held suspicion that television cannot do journalism, but is otherwise excellent at furniture. Some of the gaffes were priceless. I found it hilarious, for example, that Grand Prix was pronounced "grand pricks" - but then only because the mispronunciation rang true; personally, I've always felt that "motorsport" was an activity that catered exclusively for such people.
I was, admittedly, initially alarmed at the jeering. After all, mistakes can and do happen. News anchors with more established, professional networks do fluff their lines. Production staff at the SABC have even inadvertently shown us moving clips from their porno collections.
Such "off script" moments are usually rare and fleeting. In the case of ANN7, the cock-ups came hard and fast, often with agonisingly awkward silences and presenters frozen in terror like mice in a serpent's gaze.
But after reconsideration, I concluded the derision, though cruel, was not inappropriate, coming as it did at the expense of President Jacob Zuma's special friends.
At a time when it appears there is little out there that is not Guptable, we can at least be reassured that, despite their very deep pockets, the family has been unable to buy our respect. It was also pleasing to see that, at the time of writing, at least one website, www.liveleaks.com, had not bowed to Gupta pressure, like YouTube, and removed the ANN7 howlers from the internet.