For three consecutive nights this week, however, the Australian network SBS has applied the methods of the reality show genre to the thorniest of political issues - the arrival of immigrants by boat - offering viewers a fly-on-the-wall insight into both the homes of Congolese and Iraqi families, and also their troubled homelands.

BBC: Reality TV tackles immigration

Standing on the bow of Captain Frank Crescitelli's 25-foot boat, preparing to cast a fly into Jamaica Bay, we expect another hit from a feisty bluefish or burly striped bass.

FORBES: Urban Angling

Nearly everyone could hire a helicopter or boat, make their own needs assessments and distributions, and 'fly the flag'.

CNN: Learning lessons from past disasters

Farther upstream, the horizon turns pink and the boat punts towards hundreds of squawking flamingos, hopping in and out of the water as they forage for lunch or fly off to the riverbanks.

BBC: Relaxing among the Yucatan's flamingos