Kiwi journalism
 | Posted by The Editor on Saturday 14 July 2007, 3:51 pm Categories: Media, The Age, Them crazy... Tags: Tags: BeckEleven, iPod, journalism, lightning, TheAge, ThePress |
Picked up a copy of the New Zealand south island’s main newspaper, The Press, to read at the airport yesterday. On page two the paper reproduced the widely reported recent story about the Canadian man who was injured after his iPod’s earphones channeled a lightning bolt.
Wired for sound? You could be wired for death.
Wearing an iPod or other portable device could increase your chance of being struck by lightning.
A Canadian man suffered wishbone-shaped burns across his neck and chest, ruptured eardrums and a broken jaw when lightning travelled through his music player’s wires.
Bam! What an opening sentence. That’s four years of journalism degree right there.
However, the article continues. In order to spice up the wire story and pass it off as fresh journalism The Press sourced some useless statistics from the NZ government:
An ACC spokeswoman said although there had been 34 recorded cases of lightning strike in New Zealand over the past five years, none had involved portable electronic devices.
Whew, that’s a relief. Oops — spoke too soon.
Other types of injuries had been linked to straggling wires.
There were claims for tripping over Nintendo cords, one sibling assault with a games console and one boy had suffered an injury when his brother tripped over a wire, pulling a DVD player onto him.
Jumpin’ Jesus! New Zealand sure is a dangerous place.
But the best part of the hysterical article (page two, remember) is a desperate attempt by The Press to find a local angle by sending a journalist with the world’s most awesome name — Beck Eleven — out to Christchurch mall to rustle up some vox pops.
Melissa Bloxham, 18, listening to the new Nickleback album on her iPod Shuffle, said the prospect of attracting lightning through her device was a bit scary.
“I never thought of it before and I’m not sure it would really happen but if it’s true — oh my God.”
Leo Beckett, 18, said he had not been troubled by lightning but had once caught his headphone wires as he got out of a car, jerking his neck.”
You can’t make this shit up.
The Press shares the same masthead design as The Age, with the Royal Arms and the latin motto Nihil utile quod non honestum. I think there’s something in that for all of us.
GrodsThink Ep.29 (26/8/08)
Sunday 15 July 2007, 3:27 am #Amanda
It really demands some imagination to make up the local story. I bet the two 18 year old are the cousins of the journalist.
Tuesday 17 July 2007, 7:51 pm #Mikey
That last line was gold.