dlish

so ive been mulling over where i was going to put this thread.

it could have easily gone in nonsense, but even though i find it funny, there a lot more i got out of this small clip than just a laugh. so i've decided to put it in here and create a discussion about it.

heres the original video


so the story goes a little something like this.. there was a shooting in sydney in a place called Kings Cross. For those of you not in the know, Kings Cross is the red light district of sydney, and is well known the world over. It is also a major attraction for tourist, but is also a magnet for drugs, stabbings, crime and prostitution. nonetheless, it attracts huge crowds every weekend.

After the shooting, the cops came through, and of course the cameras came along. this young attractive lady decided to give her part of the story to reporters.

for one, she was cute, petite, attractive and believable. she gave her account and was thanked by the reporters for her story. her story was broadcast all over the internet and all over australia and the world.

her story was fabricated. it was filled with racist undertones and prejudices throughtout. it gave a false impression on many issues.

For those not accustomed to aussie slang - a 'wog' is a person who is from a meditereanean background. typically someone with dark hair and features, but could be middle eastern, italian, greek, cypriot etc. it is usually a word that is derogatory, unless used by 'wogs' themselves. (similar to the way african americans use the N word amonst themselves, and find that acceptable)

heres just a few of the issues i found.

1) the use of the word 'wog' numerous times like she's used it every day of her life. like the N word in the states or the K word in sth africa.

2) the impression that 'wog' family ties is justification for attempted murder within those circles.

3) that sydney is a dangerous place to live. people who have never been here get the impression that this is an everyday event

4) that guns are rampant in sydney and this sort of crime is an everyday occurance.

5) the widespread coverage she recieved even though it was totally fabricated!

theres more, but id rather start here and see what others took from it. shes become a sensation with songs being mixed about her quotes now...

has anyone heard of this event where you are?

this also goes along with the 'you faith in information' thread that shows that information can be fabricated or distorted and no one would bother question the person because she looked so believable

your thoughts?

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Seaver

I think she's hot, and I'd let her talk all day long if I could get me some.

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dlish

since she's sharing prejudices about others, i may as well say it then..

a good looking girl like that coming out of a parlour and near a strip joint, she either a hooker or a stripper

good luck seaver

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Manic_Skafe

Aside from the conspicuous use of ethnic slurs, I really can't see anything more to this than what's typical of sensationalistic journalism - spurious and unfounded information spun for the sake of entertainment.

Perhaps it could have deeper implications for the less media savvy but I don't see anything to be upset over that isn't already par for the course.

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FuglyStick

This is the current state of journalism. The sensational elements are just as important--if not more so--than the actual details of any reporting.

I've noticed watching news magazine shows--20/20, 60 Minutes and the like--that the reporters conducting interviews deliberately lead their subjects into sensational responses anymore. The how and why are not sufficient; they will follow up with a "how does that make you feel" lead if they don't get enough "bang" out of the responses to their questions. Watch any news magazine, and pay attention to how many times a reporter will repeat a response or state the obvious to get the subject to elaborate after they've already been given an answer. They're fishing for the sensationalism that will sell their story. Their language is intentionally leading as well.

So when anyone has a camera in their face anymore, they are conditioned to give a sensational account of what they have seen, because that's what reporting the "facts" has become. Every eye-witness account anymore needs to be taken with a grain of salt, because embellishment is almost a certainty.

Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent to the thread, but it's what popped into my head.

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mrklixx

Before I read you explination, all I was thinking was that it seemed like she was having a hard time keeping a straight face. I didn't see any fear or horror in her face to show that she had just seen a shooting. ( I have been watching too much "lie to me").

So if her story was a complete lie, what actually happened?

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dlish

fugly, i dont think you went ona tangent. i think its quite pertinant to the thread. she was questioned by police, and she denied ever being a witness to the whole thing. i do think that the reporters would have egged her on, but she seemed so confident and composed and didnt need their help

kilxx - what actually happened? does it really matter?? thats the sorry state of journalism. when you have a good looking girl in front of the camera, does it really matter anymore? the whole story has been lost and its all about the chk chk, BOOM now.

shakran could probably chip in here and give us a few tips i think.



in all honesty, im yet to read a complete story on what exactly happened yet. but in the words of the victim himself..

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mrklixx

Sorry, I just assumed that you knew what actually happened since you were so adamant about her lying.

I originally thoought this thread was about the Saliva song.

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dlish

the fact that i dont know the exact story and the fact that she admitted to lying is evidence in itself that journalism is now dead.

on top of that, racist vitriol coupled with prejudices would never have been allowed if it were other minority races. even though she didnt say it, everyone knows she was talking about diliquent middle eastern youths. i guess thats the part of me thats so wound up.

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Xerxys

dlish, that second mix of her totally rocks!!!

mrklixx

Was this clip originally broadcast anywhere? Because it looks like it came from ninemsn, which to my understanding is just like youtube in the fact that anybody can upload videos.

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Charlatan

I don't know that this shows that journalism is dead per se. What it does show is that there is a race to be the first to break news and that the speed of media today encourages this race to break the lead story.

I think you will find that if you do an analysis of news events and look at all the coverage of that event over the length of the cycle, you will find that good reporting will eventually win out.

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spindles

ninemsn is actually run by the nine TV network in Oz. This clip of her was on the 6pm news. At the time I saw it I thought - mmm she's making it sound like the guy was carrying a pump action shot gun, not a handgun (just the whole chk chk boom thing). The clip is actually recorded by the reporter.

I've already got my bullshit meter turned right up when I watch TV news, so I was really not too surprised when it was revealed she was an eyewitness to nothing.

RE the racism - Aussies like to think we aren't racist, but it definitely still exists, and there is still a fair amount of segregation. I think the followup story says she is a beach chick (Northern Beaches) and it is hardly an area of Sydney rife with 'wogs'. It reminds me about what happened at Cronulla a few years ago (with the riots).

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Zeraph

I'm more offended by the "it was awesome" guy.

dlish

thats because you've never been called a wog before. many 'wogs' who came out in the 60's and early 70's like my parents had to deal with racism on a daily basis. as you can imagine, school yards were rife with racism.

i doubt racism can ever be extinguished anywhere. oz especially, since its only been 3 years since the cronulla riots.

as for ninemsn. spindles is right. its a news site run by channel 9. try ninemsn - Hotmail, Messenger, News, Sport, Celebrity, Finance, Travel, Cars, Movies, Shopping.

from what im hearing now she's getting a bikini shoot now. thats the right message th media should be giving to people...give your fabricated stories, and we'll make you a star.

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ametc

Apparently, she just did it "for fun" and as a joke... but she's totally cashing in on it. She's had tons of interviews and even has a PR agent now, I believe.

But, I wonder how long this fame will last.

JumpinJesus

If the truth doesn't matter and it seems that this girl did this simply as a publicity stunt - which seems to be working - then aren't we contributing to what we're criticizing by devoting this amount of time to it?

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dlish

the chk chk boom chick seems to have gone global.

I'm no racist, says Clare the bogan

JJ, i can see your point, but i see no harm is discussing these issues if people know to take things with a grain of salt before hand.

as for contributing to her popularity, well if a few clicks here is helping her cause, but a few others a made aware of the sway that a good looking girl can cause in front of the camera, then i think that evens things out.

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shakran

Well, no, not always. Your mileage may vary, but oftentimes the first answer to a question isn't very good. Either the interview subject stumbled, with lots of ums and pauses, or doesn't give a very clear answer ("It was like, ok, the guy came out of the, um, that one over there, and like, but the other guy wasn't, and, you know, it just, yeah." is a direct quote from the raw tape of a story I did this past week, and if I didn't reask the question, the viewers wouldn't have known what in hell she was talking about). Generally repeating a response prods them to restate the answer in a more clear form. As for getting the subject to elaborate. . .Well. Yeah. That's the story. You can't complain that we halfass it and then turn around and complain when we press for more details.

I'm not defending the overall state of journalism because it sucks, but not all of us are just looking for someone to break down on camera.


Whoever did this news report should have been getting eyewitness interviews, but they should also go to the PIO (or whatever they call it there) and gotten the official story.

dlish

shakran - whats a PIO?

apparently now, 'wog' isnt a derogatory word. use it enough times and it becomes the norm. i wonder if that works the same way in america.

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FuglyStick

What a

No, better not finish that thought. Americans apparently haven't cornered the market on shallow, vacuous, self-absorbed, ignorant youth, ala "The Hills" et al.

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Shauk

honestly, I tire or the oversensitivity to labels.

I think her statement was actually somewhat more in line with my views than what I see on these forums sometimes.

I highly doubt "wog" has the same history as "nigger"

in either case, antiquated lingo that has no meaning without context. People are quick to jump the gun and puff their chests at the word alone.

shakran

oh, sorry. PIO = Public Information Officer. There's one at almost every important crime or fire scene. A designated officer who is the media contact.

Cynthetiq

maybe she'll become an international sensation, so far I've seen, most downloaded, had a porn tape stolen, made a porn tape and released it, had many myspace friends, discovered from the jumbotron of a ballgame....

its not much different than before being discovered on Hollywood and Vine.

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dlish

shauk,

Wog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

no body said the word wog had the same history as nigger. but but are slurs against races in my opinion, and shouldnt free thrown around like you were giving away free popcorn.

because of personal cirumstance, and the fact that i myself or family members been subjected to racial slurs from such a word, i find it offensive if someone called me a wog. i'd be more obliged to accept it if my brother called me a 'bloody wog' because i know it held no malice...and sometimes he does. but if someone else did it, i'd find it unacceptable.

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