miranda kerr
miranda kerr !
News is a funny beast. Things that we should know about don't get reported at all much of the time. And often completely irrelevant, inconsequential events become big stories that go on for days. A perfect example of this is the recent ruckus involving a banker, a computer and semi-nude photos of a supermodel.
It developed like this:
As a presenter gave a financial report live on Australian TV from Macquarie Bank, in the background of the shot a bloke at his workstation opened an e-mail containing quite racy - but hardly shocking - snaps of supermodel Miranda Kerr. Little things like this could easily go unnoticed, and almost certainly have many times in the past, but some people called up to complain about this particular transgression.
miranda kerr !
Australian TV journalists got wind of these complaints, and viewed the offending footage. Seeing the appeal of this embarrassing event they turned it into a bona fide news story. By the evening of Februrary 2 every TV station, newspaper, and radio station in the country was covering it.
Before long, international news outlets reported that it was a story in Australia.
The video was posted on YouTube, and soon racked up many thousands of hits. Its instant and huge popularity was also deemed newsworthy.
miranda kerr !
Around this time the banker was finally named by the media. He was David Kiely, an advisor from Macquarie Wealth.
Over the days the story developed further. There was talk of the blushing banker losing his job. There were also rumors that he was set up by someone sending him the e-mail knowing that he was on live TV at the time.
The Australian media also had another angle to report: That this event had now become big news internationally.
miranda kerr !
Then the supermodel herself, Miranda Kerr, arrived back in Australia. She was told about the ruckus that the photos of her had caused. Her bemused reaction was also reported by journalists.
At about this time Facebook users started groups supporting the embarrassed Aussie financial advisor. And bankers in Britain initiated a petition to save his job called "Save Dave". Miranda Kerr spoke out in support of Mr Kiely, adding that she would happily sign the petition.
The most recent update: While Dave did get a stern talking to from his superiors, he was told he wouldn't lose his job. All those expressions of support had seeemd to work after all.
miranda kerr !
There will probably be other developments in coming days. And even if he disappears from media view for a long while, he may well return again to our TV screens on the flimsiest of pretexts. If something remotely dramatic happens to him (or even someone he is closely linked to) in subsequent months, or even years, that will qualify as news too. Once you've become a public figure, you're always a public figure, it seems.
And this all resulted from an unguarded moment that just happened to be captured peripherally by a television camera!
With this innocuous few seconds of footage, journalists beat up a story and kept it going for several days. It has dominated the news the whole time, surely excluding much more significant events. This shows the amazing power of the media. And it reveals that news is not necessarily what is inherently newsworthy - just what media power brokers decide to focus on.
