Lying to the media to sell a story is nothing new. Every now and then some deviant comes up with an unbelievable story, sells it to a publisher and then disappears into obscurity never to be heard from again. Upon realising they’ve been had, the publisher then usually apologises and retracts their story, presumably out of fear of loss of credibility.

By then the hoaxer has made their money, publishers have raked in the advertising dollars amid for the most part the public are usually forgiving and ready to believe the next big story.

Alarmingly though this year we seem to have seen several high profile hoaxes hit national headlines here in Australia only to be declared official hoaxes later on. So much so that I’m starting to question whether or not Australian media outlets even give a damn anymore about their reputations.

Just today I read that the New Zealand teenager I recently wrote about who posted nude pics of his mum on the trading site Trademe was actually 20 something year old university student Michael Chal.

He pocketed a few hundred dollars and claims the entire hoax was a social media project for his course and that the photos were actually that of a friend.

With seemingly no checks in place and the lines between tabloid and journalistic integrity increasingly blurred why is then that we as the public continue to condone the media hoax?

The most famous example this year alone would most likely have to be the nude Pauline Hanson nude scandal. Jack Johnson sold the photos to News Limited for $15,000 and after a quick play around in photoshop to ensure the photo’s weren’t doctored they published them along with Johnson’s made up back story.

Unfortunately for News Limited had they of checked out Johnson’s backstory they would have seen the gaping holes and realised that with an election just around the corner they were probably being had.

The trouble I believe here is that they wouldn’t have gotten the story unless Johnson got his money first. Once he’d got his money then he’s under no obligation to give it back, even if he’s lying through his teeth.

I assume News Limited could have taken him to court over it but by then they’ve already run with the story and lets be honest, it’d cost them a hell of a lot more then fifteen grand to recover their initial loss.

Another high profile media hoax this year was the case of the star tattoo face girl, Kimberley Vlaminck. The Belgian teen rocked up a tattoo parlour and claimed she asked for three tattoos on her face. She then fell asleep and when she woke was sporting 56 stars on her face.

She even filed a lawsuit against the tattoo artist for 9,000 pounds. That tattoo artist maintained he performed exactly what the girl asked for and it wasn’t until her father saw her that she came up with the cover story.

After worldwide syndication, publicity, dragging the tattoo artists reputation into question and profitable media deals she finally came clean and confirmed the tattoo artists story. Her dad freaked when he saw her face so she lied to cover herself.

The media widely publicised her hoax but by the time it was revealed the money had already been made.

Michael Jackson’s death need only remind us of just how silly it can all get. Since the pop stars death last month I think the only thing I haven’t read is how Michael Jackson caused the global financial crisis.

The press continued to outdo themselves in fabricating stories on everything from custody battles between Debbie Rowe and Jackson’s mum to where he was to be buried. Always claiming ‘a close friend’ or ‘an associate’ or ‘long-time gay lover’ as their sources.

Debbie Rowe even went so far as to launch legal action after reporter Rebecca White claimed she had email conversations with her which Rowe claims are fictitious. White revealed the ‘leaked’ information during a paid interview.

Closer to home and more recently Australian’s have had to endure the highly questionable survival story of Jamie Neale. Neale, wearing nothing more then some tshirts and shorts went missing in the Blue mountains for twelve days and claimed he survived on nothing more then bush berries and adrenaline.

Allegedly 60% of the berries are inedible in the region and temperatures overnight drop to about 5 degrees Celsius.

Prior to setting out Neale ate five pizzas at home and also conveniently left his mobile phone behind before setting out.

Upon being found Neale’s father claimed that any money made from the story would be donated to the rescuers who were out searching for his son. Shortly afterwards they hired a media manager who whisked Neale away from hospital and the eager press.

Shortly afterwards it was announced Channel 9′s 60 minutes program had bought Neale’s story for $200,000.

No word on whether this money has been donated to the rescuers or not.

Yes, it seems 2009 has been a good year for hoaxes all round. For those out to make a quick buck it appears the media are willing to reward a good backstory, whatever a teenage girl tells them, anything and everything when it comes to Michael Jackson and in Neale’s case outright stupidity.

For the most part we as the public don’t do anything more then exclaim ‘I told you so!’ I knew it wasn’t true’ and then get on with our lives. Meanwhile the fact that tidy sums of money are made each time this happens is quietly swept under the carpet.

What happened to accountability or journalistic repercussions? Is the journalistic compulsion to get the story out first a valid excuse in promoting a possible hoax? Why aren’t people who are found to be lying punished by law?

I don’t have the answers to these questions but I tell you what, I’m getting mighty sick of watching people get rich off playing the public like a bunch of morons.


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