Corey's other party

Corey's story: fair game or camera fodder?

They say a week is a long time in politics - but it can be even longer in the world of celebrity status. One minute a hero, the next minute the fall guy. I'm referring of course to the recent 'star' turn of 16-year-old Melbourne boy, Corey Delaney. Was there ever really a news story here or was this just part of what's known in the media as the 'silly season', when everyone's on holiday and there's little 'real' news to report on? Actually yes, there was a very serious news story here, particularly in the light of a number of parties over the years that have escalated out of control, often resulting in violence, sometimes even in death.

But when the journalists turned up on Monday to cover the legitimate story, it's highly unlikely they expected to find this teenager - egged on by his mates - ready to talk to them. His blond hair, bare chest and, oh, those sunglasses made him appealing to the cameras and also easy fodder for the media. Commercial current affairs went into overdrive scrambling for the 'exclusive' and it appeared by Monday night that Channel 9's A Current Affair had secured it with a one-on-one interview between Leila McKinnon and Corey. But rather than a probing interview to find out what this 16-year-old was really thinking, it became an aggressive and petulant display. "Take off your sunglasses and apologise," she demanded. He said he would apologise but he wasn't taking off his sunglasses and this then became the substance of the interview. Is this really what current affairs news has turned into? It would be laughable if it wasn't so sad. McKinnon's dismissive sign-off at the end "I suggest you go home and take a long, hard look at yourself", prompted nothing more than a smart-arse kid retort which has made him legendary among youth worldwide: "I have... everyone has... they love it."

Love him or hate him, this kid seemed extremely media savvy. His interview with McKinnon was posted on YouTube, his MySpace site had thousands of hits and news organisations and bloggers around the globe were obsessed with the story. But the media outlets which were condemning him were merely perpetuating his new found 'star' status. If they hadn't given him the airtime they did, it would have been all over and done with. The story now is not about what had or hadn't happened on the weekend but about Corey Delaney himself. Sadly, our current obsession with 'celebrity' and hence the media's coverage of it, allowed this to happen. By Wednesday it appeared he was demanding money or freebies in return for media interviews. At least one radio station apparently complied - but again the focus was on those sunglasses - and as a presenter tried to snatch them off his face, in true celebrity style, Corey got up and walked out of the studio. What a professional.

Party promoters and top publicists were saying he was worth more than bad girls Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears put together and could demand thousands for appearances all over the world. What for? Clubs he couldn't legally enter himself at just 16. And while we're on the matter let's not forget what happened to those three party girls last year. How soon they can fall from the media high life - but once you court the media in this way it's almost impossible to turn it off. Did Corey know what he was doing with the media when he fronted them on Monday? No. Did he think his face and name would suddenly be known worldwide? Of course not. No matter how media savvy he thinks he is - he's a 16-year-old kid. Was the media acting irresponsibly by interviewing a minor? This is an interesting question. He wasn't hounded, pestered or harassed - he didn't try to hide away and take refuge behind a closed door - he openly talked to them and then asked for money from them. Fair game. Or is he?

Look on the internet today and it's well beyond this teenager's control - and if he ever thought he was in control he was sadly mistaken. While his few minutes of fame on Monday night may have given him that feeling, now he's being parodied on websites and made to look an idiot among his peers. Fake websites have been set up, appearances on US radio stations have been faked and his image (or one similar to it) has been used in online advertising. I've even heard the expression 'Coreygate' - and he has no say over it. The power of the media cannot be underestimated. Where they see a drawcard for an audience they will use it every time. I'm not defending Corey Delaney's actions this week. But there are many people who should consider carefully how this teenager has been used and exploited, and all because he was left home alone and his parents trusted him.

Ann Lund is a lecturer in Journalism at Queensland University of Technology.

Heywire

HEYWIRE is a chance for you to tell your story. Sure, you might not have mobile phone service, and yes we can't see your face under that big akubra and through the blowflies. But Heywire is about breaking the stereotypes, keeping it real and giving a voice to Rural and Regional youth. If you do a really good job, we'll cut the akubra line next time, ok?

We do this by:

• Letting young people from rural and regional Australia take over the ABC and broadcast their stories on ABC Radio: Local Radio, Triple J, Radio National, Radio Australia and ABC Online
• Giving young people the opportunity to participate in our yearly forum in Canberra: a chance for the Heywire winners from around Australia to come together and discuss the issues facing young people

At any time during the year you can enter Heywire. Just put on your creative cap and submit a piece to Heywire for radio, television or online content (have we mentioned that we don't want crop-circle stories? We have? Good. 'Cos we don't. Ever again. Are you listening, Brian?).

By the way: we now have a MYSPACE account to keep in contact with our Heywire mates. You can be our friend by visiting www.myspace.com/abcheywire, and we regularly send out bulletins about Heywire.

Baby TV toddles to Taiwan

Baby TV, the channel for tots under three that is now owned by Fox International Channels, has sprouted up in Asia, landing two commercial-free branded blocks on a Taiwanese kids channel. Starting December 17, the new blocks, jointly branded YoYo Baby TV, will broadcast from 9.00 to 9.30 and 13.30 to 14.00 every weekday on YoYo TV for the next two years. They will carry over 30 preschool series, all provided by Baby TV.

YoYo Baby TV will offer babies content that is designed to suit their natural intelligence and instincts and it will offer parents and caregivers a service they can choose with confidence for their youngest child, said the channel. "This is a TV channel for parents to have the fun, parent-child interaction and feel more assured as their kids are watching shows on a safe and educational channel that contributes to the positive development of a child," said Joanne Tsai, VP of Fox International Channels Asia and general manager of Taiwan.

Fox International Channels, with 18 channel brands and over 58 television services in 29 languages, is represented by NGC Network Asia. Launched in Europe in 2005, baby TV is currently aired on major platforms in over 75 countries worldwide, according to the channel.

Missouri Town Makes Online Harassment a Crime After Megan Meier's Suicide

From David Ardia of the Citizen Media Law Project, 11/28/2007 9:21 am

City officials in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri unanimously passed a measure on November 21 making online harassment a crime, punishable by up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail. The city's six-member Board of Aldermen passed the ordinance in response to 13-year-old Megan Meier's suicide. Meier committed suicide after a "boy" she met on MySpace abruptly turned on her and ended their relationship. It turned out that the boy was actually Lori Drew, a neighbor who had pretended to be 16-year-old "Josh Evans" to gain the trust of Megan, who had been fighting with Drew's daughter, according to the Los Angeles Times. (In an interesting side note, the local media refused to identify the neighbor involved, so several blogs such as RottenNeighbor.com and hitsusa.com did some investigating and identified Drew and posted the Drews' home address, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and photographs.) When it looked like local and federal prosecutors could not find a way to charge anyone for Meier's death, city officials stepped in and made online harassment a crime. As the Associated Press reports:

Mayor Pam Fogarty said the city had proposed the measure after learning about Megan Meier's death. "It is our hope that by supporting one of our own in Dardenne Prairie, we can do our part to ensure this type of harassing behavior never happens again, anywhere," Fogarty said, adding, "after all, harassment is harassment regardless of the mechanism or tool."

While Meier's suicide is a tragedy and it is laudable that city officials want to reduce online harassment, criminalizing such conduct raises important First Amendment concerns. I should point out, however, that I've been unable to review the actual language of the ordinance, and have had to rely on the following press reports.

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For more on the regulation of citizen journalism, visit the Citizen Media Law Project blog.