The nation has been aggressively channel-flicking tonight as Channel 7 and Channel 9 have both aired extended news specials on the tragic Sydney Siege, with each report showing interviews from survivors of the December 15-16 attack.
The ratings war, as it were, has been criticised online for being a tackless move by Channel 7 and 9, inspiring a ratings drama from one of Sydney’s darkest days. Channel 7 has also been called out for cutting their 6pm news bulletin spontaneously short by twenty minutes: the 7 broadcast started their report earlier than their advertised 6:30pm time slot.
Channel 9’s 60 Minutes focused on the Lindt cafe workers and the death of cafe manager Tori Johnson, interviewing Paolo Vassallo, Harriette Denny, Joel Herat, Jarrod Morton-Hoffman, Fiona Ma, Selina Win Pe, Louisa Hope and Robin Hope. Alongside interviews, 60 Minutes also used actors’ recreation of the siege.
Channel 7 focused largely on the death of Katrina Dawson, after interviewing siege survivors Marcia Mikhael and John O’Brien, among others. The channel 7 report relied mostly on footage they obtained on the night of the siege.
Marcia Mikhael claimed that one of her calls to police was not received seriously: “As you can understand, Marcia, the Prime Minister is a very busy man,” Mikhael says she was told over the phone by emergency services.
Both reports made for a night of exceptional and harrowing television journalism.
Speaking on the impact that the siege had on Australia, 19 year old Fiona Ma, a worker at the cafe said, “Everyone is affected by this. It’s touching.”
Since Fiona Ma’s unwavering interview on 60 Minutes, support for her bravery has flooded in on twitter:
Can we have Fiona challenge for the leadership in the Liberal Spill? I want her in charge. #sydneysiege
— Scott Dooley (@scottdools) February 8, 2015
And, holy crap, she’s 19. Fiona goddamn rules. #sydneysiege
— adam baidawi (@ads_b) February 8, 2015
I’d love to have a beer with Fiona. #SydneySiege
— BenFordham (@BenFordham) February 8, 2015
Louisa Hope gave a particularly brave interview to Liz Hayes on 60 Minutes, describing the last minutes of Tori Johnson, as he was told to “kneel down” by gunman Man Haron Monis. Fearing for the backlash of the incident before she went into surgery that night, Hope told 60 Minutes that she was afraid the event would inspire a nation of “haters”. She was glad, she said, that initiatives such as the I’ll Ride With You hashtag has inspired so many.
Support and thoughts to all the Sydney siege hostages, victims and their families for showing their bravery on December 15, and for retelling a harrowing story to the nation.
Donations can be made to the Katrina Dawson foundation in Dawson’s memory here. Donations can also be made to Beyond Blue in the memory of Tori Johnson here.
Lead image by Cole Bennets via Getty images.
