MORE DRAMA: Fairfax Has Fired The Writer Of The ‘Melbourne Hipster’ Vox Pop

This story. If you thought it couldn’t get any weirder and more fucking bizarre, you would be dead, dead wrong.

To recap the events thus far:
That’s just what’s happened so far.
But if you can believe it, it’s gotten kookier.
It’s now been revealed that Fairfax Media has summarily fired Tara Kenny for her role in the whole shebang. Yes, a story that got so popular that The Age ran it as a front page story has now cost the original author her job.
Kenny, a freelance contributor who had only been handling the Street Seen column for the past handful of weeks while the regular columnist was on holiday, issued a statement to Mumbrella confirming that Fairfax “no longer requires [her] services.
It was Hains’ admission that he only agreed to appear in the column if he could fabricate a character, along with the revelation that a previous Street Seen voxpop had focused on another friend of Kenny’s and she too crafted a fictional character for the appearance (in an entry that went unnoticed by the general public, unlike Hains) that apparently did her in with the media giant.
It’s understood that Fairfax bosses had initially approached Kenny with questions about Hains’ authenticity, and that she had asserted he was genuine.
Kenny stated that, while she was wary of journalistic integrity, she believed the fashion vox pop would have less stringent restrictions on it based on the subject material, and as such a certain level of artistic license/piss-taking ability was available.
Kenny’s statement to Mumbrella reads, in full, a lil’ somethin’ like this:

“I never intended to deceive or “troll” my editors at Fairfax, the wider media or the general public with the Samuel Davide Hains column. I approached Sam because he wears good outfits and is hilarious – the one thing that has become abundantly clear from all this “viral” madness – and I wanted to share that. He agreed on the condition that he would appear as an exaggerated caricature.


While the column is meant to feature real people spotted organically on the street, it is an inherently playful read that is meant to be entertaining, hence I felt comfortable exercising a level of artistic licence. I understand that there are journalistic principles of integrity that need to be adhered to, but personally see a rather significant distinction between making up content for hard news stories and exaggerating a character for a street fashion column.

I was under the impression that my follow up conversation with The Age reported Melissa Singer was a tongue in cheek exchange, but am truly sorry if my actions have had negative repercussions for her. I also want to mention that I have only been writing this column for two weeks, while the regular writer is away.

I do not wish to implicate her in this! I think it’s a really cute column and only ever wanted to give people a bit of comic relief in this crazy, messed up world. I hope this doesn’t ruin my career, but if it does at least it’s still the funniest and weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. If any other media outlet wants me to write a comedic street fashion column or tell all memoir I am available ?? While Fairfax has advised that they no longer require my services, I am a freelance writer and the very proud online editor for a magazine called Ladies of Leisure (ladiesofleisurezine.com)! My instagram handle is @tk_2k16_”

I don’t know about you guys, but after all this *~DRAMA~* this particular jazz kitten could definitely Trotsky down to the pub for a dang drink.

What a week.

Source: Mumbrella.
Photo: The Age.

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