Australian Media are Hypocritical & Irresponsible in Their Reporting of Drug Related Stories
My problem with the reporting of the Jack Ginnivan cocaine story.
I was scrolling through Twitter the other day and was bemused when I saw how Channel 7 reported the story below regarding Collingwood AFL footballer Jack Ginnivan.
Maybe it was a slow news day, but to me, this level of coverage is completely unnecessary. I tweeted the below, and it got a little traction, so I thought I’d come here to expand a little and hear what others think.
Jack made a mistake. He did the wrong thing and admitted as much. But this story seemed to be all about making sure everyone knew that a young, famous guy with plenty of disposable income made a poor decision on a night out. It seems a bit “thirsty for clicks” to me.
Drug use, cocaine, in particular, is rampant in Australia. We do more coke per capita than any other country in the world. Fucking wild, given we also pay more for it than just about any other country in the world.
It’s fucking everywhere, and if this surprises you, you may be living under a rock.
Former Channel 7 golden boy Andrew O’keefe is currently facing domestic violence charges and was recently refused bail due to failing a drug test. It’s not uncommon for media personalities to find themselves in hot water for drug use. For a long time, it’s been rumoured that Australian TV’s night of nights “The Logies” is a full-blown (pardon the pun) coke fest.
It’s hypocritical, and I think it’s pretty fucked up how hard they went on Jack for something that is so prevalent in society. Report it, sure. But I felt their coverage was way over the top. It was like they were reporting a once-in-a-generation murder trial.
I’d love to see a world where the media talk the truth about just how significant a problem we have in our society in culture when it comes to casual drug use. I feel like. As a news source, they are responsible for reporting on things like this with a bit more class. Maybe touch on the seriousness of the problem we face as a society. I didn’t hear anything encouraging people with addiction issues to reach out and seek help as they do at the end of gambling ads or stories about suicide.
Maybe I’m overly sympathetic to Jack because I’ve been there myself, only not as famous, fit, rich or good-looking.
Anyway, I’d love to hear what others think.
Cheers Wankers.
X.
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It’s pretty wild, hey! People from OS come here and refuse to buy it for the price we pay.
That’s what I mean, the media know full well how prevalent it is and have a platform to at least try to influence change but that doesn’t generate clicks like a gossip column about a young famous guy making a mistake.
Totally agree that instead of making an example isn’t the best thing for Jack, as he is a just a symptom of a very sick society.