Okay, I have to post this because it's odd that I am being sent this stuff through my work networks: it's being published by online underground Australian subversive news: CRIKEY. Yep, that's its name. Here is what CRIKEY writers wrote thismorning:
2. A Wildlife Warrior's death story that spread like wildfire
Sophie Black writes:
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Many Australians learned of the death of Steve Irwin when they returned to their desks after lunch yesterday. As the news made its way from a remote reef to the mainland and then around the world, websites collapsed, blogs weighed in, Google was flooded, the Irwin entry in Wikipedia was hotly debated, and the reef where Irwin died was pinpointed on Google Earth. By 3pm, the tasteless photoshopped images were already landing in inboxes, perhaps even
before Irwin’s wife had been informed of his death. Crikey has put together a working timeline. [/FONT]
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Approx 11am: As Irwin is shooting a documentary on dangerous marine life in shallow water at Batt Reef, about 32 nautical miles offshore, he swims above a 2.5m stingray before it turns on him and sends a poisonous barb through his heart. He is
pronounced dead at approximately 12pm by Queensland Rescue Service officers.
Approx 2pm: News.com.au is apparently the first news outlet to break the story. Soon after, thousands of international fans
swamp Australian news websites in numbers not seen since the London bombings last year or April's Beaconsfield mine collapse. [/FONT]
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Approx 2pm: At the same time, Irwin's
Wikipedia entry is updated to include his death, amendments begin as Wikipedians
argue with each other over whether the rumour is true or not.
Approx 2.10pm: Breaking news scrolls across Sky News program.[/FONT]
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Approx 2.15pm: News hits Google. [/FONT]
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Approx 2.30pm: Internet users checking that the rumour of Irwin’s death is not a hoax send several Australian news sites into
meltdown for up to 30 minutes. First site to go down is
www.news.com.au, followed by
www.ninemsn.com.au. Also struggling to keep up were the Fairfax sites
www.smh.com.au and
www.theage.com.au. [/FONT]
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Approx 2.30pm: ABC Online news includes link to Google Earth pinpointing where Irwin died.[/FONT]
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Approx 3.00pm: US TV network CBS posts the news. News is reported promptly on
news outlets globally, including the al-Jazeera network and the BBC, where hundreds of reader tributes poured in from Bangalore to Rome.
Approx 4pm: PM pays
tribute to Irwin after learning of the death during Question Time.
Approx 6pm: Blogs like
Larvatus Prodeo,
The Kill File,
Fop,
The Pigs are Flying!, The Corner, National Review Online, and
The Huffington Postbegin to weigh in.
Approx 6pm: Discovery Communications posts a
statement mourning the loss of Irwin. [/FONT]
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6pm: The Irwin story leads the news programs.
6.30pm: Today Tonight and
A Current Affair air hastily-put-together tributes. According to Glenn Dyer, ratings were boosted across all channels by the news of Irwin's death (for further detail, see Media briefs and TV ratings).
Approx 8pm: Tributes pour in to the ABC website from around the world.
Approx 9.30pm: By late last night, almost 700 people, from Mexico to Romania and Norway, had written messages of tribute on
The Australian's website. [/FONT]
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Approx 9.30pm: Andrew Denton's
Enough Rope replays an old interview with Irwin in tribute. [/FONT]
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Approx 10pm: Irwin’s
IMDB profile is updated.
12.48am – Crikey reader Kayt Davies writes: “It's Monday night and my teenager is talking to his friends on msn, he's connected to about 200 kids, and their respective networks spread wider. Someone suggested putting little reptile emot-icons in their screen names as a mark of respect for Steve. First one, then two followed, then fifteen, and up to fifty in minutes, soon almost all. I wonder how fast this is spreading through the innumerable other branches of Australia's kids msn chat networks, how many kids will add a reptile to their name as a salute, in their language, to someone they respect.” [/FONT]
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This morning: The Oz and
The Daily Tele devote their editorials to Irwin, gory death descriptions like
The Daily Mail's UK effort are postedand
hyperbolic tributes flood in from around the world, as details of footage of Irwin's death
surface. [/FONT]
Yes, it's true, you can't walk through the streets without hearing ...'crocodile'...'irwin'.....'stingray!'.....etc, in every tenth conversation. I was told by a cafe owner at about 3pm yesterday, and then heard snatches of wildfire crocodile hunter death stories for the rest of the day. This is, apparently, the bigest news australia has seen in a while. On all the papers, on all the channels, even in all the emails.
As those who I joined in the chat session today will know, I don't watch much tv
and so the extent of this whole news thing has somewhat taken me by surprise. At least this confirms apparent time of death for those of you interested in the astrology of the event
Accident around 11am, declared dead at noon.