Mainstream Press Uses Tragedy For Cheap Game Headline
Tragedy in Thailand manipulated for low-blow return
Cynical, dreadful, needless.
The mainstream press in the UK has wasted no time in linking the death of a holidaying seven-year old English boy to his use of videogames, with misleading headlines cropping up following a tragic electrocution in Thailand.
The ‘story’ is that of Connor O’Keefe, who, on returning to his hotel room after being by the pool, was electrocuted while unplugging his Game Boy Advance. Connor was, of course, a "Computer game fanatic" - at least according to The Sun.
The result is a headline from James Clench in The Sun reading, “Connor, 7, Killed By Gameboy”.
"KILLED BY HIS XMAS GAME BOY" screams Emily Nash's headline in The Mirror this morning.
Somewhat sadly, it's not only a tabloid scandal. Lee Glendinning in The Guardian fairs just as badly, informing her readership “Boy, 7, dies in game console accident”. Paul Willis in The Telegraph follows suit with, "Boy, 7, killed after plugging in Game Boy"
Next up, The Times' Andrew Drummond and Michael Horsnell's story carries the headline, "Boy, 7, electrocuted in Thai hotel while charging game".
Only The Independent runs a more restrained and honest headline, with Thair Shaikh’s story of, “British boy, 7, electrocuted while on holiday in Thailand”.
Despite the The Sun’s tone, even it highlights that: “It is thought he may have plugged in the Gameboy or pulled at its charger while still wet from the pool.”
So, we have the possibility of poor wiring combined with moisture, combined with a charger combined with an electronic device.
Just ask yourself this: Had Connor been unplugging a lamp, would The Sun have reported “Connor, 7, Killed by Lamp” and would The Guardian have published “Boy, 7, dies in lamp lighting accident”?
SPOnG has contacted all of the above-named journalists and has put that question to them directly. We don’t expect any responses.
There are serious issues concerning the games industry that deserve coverage in the mainstream press: the proper enforcement of age ratings and the strength of the UK's domestic games industry being good examples.
However, lazy cynical spew, such as these examples, published across the spectrum of the UK news media is simply misleading and scaremongering - how many people go beyond the headlines? And to use the death of a child to grab a cheap, salacious headline is unforgivable.
Shame on all involved.
The ‘story’ is that of Connor O’Keefe, who, on returning to his hotel room after being by the pool, was electrocuted while unplugging his Game Boy Advance. Connor was, of course, a "Computer game fanatic" - at least according to The Sun.
The result is a headline from James Clench in The Sun reading, “Connor, 7, Killed By Gameboy”.
"KILLED BY HIS XMAS GAME BOY" screams Emily Nash's headline in The Mirror this morning.
Somewhat sadly, it's not only a tabloid scandal. Lee Glendinning in The Guardian fairs just as badly, informing her readership “Boy, 7, dies in game console accident”. Paul Willis in The Telegraph follows suit with, "Boy, 7, killed after plugging in Game Boy"
Next up, The Times' Andrew Drummond and Michael Horsnell's story carries the headline, "Boy, 7, electrocuted in Thai hotel while charging game".
Only The Independent runs a more restrained and honest headline, with Thair Shaikh’s story of, “British boy, 7, electrocuted while on holiday in Thailand”.
Despite the The Sun’s tone, even it highlights that: “It is thought he may have plugged in the Gameboy or pulled at its charger while still wet from the pool.”
So, we have the possibility of poor wiring combined with moisture, combined with a charger combined with an electronic device.
Just ask yourself this: Had Connor been unplugging a lamp, would The Sun have reported “Connor, 7, Killed by Lamp” and would The Guardian have published “Boy, 7, dies in lamp lighting accident”?
SPOnG has contacted all of the above-named journalists and has put that question to them directly. We don’t expect any responses.
There are serious issues concerning the games industry that deserve coverage in the mainstream press: the proper enforcement of age ratings and the strength of the UK's domestic games industry being good examples.
However, lazy cynical spew, such as these examples, published across the spectrum of the UK news media is simply misleading and scaremongering - how many people go beyond the headlines? And to use the death of a child to grab a cheap, salacious headline is unforgivable.
Shame on all involved.
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Comments
Ditto 5 Jan 2007 11:09
1/17
It's pretty awful considering that he could have been electrocuted by potentially any electrical appliance, as you guys rightly point out.
Could we expect anything better from the tabloid press, though?
Could we expect anything better from the tabloid press, though?
TimSpong 5 Jan 2007 11:49
2/17
Adam M wrote:
It's pretty awful considering that he could have been electrocuted by potentially any electrical appliance, as you guys rightly point out.
Could we expect anything better from the tabloid press, though?
Could we expect anything better from the tabloid press, though?
Sadly, as Adam and Stefan point out in the story, a similar line was also taken by The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times. Looks as if it came from a wire bureau which figured, "Hell, there's lots of news about tragic kids and lots of news about video games around this time of year, we'll run with that". The mainstream hacks went with it.
We're still waiting to hear back from any of those mighty organs of news...
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Ditto 5 Jan 2007 12:00
3/17
Tim Smith wrote:
Sadly, as Adam and Stefan point out in the story, a similar line was also taken by The Guardian, The Telegraph and The Times. Looks as if it came from a wire bureau which figured, "Hell, there's lots of news about tragic kids and lots of news about video games around this time of year, we'll run with that". The mainstream hacks went with it.
I think in some ways though, the other headlines aren't quite as bad:
Boy, 7, killed after plugging in Game Boy
Boy, 7, electrocuted in Thai hotel while charging game
Game Boy kid electrocuted in Thai hotel
British boy, 7, electrocuted while on holiday in Thailand
These are really just statements of fact, as he was killed when plugging in his Gameboy in Thailand.
These ones:
Connor, 7, Killed By Gameboy
KILLED BY HIS XMAS GAME BOY
Are totally wrong as the Gameboy (as far as we know) wasn't directly responsible for his death.
zoydwheeler 5 Jan 2007 12:16
4/17
but would they refer to him as 'Lamp kid' instead of 'Game Boy kid' ?
DoctorDee 5 Jan 2007 12:40
5/17
zoydwheeler wrote:
but would they refer to him as 'Lamp kid' instead of 'Game Boy kid' ?
I doubt, had he been plugging in a lamp, they would have run with the story at all. There are (I calculate based on a population of 60 Million and an average life expectancy of 70) around 2,500 UK deaths a day... the papers cover very few of them - even the ones that are caused by misadventure.
sneakyduck 6 Jan 2007 00:46
6/17
It's honest, thought-provoking, journalism like this that keeps me coming back to this site. That and I'm fiercely patriotic about anything from west yorkshire...
DoctorDee 6 Jan 2007 16:23
7/17
sneakyduck wrote:
It's honest, thought-provoking, journalism like this that keeps me coming back to this site. That and I'm fiercely patriotic about anything from west yorkshire...
Honesty and thought provocatism are loved by some, but afeared by many.
Being from WY, however, will never get old!
RiseFromYourGrave 7 Jan 2007 12:19
8/17
i f**king hate the tabloids.
thanks for trying to talk to the journalists about what on earth they were thinking, you do it on behalf of all gamers everywhere
NSJ, man
thanks for trying to talk to the journalists about what on earth they were thinking, you do it on behalf of all gamers everywhere
NSJ, man
SPInGSPOnG 7 Jan 2007 12:41
9/17
RiseFromYourGrave wrote:
i f**king hate the tabloids.
It's not just the tabloids. The Sunday Times, Fox News and Sky TV are owned by the same Neo-con, warmongering, f**k-the-poor (but take their money) scumbag that runs the Sun.
thanks for trying to talk to the journalists about what on earth they were thinking, you do it on behalf of all gamers everywhere
It's a valiant effort. But, they won't reply! What can they say... "OK, you rumbled us. We were stupid and lazy. A kid had been killed by a dog, and the public were wet for more. The wire blamed the Game Boy, and it was easiest for us to do the same without thinking"?
God bless the press!
Andrew 12 Oct 2007 07:40
10/17
Here is an account of the inquest fyi
Boy, 7, killed by fake Gameboy charger bought on holidayFran Yeoman
A boy was electrocuted by a counterfeit Gameboy charger while on a family holiday in Thailand, an inquest was told yesterday.
Connor O’Keefe, 7, was found dead on the floor of his hotel room in the island of Phuket, clutching the wires of the £9 charger. Thai police initially said that he had died because he was still wet from swimming when he plugged in the device.
Later tests on the charger, which Connor’s stepfather had bought for him in a Phuket store, found that it had “serious defects”, Southwark Coroner’s Court was told.
Wires within the charger were dangerously close together, which meant it could easily become live and electrocute a user.
On the day of his death, December 30, 2006, Connor had been out all day quad-biking with his family. When they returned to the Sunset Beach Resort at Patong Beach, he went for a swim in the hotel pool. He then returned to the hotel room and asked his mother, Kathleen Curry, for some food before going off to play with his Gameboy.
Ms Curry, 45, of Walworth, southeast London, said that Connor’s aunt, Maureen Hopkins, discovered the body. “I called him for his food and there was no reply. Connor’s auntie said she would go and look in the room and that’s where she found him. I just heard her, she called me. I ran into the room and I knew by the way she was calling something was wrong. “The Nintendo was on the floor. Maureen said that when she went in there he was holding the wires and she pulled the wires off him. When she went to separate him she got a shock.”
She added: “He wasn’t wet and he wasn’t wearing the same clothes he wore when he went swimming.”
Connor was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Keith Skinner, 49, Connor’s stepfather, said that he had bought the charger in the belief it had been made by Nintendo.
After Connor’s death, the device was sent to LGA, a German electrical laboratory, where it was found to be far below European safety standards.
The gap between the primary and secondary circuits was 1 millimetre wide, compared with European standards, which require 4.6mm gap.
Recording a ruling of accidental death, John Sampson, the coroner, condemned the sale of counterfeit goods. They “look as if they might be official, and there is no way of knowing by looking at them that they are anything but official”.Nintendo said that it would continue to work with Connor’s family in an effort to trace where the charger came from.
Boy, 7, killed by fake Gameboy charger bought on holidayFran Yeoman
A boy was electrocuted by a counterfeit Gameboy charger while on a family holiday in Thailand, an inquest was told yesterday.
Connor O’Keefe, 7, was found dead on the floor of his hotel room in the island of Phuket, clutching the wires of the £9 charger. Thai police initially said that he had died because he was still wet from swimming when he plugged in the device.
Later tests on the charger, which Connor’s stepfather had bought for him in a Phuket store, found that it had “serious defects”, Southwark Coroner’s Court was told.
Wires within the charger were dangerously close together, which meant it could easily become live and electrocute a user.
On the day of his death, December 30, 2006, Connor had been out all day quad-biking with his family. When they returned to the Sunset Beach Resort at Patong Beach, he went for a swim in the hotel pool. He then returned to the hotel room and asked his mother, Kathleen Curry, for some food before going off to play with his Gameboy.
Ms Curry, 45, of Walworth, southeast London, said that Connor’s aunt, Maureen Hopkins, discovered the body. “I called him for his food and there was no reply. Connor’s auntie said she would go and look in the room and that’s where she found him. I just heard her, she called me. I ran into the room and I knew by the way she was calling something was wrong. “The Nintendo was on the floor. Maureen said that when she went in there he was holding the wires and she pulled the wires off him. When she went to separate him she got a shock.”
She added: “He wasn’t wet and he wasn’t wearing the same clothes he wore when he went swimming.”
Connor was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Keith Skinner, 49, Connor’s stepfather, said that he had bought the charger in the belief it had been made by Nintendo.
After Connor’s death, the device was sent to LGA, a German electrical laboratory, where it was found to be far below European safety standards.
The gap between the primary and secondary circuits was 1 millimetre wide, compared with European standards, which require 4.6mm gap.
Recording a ruling of accidental death, John Sampson, the coroner, condemned the sale of counterfeit goods. They “look as if they might be official, and there is no way of knowing by looking at them that they are anything but official”.Nintendo said that it would continue to work with Connor’s family in an effort to trace where the charger came from.
Andrew 12 Oct 2007 07:51
11/17
And I guess that makes the original author of this whinge and the posters look awfully stupid.
PreciousRoi 12 Oct 2007 11:11
12/17
Now why would that be you sanctimonious prat?
Bravo on digging up the real poop, but shame on you for thinking that this information somehow reflects badly upon the author or any of the posters I read.
The headlines attributing his death to the Gameboy are still just as cheap, innacurate, and loathesome as they were before this information was availible. It was, in fact, NOT a Gameboy which was responsible, but a cheap knockoff charger purchased in Thailand on holiday . Can't go blaming Nintendo, Game Boy, or videogames in general for that.
So tell me, what exactly about this newer information reflects badly upon the author or posters?
Bravo on digging up the real poop, but shame on you for thinking that this information somehow reflects badly upon the author or any of the posters I read.
The headlines attributing his death to the Gameboy are still just as cheap, innacurate, and loathesome as they were before this information was availible. It was, in fact, NOT a Gameboy which was responsible, but a cheap knockoff charger purchased in Thailand on holiday . Can't go blaming Nintendo, Game Boy, or videogames in general for that.
So tell me, what exactly about this newer information reflects badly upon the author or posters?
andrew 14 Oct 2007 16:46
13/17
The point being it was a faulty 'gameboy' - whether real or fake.
The family bought a gameboy presumably thinking it was the genuine article because it would have been packaged as such.
The criticism here is that people claimed that the press had jumped to the conclusion that it was the gameboy at fault.
The inquest found that the gameboy WAS at fault.
Moral of the story be careful when buying gameboys in Thailand at least and probably in large parts of the world too.
I dont think any of the newspapers have any sort of vendetta against gameboy, nintendo of whatever.
The family bought a gameboy presumably thinking it was the genuine article because it would have been packaged as such.
The criticism here is that people claimed that the press had jumped to the conclusion that it was the gameboy at fault.
The inquest found that the gameboy WAS at fault.
Moral of the story be careful when buying gameboys in Thailand at least and probably in large parts of the world too.
I dont think any of the newspapers have any sort of vendetta against gameboy, nintendo of whatever.
tyrion 15 Oct 2007 08:03
14/17
andrew wrote:
The point being it was a faulty 'gameboy' - whether real or fake.
You missed the word "charger" out there sport.
A boy was electrocuted by a counterfeit Gameboy charger while on a family holiday in Thailand
As far as anybody knows, the Gameboy was legit. The issue was with "the £9 charger" - they wouldn't have a price for it if it was included with the Gameboy its self, real or fake.
It could just as easily have been a dodgy mobile phone charger, but the press chose to link the death to the Gameboy.
patsy 27 May 2008 19:58
15/17
i am connors mum and to stop further ? it was a{ counterfeit }charger that i purchased from a department store in thailand not knowing it to be countierfiet but i will take this oppatunity to make other people aware that there was nothing about the charger s apperance to warn me it wasnot a genuine product
TimSpong 28 May 2008 08:07
16/17
patsy wrote:
i am connors mum and to stop further ? it was a{ counterfeit }charger that i purchased from a department store in thailand not knowing it to be countierfiet but i will take this oppatunity to make other people aware that there was nothing about the charger s apperance to warn me it wasnot a genuine product
Hello Patsy,
Thank you very much for taking time to post to our forum with this information. I hope that you and the family are managing to move forward from the tragic death of Connor.
With my best regards
Tim
mrmrbin 22 Jun 2008 15:16
17/17
cho choi game voi