[bluprintwil]

Mum freed of drug charges

They have a drop down menu in this article, about a mother being freed of drug trafficking charges, that displays her 'family tree' of children. All are not in her care, and one that is listed was miscarried at 17 weeks, which rounds the number of children she has birthed as 8.

I just found it really offensive that her role as a mother has been latched onto by the media and can't IMAGINE for a second that it would happen if it was a father.

Unless there is something in this story I am unaware of, I just found it totally pathetic that the Australian media are doing this, when it is something I am more akin to seeing in British media, where it is 'anything to sell a story'.

Very keen to hear others views on this.

[Mocha Coffee]

I very much agree with you and find it entirely unnecessary.

[SnazzySass]

I think it is sexist but it is pretty normal for a woman to be identifed by her sexual avalibility and her family role rather than as an individual.

[shopgirl76]

Information that has no relevance to the story! I don't think it's sexist though, but it is typical media sensationalism. I can't stand the way a lot of things are reported these days (and don't get me started on some of the appalling language used - !).

[Sunnycat]

It's very odd and a lot of the information has no relevance to the case. I guess they are trying to portray her in a certain way.

[BetteBoop]

That timeline is utterly revolting. Why does the average person need her life splayed out in lurid detail, including photos to illustrate?

The charges were dropped in Malaysia but now she's on trial in the Australian media.

[Guest_Dinah_Harris_*]

Because it makes a better story when the media can be morally outraged that she has six children who don't live with her.
They are painting her to be a certain "kind of person" which is just one of many reasons that I can't stand our current media.

[Oriental lily]

They had a three page spread on this woman with a whole bio on her provided by her eldest daughter and mum in the herald sun a month or so ago.
It was deffinately done to set her in a 'loser' light.

Yet chopper reed gets front page news promoting his new book...

The media likes nothing better that ripping a less than ideal mother to shreads.

But if you are convicted crook and murderer who tells a good yarn then they are whorshiped .

There is deffinately a element od sexism in it.

This post has been edited by Oriental lily: 10/11/2012, 06:52 AM

[ForsakenTruth]

Information that has no relevance to the story! I don't think it's sexist though, but it is typical media sensationalism. I can't stand the way a lot of things are reported these days (and don't get me started on some of the appalling language used - !).

Agreed. Journalism really isn't what it used to be.

[KRT]

Just for comparison, the ABC and Age articles describe her as a nurse and don't mention her children at all, while the SBS website describes her as a mother of six - but no timeline.

The timeline in the originally posted article serves no purpose other than to make it easier to judge her for her life. Nice to see that they note where the fathers are unknown, and provide dates so you can really tut over her children. Then to describe a miscarriage as a stillbirth and include that - what purpose is there in including that if not to imply that she's a bad mother and therefore a bad person?