Day 18

He’s already hung up at his end

“There was terror in the skies over New Zealand today as an Ethiopian woman used a knife to attack a plane’s pilots in an attempt to hijack the flight and have it diverted from New Zealand to Australia.  The woman also claimed to have a bomb on board the plane.  The two pilots and the woman were injured during the mid air struggle, with the plane’s co-pilot being taken to hospital once the plane had landed safely at Christchurch airport.  The airport was cleared while police searched the plane, but no explosives were found.  The woman has been taken into custody, but it’s not clear yet why she tried to hijack the plane.  Aviation experts here in Australia say that the incident highlights the lack of security at our own regional airports.  The opposition has also accused the government of planning to reduce spending on airport security in the next budget.  For more, we cross now to David Tyler in Christchurch.  David what can you tell us …”

In the ad break, Tiffany picks up the phone on the news desk and is straight through to her news director, Bob Mullen in the control room.  Bob doesn’t like calls mid bulletin, but Tiffany’s got to get something off her chest.

“Tiffany,” Bob’s greeting is mockingly affable.

“Bob, why did we have to mention that the woman who tried to hijack that plane is Ethiopian?  From what I can gather, she’s a New Zealand resident.  Why did we have to make a point of her being from Africa?”  Tiffany’s trying to sound reasonable as she asks the questions.

“I don’t know what you mean, Tiff, she is Ethiopian.  What’s your problem?”

Bob’s apparent confusion does nothing to improve Tiffany’s temper.

“You know exactly what I fucking well mean, you shit.  What the fuck are we trying to do, tell viewers that it’s only non-Anglos that do bad things?

“Look, Tiff, the woman’s from Ethiopia  originally.  That’s the way we’ve reported it.  We didn’t say she was hijacking the plane because she’s from Africa.  We leave the viewers to make their own minds up, you know that.  We just report the news.”

“Oh, bullshit, Bob!  Jeez, you make me mad when you crap on like that.  You know that isn’t true, you just know it.”  By the time she’s finished, Tiffany knows she sounds like she’s whinging.

Everyone in the newsroom knows what the game is.  Tiffany knew it from the moment she signed up.  Lately, though, it’s started getting under her skin.  The manipulation of public opinion with a carefully chosen word here and there while all the time just “reporting” the news.

“We’re back in thirty seconds, Tiffany.  Put that phone down and get your shit together.”  Bob’s voice is in her earpiece, he’s already hung up at his end.

Tiffany draws breath while she thinks about responding, thinks better of it and puts down the phone.  She scans the autocue, wondering what bombs have been planted in the next story.