In a relief for Australians who have struggled to get enough information on Arj Barker’s brief interaction with a mother at a comedy show on Saturday night, sources have confirmed that a dedicated 24-hour news service will be set up to cover the incident properly.
A joint venture between Australia’s major media outlets, the new station will allow for much-needed new detail about the two-and-a-half minute encounter.
“The problem with this story so far is that it’s only been given eight to nine minutes on each of the major television and radio networks. So Australians have really been left in the dark,” a spokesperson for the new channel said.
“With a this new channel we’ll be able to dedicate proper resources – at least twelve full-time reporters as well as a behind-the-scenes team – to make sure that the details aren’t glossed over and that this issue is given the coverage it deserves.
“What we don’t want to do is let this story fade into obscurity. This is the most important story in the world right now, so it’s critical it’s given the resources it needs”.
An initial slate for the station shows that there will be at least 400 exclusive interviews with the mother, a special Q&A-style discussion with the crying baby, and up to six thousand opinion pieces, live to air. “And that’s just for the first day. We’re looking to go much deeper on this as the story unfolds,” the spokesperson said.
Netflix has bought the rights to a 12-episode drama that will re-enact the famous event.
