News

Significant seven: news stories

Over the next few days, we are publishing highlights from this year’s Mumbrella Annual.

1. Queensland floods
The commercial broadcasters swept aside normal programming to devote virtually non-stop coverage of probably the worst natural disaster in the state’s history. It was a ‘good’ disaster for Today presenter Karl Stefanovic, a Queenslander, and saw George Negus come to the fore on Ten some weeks before he spearheaded the channel’s ill-fated 6:30pm news experiment.

2. Cyclone Yasi
Commercial broadcasters used live streaming images from iPhones while staff from the ABC stayed underground until after Cyclone Yasi had passed through. News Limited published rare afternoon editions.

Telegraph-Cyclone Yasi

3. Osama Bin Laden killed
The story of exactly how the Al Qaeda leader died in his bunker hide-out in Pakistan changed dramatically in the days that followed, adding to the intrigue. Bin Laden beats Steve Jobs, Muammar Gaddafi and Amy Winehouse to death of the year.

4. Japanese earthquake/tsunami
For TV networks, the big difference between the Japanese tsunami and the Asian tsunami of 2004 was the jaw-dropping aerial footage of water eating land as the waves hit Japan’s northern Pacific coast – TV news as a disaster movie.

5. Christchurch earthquake
Journalists were among the dead and the Canterbury TV building collapsed when an earthquake hit Christchurch in February. The hit taken by Fairfax’s New Zealand operations brought the disaster closer to home for media watchers.

6. The Royal Wedding
Kate and Wills’ double kiss was overshadowed by the bride’s sister, Pippa Middleton, whose figure-hugging dress drew international acclaim for her bottom. TV networks drew attention for splurging big budgets on sending journalists to London.

7. The Qantas grounding
In one of the most extraordinary weekends in the airline’s history, the entire fleet was dramatically grounded by CEO Alan Joyce. The move was in response to the escalating industrial dispute with the unions.

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