Balloon Boy Story Could Be Start or Continuation of Media Manipulation

Was the Balloon Boy Story the start or continuation of the attempted manipulation of the media as a marketing ploy? The Balloon Boy story could set a trend on how the media handles such information. In the race to cover something the fastest, some media outlets fail to check for accuracy. In this situation, there was probably no other decision than to just go with it. There was no balloon boy story precedent to give producers something to think about before airing what turned out to be a huge hoax.

The Balloon Boy story will probably be used in media and electronic news gathering classrooms all across the country much like the painful suicide video I had to watch in college. Would you air this or not is the question teachers might ask students? What would you do with the balloon boy story and how would you cover it? It's a very intriguing situation that producers were handed. I hate to say it but I think most media handled it fairly well. The information was disseminated as it continued to come in and we learned almost as soon as the on-air anchors learned.

But is there a problem with the media running the live pics knowing a boy was possibly inside(dead or alive)? Was it so captivating and could we have saw a mid-air collission that would have been as violent as the assassination of a President? It would have been awful but the media was probably right to air it in it's entirety given the information available. Even if the balloon boy story was a hoax as it turned out.

There is something captivating about the future of a young boy who we pick up more information about as the story progressed. We kind of fell in love with the little guy named "Falcon" even though we'd never met him. As news viewers, we could certainly empathize with his situation even though we'd never seen anything unfold quite like that. But in the end, we were all fooled. No boy inside the Balloon.

The boy, in fact, was hiding in the house of a father who allegedly staged the entire ordeal to promote a reality television show. The father apparently thought he could manipulate the media. Before we can even pyscho-analyze this jerk for putting his kids into the middle of a giant buzz-hype marketing ploy we have to figure out why he would do such a thing. What precedents have taken place that would have put the thought into his head that sending police and emergency workers on such a goose chase was a good idea? Did he ever once think about the safety of people who were trying to corral this balloon and save the balloon boy? Does he not have a conscience other than thinking about his own personal gain? Didn't he ever believe that this situation could have a horrible ending?

These are questions that need to be answered. The media, after being manipulated in an almost mocking way, will probably take vengeance by portraying the guy as a villain. It's true that he shouldn't have put anyone in harm's way. But is it part of our culture that people now believe and in fact realize that being on reality television can instantly make someone famous? And with that fame usually comes a large financial gain. Are we wrong as a society for putting anyone on a pedestal much less a reality television star? Much less a balloon boy story that becomes the news of the day when in fact it never was really news to begin with.

The parent in this situation got what he wanted. He's now famous. He's a household name. And he did manipulate the media to a degree not many people have managed throughout the years by creating a balloon boy story. But in the end, what did it accomplish? He gained exposure and will probably make a lot of money when he signs a book and movie deal. Just like Jon and Kate Gosselin, he will reap the benefits of exposing his children to the world. But the kids probably will never have a normal life. Falcon will always be known as the center piece of a balloon boy story that was full of hot air to begin with.

The dad will have to live with the fact that his urge to gain money, fame or whatever his motives are were behind the aftermath that his loved ones have to deal with. Repercussions of your actions, the boy who cried wolf. Where was he when these were discussed. Common things that parents should teach.

The family should be okay but would a real father ever put his children at risk for anything that is to come following his bad decisions? I hope as a collective society we eventually learn from this behavior and remember that our decisions should concern our kids welfare and not our own. Selfishness is the root of all evil. You can say what you want about money but I think selfishness was there way before any currency was invented. Let's hope that the next time someone tries to manipulate the media that it's just the normal politician who wants a little more coverage so he can get a few more votes. That kind of media manipulation may be full of hot air but at least it won't involve a young boy travelling in harm's way in a balloon. The media will always take a second look now that they have the balloon boy story precedent. And perhaps that's the only true good thing to come out of the balloon boy story.