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Journalism of Courage
Two children are now internet sensations after they barged in during live broadcasts in which their respective mothers were participating. Many have commented that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about given it is the ‘new normal’ on social media.
In the first instance, Dr Clare Wenham was was being interviewed by the BBC on the issue of local lockdowns in the UK when her daughter Scarlett turned up and started talking to her. The girl was seen waving a picture of a unicorn, and appeared undecided on where to place it on a shelf behind her mother.
The assistant professor of global health policy at the London School of Economics tried to keep talking, but Scarlett continued to try to get her attention, finally climbing on the desk waving her artwork. Wenham eventually lifted her and put her down but Scarlett then walked to the back of the room to try find a spot for the picture. But what really won hearts online was the presenter at the studio sharing his opinion on where the photo should be placed.
Seeing BBC presenter Christian Fraser was trying to talk to her, she asked her mother twice, “Mummy what’s his name?”
Soon afterwards, a similar incident took place on Sky News. The channel’s foreign affairs editor, Deborah Haynes was interrupted by her son during the interview when he walked into the room and asked for biscuits.
Haynes apologised on-air for the interruption and told her child he could have two. However, unlike in the case of BBC, her interview was cut short. The camera cut back to news anchor Mark Austin who said, “We’ll leave Deborah Haynes in full flow there with some family duties,” adding “that’s what happens during lockdown.”
The little boy’s clever cameo was appreciated by many on social media, and Haynes later tweeted to everyone’s delight that her son’s “high-stakes negotiating skills netted him two chocolate digestives”.
The two videos were shared widely and many said they were familiar with the challenges of working from home while dealing with children. And while there was praise for the BBC anchor, some criticised the Sky News anchor’s remark.
https://twitter.com/Wanderi15011358/status/1278453467615551490
https://twitter.com/sarahlostctrl/status/1278431847912034310
https://twitter.com/barnabarian/status/1278364162993897474
The clips also prompted many to recall the case of Professor Robert E Kelly’s BBC interview in March 2017 that was interrupted by both his children and became a sensation globally.
