Top 10: Assange and gay marriage

2 Dec 2011, 3:06 pm   -   By: Lisa Zilberpriver
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Julian Assange was given a Walkley award for his contribution to journalism. (SBS)

Julian Assange was given a Walkley award for his contribution to journalism. (SBS)

Was it Julian Assange who made the Walkley Awards the most popular story this week? Or are SBS audiences just super-interested in journalism? We like to think it's the latter.

Most industries have their awards nights, but most people from outside the industry would find them utterly boring - even with free booze.

For example, doctors are unlikely to turn up to the Australian Engineering Excellence awards, or the Chartered Accounts awards, and the feeling's probably mutual on the engineers' and accountants' sides.

Which is why it's always a surprise that our viewers - presumably from a very wide range of non-media-related occupations - take so much interest in the Walkley Awards.

Sure, it's on TV, but so's a whole lot of stuff about the Kardashians. Doesn't mean you have to watch it - especially since there's NO booze that way anyway. But watch it you do, and you clicked it into top spot in our list of popular stories this week, and that pleases and flatters us over here in the business of journalism.

At first glance, one might think the popularity of THIS year's Walkley broadcast and related online stories may be owed to the fact that the top honour was handed to Wikileaks' Julian Assange.

But the very next story on the list - hot on its heels - was a whole gallery of photos from the Walkley awards presentation night, which says to us that not only are you interested in seeing who wins what, but you also want to see us having dinner all dressed up!

In an industry where ego is abundant and arguably necessary, that kind of flattery will get you everywhere, dear readers.

In third spot, you were hunting for serious news, and you clicked on our interview with members of maritime activists Sea Shepherd as they prepared to tackle Japanese whalers.

In fourth, this blog about how Twitter helped arrest a woman for a tirade against migrants on a UK tram stirred debate about what one should and shouldn't say about people of different backgrounds and the way in which one can or can't say it. A warning about that one - if you click on the links to the videos, be prepared for some potentially offensive remarks and foul language.

Fifth spot went to the passing of rugby league legend Arthur Beetson. He died of a massive heart attack as he rode his bike a few hours before he was to attend a function for 400 young indigenous rugby players whom he'd helped to achieve their dreams.

In sixth, the much lighter story of a stolen Superman comic expected to sell for squillions of dollars.

Then, with the news that Queensland was the latest state to legalise same sex civil unions, readers flocked to our discussion board to have their say on whether Australia should legalise same-sex marriage. It's worth a click to get a sense of where Aussies stand on that question, with over 700 responses so far.

There was a collective gulp from all those with an interest in the Middle East as reports emerged that four Katyusha rockets (they're the big, nasty kind) had been fired from south Lebanon into Israel, drawing return fire from the Israel Defence Forces and creating a worrying sense of deja vu from 2006.

And to finish, a timely warning for Christmas shoppers, with news that a US shopping centre (oh, all right - "mall") opening its doors for the traditional Black Friday sales found its staff pulling shoppers off each other as the spree turned violent.

And with that, we wish you a relaxing weekend and may all of your non-denominational holiday season shopping excursions be safe and free of pepper-spray.

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Your Comments

Wikileaks impacted like a sledgehammer!!! Loved it!

jason wander - from australia, 6 months ago

It was exhilarating and refreshing to watch the work of Wikileaks slowly appear in this world, then impacting like a sledgehammer, sending ripples through every government. It was a nail-biting thrill to watch tiny David Wikileaks fight the big Goliath, powerful government agencies. Who won? I think Wikileaks did, for what it archived.

Sorry Bala I disagree

PD - from Melbourne today, 6 months ago

Lots of good people come from single parent families - do we outlaw them too?

Mr.

Bala Namasivayam - from BERWICK. Vic, Australia, 6 months ago

I am aginst the legalising of Gay Marriages! Think of our future generations.......... Every Child born is entitled to have a Father AND a Mother!The child development is dependant on them!

freedom

omar ali - from miami, 6 months ago

freedom

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