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Balloon Boy Hoax Hijacks News

Oct 18
Posted by admin in Family Life, Media
What a six year-old looks like wishing he would have been a better liar like dad wanted him to be.
What a six year-old looks like wishing he would have been a better liar like dad wanted.

Sunday morning news is suposed to be a wrap-up of everything important that came up over the previous week.  This Sunday, however, most of it is devoted to the Colorado’s Heene family’s balloon project. 

With health care reform, the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan under terrorist attacks, and everything else, this story is dominating the Sunday morning news cycle here for some damn reason.  My guess as why is it originates from a family’s manipulation of the media and lead to major embarassment of the industry.
 
The Heene family was (and possibly still is) media gold: relatively good looking parents and children who do interesting things, have energy, and are not shy about signing reality show waivers.  They’d already been featured on Wife Swap and were pursuing their own reality show.
 
Last week, the media, FAA, and local first responders (possibly in that order) were called from the Heene family phone and told 6 year-old Falcon had floated off in a big hot air balloon project.  Turned out Falcon was not in the balloon, but hiding in a box in the home’s attic.
 
Here’s the interview in which Falcon says he heard his family calling his name, but didn’t come out because his parents said he “had to do it for the show.”
 

I can’t help but believe that this story would not dominate today’s news cycle if news people hadn’t been the ones duped.

It doesn’t look like Monday’s news is going to be much different than Sunday’s was:

Lawyer: ‘Balloon boy’ family ready to surrender
msnbc.com - Michael Inbar - David Zalubowski / AP By Michael Inbar Richard and Mayumi Heene may soon face charges after being accused of trying to whip up a media frenzy with a tall tale about their son floating away in a makeshift flying saucer — but Richard Heene’s lawyer told …

Legendary Con Man Calls Balloon Boy ‘Fun and Games’
ABC News - John Berman, Suzan Clarke - As Americans across the country are waking up to confusion and outrage after police declared the “balloon boy” ordeal a hoax and publicity stunt, one legendary con man has advice for dealing with the …

Sheriff: Balloon boy hoax may have conspirators
The Associated Press - Dan Elliott - FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The lawyer for the man accused of perpetrating the balloon boy hoax to promote a reality show said Monday that he expects authorities to bring charges against his client in the next day as investigators analyze e-mails that show

‘Balloon boy’ reminder that TV is full of shams
Washington Post - Frazier Moore - AP NEW YORK — When 6-year-old Falcon Heene threw up twice while being interviewed about his role in last week’s balloon ordeal, he summed things up for millions of onlookers. Viewers had been riveted Thursday by the sight of a flyaway …

Lawyer: Balloon Boy’s Family Preparing for Arrest
ABC News - Sarah Netter, Ryan Owens - “If they step over any lines, it is my job to slap them down,” Heene family attorney David Lane told “Good Morning America” today. “I have no idea what so-called evidence they have.” Lane said he expects the Larimer …

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