Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

What a week, it’s great to see so many Australians and New Zealanders coming together to help those in need!

We’ve added a few more charities to our original post, including details of charities based in New Zealand and of a fund that’s been set up to support the Sanson-Rejouis family.

The most recent updates include details for the Salvation Army and UNHCR, as well as how to make a donation via Médecins Sans Frontières Australia. If there is a charity or organisation that we missed or you feel should be on the list, please leave a comment below or on the original post.

For the latest news, please be sure to Yahoo!7 News for full coverage of the events in Haiti.

Kate
Community Manager

We’d all agree. there has been such an outpouring of grief over Michael Jackson’s death. In fact, the coverage almost hasn’t stopped. From the moment we got news that he’d died of a heart attack, we’ve been bombarded.

What really killed him: Cardiac arrest, Painkillers, his doctor or the media? Are his kids biologically related to him? Who will look after them – his mother Katherine Jackson, Janet Jackson or Debbie Rowe? Where can you get tickets to his memorial? What were some quotes from the memorial?

All these questions and thousands more have been debated on Answers and it’s not looking like it’s ending. Where will he be buried? Do you think the press will honour his wishes by keeping his children out of the spotlight?

However like his life, Michael Jackson’s death hasn’t been without controversy. Mostly people seem to have adored this icon and truly appreciated the impact he’s made on this world. Others are focused on his accusations of sexual impropriety and still feel Michael was a paedophile who was allowed to walk free. Regardless of what you think of him, you have to admit we’ve all got an opinion about Michael Jackson and we’ve all given our two cents worth over the last few weeks.

The other question that I have been pondering is the media coverage surrounding his death. It’s been the most dramatic coverage since Princess Diana died but did he make the biggest impact on the world? Do you think it was a little extreme or do you think it was justified for such a star? I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

Caitlin
Community Manager

Wow what a week. Water cooler conversations and news bulletins alike have been bouncing from discussions about paid maternity leave to the treatment of women by Rugby League players, from predictions about the upcoming job losses to the very high profile demotion of Matthew Johns.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether Matthew Johns should have been stood down by Channel 9 and Melbourne Storm. A question we featured on the Yahoo!7 Frontpage yesterday got an astounding 700 answers (and counting)! We hope the writer Mumkaren didn’t have get a notification for everyone of those answers… that would be one full inbox! She asked Do you think Matthew Johns should have been sacked for something that happened 7 years ago?

There are some pretty heated opinions on there, here are just a few:

NO!!! It was consensual, not illegal and had nothing to do with Channel 9 or Melbourne Storm. I’d like to see statistics showing how many people have had group sex – I bet you it would be a large percentage. – Altezza

If Johns has a daughter, and this happened to her, what do you think he would do to the guys who did it? – Anonymous

Apparently this was investigated by NZ police and he was not charged. Why does someone get to come back 7 years later and upheave his life. I think it was a publicity stunt on her part and she will probably be well paid for her story. – HJ

This was a 19 year old girl. One who could very easily be taken advantage of. And the police investigation? Hmmm 6 witnesses vs 1. What do you think the police can do? Turns into a “he sad she said” situation. – Karl

The thing is, this type of behaviour brings up wider implications that we’re not unfamiliar with. Remember the Brett Stewart incident? He is still waiting to face court in a few weeks for allegations of sexually assaulting a minor. Yet he was only banned for 4 weeks from the NRL, even though the reason he was inebriated on the night in question was because of a Manly Sea Eagles booze up.

As dogsoldier1962 asked the Answers community, have the NRL backed themselves into a corner? Should the NRL go back over all the incidents that have happened like the Bulldogs in Coffs Harbour, the 3 Broncos players from late last year and even Brett Stewart and start tearing up their contracts?

What is even more scary is what does this behaviour say about the football culture? Why have there been so many scandals like this? Lou asks, why are NRL players prone to pack sex? Is it a rite of passage? There’s certainly a lot of discussion in Answers about it and the NRL has a lot to think about. Furthermore, we have a lot to think about whether these are the type of people we want as role models, particularly in a media capacity like Matthew Johns.

So what happens to Matthew Johns now? Do you think he should ever have a TV career again or has he ruined his public reputation permanently?

Caitlin
Community Manager