UPDATE:
Sydney siege victim, Marcia Mikhael has reportedly signed a $350,000 interview deal with Chanel Seven to tell her story. Rival network Chanel Nine is also set to host an interview with Karina Dawson’s pregnant barrister friend, Julie Taylor, The Daily Mail reports.
The rival interviews are set to air on Sunday February 1.
It is reported that Channel Nine initially offered Marcia Mikhael $300,000, but she opted for Channel Seven after they submitted a bigger offer.
Previously, Mamamia wrote..
Should the Sydney siege hostages get paid for media interviews?
That’s the question being debated by some disgruntled social media users today, after The Australian reported that former hostage Marcia Mikhael’s lawyer revealed she was offering to sell her story for a “six-figure sum”.
“It’s got to be a win-win business transaction … so when I say I don’t want to be insulted, I’m saying I don’t want a figure of $10,000 — that’s not going to cut it at all,” the lawyer, Mr Jason Arraj reportedly told The Australian when Ms Mikhael was approached for an interview.
Mr Arraj added that Ms Mikhael had “a wonderful story to tell” and that payment for any interview “is not for the purpose of making a dollar for the benefit of Marcia herself,” but would instead benefit an as-yet-unnamed foundation that she is setting up.
Ms Mikhael has also recorded an exclusive interview with Melissa Doyle at Channel Seven, for a sum that has not yet been disclosed. That interview will air early next month, Fairfax Media reports.
NSW police have previously asked various hostages to be careful what they say to the media.
Marcia being carried out of the Lindt Cafe after being shot in the leg. (Photo: Getty Images.)
Several critics have slammed the idea that hostages should be paid for speaking about the devastating event, which tragically ended in the loss of Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson‘s lives.
Taking to social media to share their concerns, some commentators have even gone so far as to suggest mother-of-three Mikhail should feel obliged to donate her money to a special fund to promote religious tolerance.
Others point out that, while victims of terror attacks overseas can claim up to $75,000 in financial assistance under federal Australian law, the Daily Telegraph reports hostages caught up in the 16-hour siege in Sydney will receive as little as $1,500 plus costs in compensation under the NSW victims support scheme.
That relatively small sum has had led NSW Attorney General Brad Hazzard to call for the Federal Government to revise terrorism victim compensation in Australia.
“There may be a major issue – in the sense of an anomaly – between how citizens are treated if they are subject to a terrorism event overseas, versus here in Australia,” he told the
“If it’s offshore, there are much greater entitlements, so I’m asking the Federal Government to look at that and make sure people are being treated equally.”
NSW Attorney-General Brad Hazzard.But some social media users have defended Ms Mikhail’s decision to request compensation for speaking out about her trauma.
After all, they argue, if television networks were allowed to profit off running footage of the siege, shouldn’t victims of the event also be allowed to expect compensation to speak about the painful experience?
You may also be interested in reading Mamamia’s post about why nobody has the right to judge the hostages.
Where do you stand?
Top Comments
100% should be paid! They went through a traumatic situation and deserve something besides fear out of it!
I do not think that these people should be paid at all and I also think that these commercial television stations should not broadcast any interviews. It just does not seem right.