Are We Royal Baby Mad?
Anyone in the UK (and no doubt across the globe) knows that any day now Kate Middleton will give birth to the future heir to the British throne, and just about every publication and broadcasting house are providing their take on the event. But is our interest verging on obsession?
From fake Facebook and Twitter accounts to blogs about the Royal Baby, the future heir is everywhere, and the Brits love it.
And as the due date draws near, the rumor mill has gone into overdrive. So much so that bookies across the UK are cashing in on the event by taking bets on everything from the date of the birth to hair color and the weight of the royal baby. Recent reports put royal baby related bets in excess of £10,000 (15,000+) per day.
Media from all over the world are currently camped outside the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital; suggesting that the excitement is by no means contained to the UK. The real question is what lengths will the world’s journalists go to in order to get the inside story and differentiate their publication from the many others? Is our interest pushing journalists to go to lengths that could be deemed inappropriate? The suicide of Nurse Jacintha Saldanha following the hoax call from two Australian DJs is a reminder that the way in which the media covers the news can have very real implications on the subjects of those stories. Let’s hope that the media does not forget this recent example as they look for their scoops.
For now, the Royal Baby watch continues, but until then, feel free to place your non-monetary baby bets in the comments! 