Stephen McDonell reported this story on Sunday, March 23, 2014 07:01:00

ELIZABETH JACKSON: The drama around the missing Malaysian Airlines passenger jet has attracted enormous attention.



There's been almost around-the-clock coverage of the search, though often with very little solid information to report on.



That however hasn't stopped the world's media outlets going into considerable detail about all manner of theories.



The ABC's Stephen McDonell has been covering the investigation from the media centre in Kuala Lumpur.



STEPHEN MCDONELL: "Never forget that we are the story," Aaron Altman sarcastically quipped to Tom Grunick in 'Broadcast News'. His nemesis had teared up in a cut-away of the reporter listening sensitively to a date rape victim. We learn of course later that this was acting.



The movie captured the moment in the 1980s when the big American TV networks really dumbed down the news and made personalities out of their presenters.



Fast forward to now, and the transformation has spread around the planet. The hunt for the missing passenger jet has understandably generated massive international interest.



The problem has been that most days here there has been nothing new to report, with the exception of a couple of major shifts, like when it emerged that the aircraft had gone off on a completely different direction or when Australia announced a strong lead from satellite images.



This has been especially challenging for the likes of CNN, keen to broadcast 24 hours a day on a story with no news.



This theory, that theory; this expert, that expert.



At one point I heard them promoting an item coming up looking at other great mysteries "like what happened to Marilyn Monroe and…"



Are you serious? Marilyn Monroe? World's great mysteries? Is there nothing else happening on the planet?



"Never forget that we are the story."



CNN studio presenter Bill Weir held up a photo of a child who was on board the missing flight. He referred to the child's age in the present tense because, Bill told us, he's not giving up hope that the child is still alive. Gee, thanks Bill. We the viewers are now enriched with the knowledge that you're not giving up hope.



Richard Quest was interviewing the father of a passenger who was on board the Air France flight that crashed into the ocean, prompting a search for the black box which took two years.



In asking how the families coped at the time, Richard added that he was covering this story back in 2009. He acknowledged that he, of course, was one step removed from the families in all this.



What? Are you implying that it's even remotely relevant how hard it was for you to cope with this in the studio from where you reported this missing flight?



(Sound of activity in the MH370 media centre)



Yet the really cringe-worthy aspect to the coverage of this crisis has been the grandstanding of television networks here at the MH370 media centre.



Although the press conferences are going out live across the world in who knows how many countries on who knows how many networks, have a listen to how Sky News starts its questions in these briefings.



SKY NEWS REPORTER: Hello sir, you're live on Sky News in London, and our thoughts are very much with your countrymen at very difficult time.



HISHAMUDDIN HUSSEIN: Thank you.



STEPHEN MCDONELL: The belief is clearly that the self-promotion of "you're live on Sky News London" is somehow less cold and less self-serving if the thoughts of Sky News are with the transport Minister's countrymen.



Britain's ITV has taken it upon themselves to demand an apology for the families. At the press conference immediately after the Chinese families burst into the media centre to protest, they proudly re-asked the same question to the transport minister.



LUCY WATSON: Lucy Watson, ITV News; we asked you on Monday if you thought the time was now to apologize to the families. After what we witnessed this afternoon, is the time not really now?



STEPHEN MCDONELL: Hishamuddin Hussein responded:



HISHAMUDDIN HUSSEIN: The time is still to look for the aircraft.



STEPHEN MCDONELL: These are questions designed for TV reporters to be seen to be asking the tough questions for networks who think their audiences are stupid at a time when there is no news.



Here's France24 going straight after the transport minister:



FRANCE24 REPORTER: First one: what consequences can these mistakes have on your administration?



Second one: can you confirm [to] us that you are prime minister Najib's cousin?



Third question: are you protected by him?



(Laughter in press conference)



STEPHEN MCDONELL: Malaysian reporters thought this was pretty hilarious, given that this family relationship is hardly a secret here.



The transport minister seemed to think it was reasonably funny too.



(Laughter)



HISHAMUDDIN HUSSEIN: Ahh… I really don't know. Where are you from?



FRANCE24 REPORTER: France.



HISHAMUDDIN HUSSEIN: France…



FRANCE 24 REPORTER: Do you have a response, sir?



HISHAMUDDIN HUSSEIN: Yes, I can confirm here that Najib is my cousin. I don't know what I am supposed to be protected from.



FRANCE 24 REPORTER: Can you confirm…



HISHAMUDDIN HUSSEIN: I do not want go down this line of questioning.



STEPHEN MCDONELL: The mock outrage, the theories, the false empathy - they can't lose.

The hard thing for all of us though has been to admit at various times that there has been simply nothing new to say.



Yet the nature of these mass international stories has changed forever. Journalists will file a piece based on thin air. And some of them, with nothing to write about, will even descend into the navel-gazing exercise of analysing how other media outlets are reporting.



This is Stephen McDonell in Kuala Lumpur for Correspondents Report.

