It is completely BEYOND me that any “traditional media” publication could do a first-hand report (with photographs) on a lottery winner and not check the lottery numbers against the winning jackpot numbers. And not just to check the numbers, but also to have the most basic of fuck-up-sensors in their heads, telling them to check the date of the draw on the ticket.

Seriously, are you 12?

Yesterday’s front page reports around the country that a deaf and mute man, Stanley Philander, had won the R91 million National Lottery jackpot, have turned out to be untrue. It seems that EVEN THOUGH “Stanley and his family were spirited away by Lotto officials because they had been swamped by family and friends who wanted to share their wealth,” Stanley is NOT the winner! Someone else was the real winner and they have chosen to remain anonymous.

PLEASE tell me how both the original reporters AND the Lottery authority managed to create such an nuclear clusterfuck? How is it possible?

Traditional Media

The initial reports were concerned about how Stanley would cope with his new found wealth. They spoke of the overwhelming number of people that started pestering him for money – to the point of him having to run away.

And now what? Please tell me now what will happen to Stanley now? Please tell me how he will cope with YOUR monumental mess and the fact that you, apparently educated people, were able to let this happen?

Pathetic.

You can read more about this complete and utter balls up HERE, if you want.

But the real point of this post is not really about that. The point of this post is to remind you exactly why you and 60,000 other people (double what it was a year ago) choose to read 2oceansvibe.

We’re not even trained as journalists, here at 2oceansvibe. Thankfully it seems that basic journalism is not what you are looking for. No, not at all – you’re just looking for something semi-intelligent to read. You’re looking for something that doesn’t leave you feeling insulted. Violated even? Something that talks to YOU about things that you really care about. Things that you and your friends REALLY talk about.

Because you’re tired of the school-project quality work being handed in at your local news stands. On the radio. On the television.

Because you’re tired of four paragraph articles being written by three people at a time.

Because the launch of the iPad and news about Rupert Murdoch taking on the internet and photos of Tiger Woods’ sluts is more important to you than a report about a local minister getting a traffic fine and a witch doctor in the Eastern Cape who cast a spell on the village.

You deserve better. You really do.

Stick around.