The British backpacker and the news coverage...

[max_tranmere]

That guy who went walkabout around the Blue Monutains, west of Sydney, and go lost, is now making a lot of money out of it. Deals with newspapers, daytime chat shows and so on, are making his bank account bulge. I don't really have a problem with that, it is more how the TV news are prioritising their stories. Anyone would take a load of cash, if offered, to talk about an experience like that, but what gets me is this guy - whose experience was hardly bad compared to soldiers losing limbs in Iraq - is actually getting more coverage at the moment than those soldiers are. A murder in London or Manchaester today wont even make the news, nor will the fact 100 people lost their jobs when a certain company went bust. But a backpacker wandering around the Blue Mountains, getting lost, then getting found, does. It's a weird world and I would love to know why such trivia gets top-billing and really serious stuff doesn't get a mention.

[Sam Slater]

People lap up stories of this nature, sadly.

[DanG]

Many people are already questioning the veracity of his tale, like Ex-SAS turned author Andy McNab.

It might just be a case of the old build 'em up to knock 'em down...

[jj]

Hopefully, he'll donate a chunk of his 'winnings' to the poorly-funded
rescue-services who saved his incompetent, sorry ass.

But I ain't holding me breath.

[The Last Word]

It's summer. What better than a good student travel/gap year fear story to frighten middle class parents with?

[steve56]

he sounded young for his years i thought

[bristolian]

There's something weird-looking about him, and even more so about his mother (sorry, very fat-ist,I know)