ABC’s Media Watch questions that ‘students identify as cats’ story

The ABC’s Media Watch program has cast it’s eye over the Courier Mail‘s recent claims that students at a Brisbane school are identifying as cats, and described the report as “the craziest” and “flimsiest” story of the week.

Host Paul Barry raised his eyebrows at other media outlets that repeated the claim, including The Daily Mail, Channel 10’s Studio 10 and Sky News program Outsiders. 

The newspaper’s associate editor Kylie Lang is adamant that her report is accurate, and the newspaper is sticking by it, but Paul Barry criticised the journalist’s work saying the wasn’t much to back up her report, which appears to be based on second and third hand accounts she’d apparently encountered at a recent dinner party.

“Wow!” Barry commented, “Three unnamed sources, with second or third hand knowledge, no photos, no videos, or first hand testimony to back up the claims.”

Media Watch said it was clear that the report was not based on any solid facts, and it wasn’t surprising that students had taken to social media site TikTok to make fun of the report.

OUTinPerth reported that tales of students identifying as cats, and being given special treatment in schools is a well documented urban myth. There have been similar reports in Canada, Utah, Ohio, Idaho, Michigan and Texas.

Earlier today Nebraska became the latest location with a report of cat identifying students, when a Republican state senator declared during a live television debate that he was shocked to hear that there were cases of students dressing up as cats and dogs, meowing and barking, and schools adding kitty litter boxes to bathrooms.

“Schools are wanting to put litter boxes in the schools for these children to use. How is this sanitary?” asked Senator Bruce Bostelman.

Within a few hours the senator was walking back his comments.

Take a look at the Media Watch report. 

OIP Staff

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