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2008/09: Was the response of the police and the media to the Corey Worthington party excessive?<BR>

2008/09: Was the response of the police and the media to the Corey Worthington party excessive?

What they said ...
'Just hundreds of kids, big groups, large groups coming up and down the street and they were basically throwing bottles, smashing things...'
A neighbouring commenting on the behaviour of some of those the Victoria Police attempted to disperse

'Most of the kids were just hanging around but about 15-20 gatecrashers, down the street from our house, caused all the trouble and the damage to the police cars ...'
Corey Worthington's parents suggesting that most of those at their son's party did little harm

The issue at a glance
On January 12, 2008, after invitations were issued on the social networking website MySpace and through email and SMS messages, a crowd of up to 500 teenagers assembled at a house party in Narre Warren, Melbourne. The party was hosted by Corey Worthington while his parents were holidaying interstate.
Neighbours called police to break up the party; however, some partygoers gathered at a nearby reserve and threw bottles at two police vehicles, causing significant damage. Police were forced to retreat until back-up arrived. In total some 30 police had to be deployed to disperse the crowd.
Two police cars, a helicopter, two dog squad units, a critical incident response team, transit police and divisional van crews from surrounding suburbs were called in.
In addition to the damage to the police cars, police said several nearby letterboxes were smashed. They believe the crowd at Corey Worthington's party swelled after another party was broken up in nearby Hallam. Police claim most of the youths were drinking alcohol.
The incident has sparked a world-like reaction. Treated exhaustively in Australian print, television and radio outlets, the 'Corey Worthington story' has also received coverage in the United States and England. Further, it has now drawn the attention of Internet news and comment sites for weeks.
There are those who have argued that the incident has significant social significance and that it warranted both the initial police response and the subsequent media attention. Others have argued that the total response has been an over-reaction and, in the case of the media, an exploitative one.

Background
Other similar incidents
The Corey Worthington party episode is not a one-off. There have been a number of recent incidents in which parties promoted through MySpace have been overrun, in one case with fatal results.

January 3, 2008, Seattle
A group of teenage girls organised a private back-to-school party. Details were posted on MySpace. Gatecrashers arrived and an argument developed into a fight. At least one person opened fire. A 17-year-old Cleveland High School football player, Allen Joplin, was killed and a 13-year-old girl was shot in the leg.

May 8, 2007, northern England
A party, hosted by the teenage daughter of Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox, left the home of the singer's former husband trashed after gatecrashers learnt of the party via MySpace. The gatecrashers scribbled graffiti on walls, broke pictures, flooded the kitchen, tore books, and vomited and urinated on the carpets. When friends of the host tried to lock the front door it was kicked in. Lennox grounded her daughter indefinitely.

April 13, 2007, County Durham, England
Parents were left with a $48,000 bill after a party advertised by their teenage daughter on MySpace attracted hundreds of revellers who trashed their home. The 17-year-old host, Rachael Bell, was expecting 30 to 40 people, but more than 200 invaded the house. It had been advertised as a 'Skins-themed' party, named after a British television series about promiscuous, drug-taking teenagers. The flyer had been had been hacked so that it read, 'Let's trash the average family-sized house disco party.'

Internet information
The Australian Journalists Code of Ethics can be found at http://www.australian-news.com.au/codethics.htm

The A Current Affair (ACA) interview Leila McKinnon conducted with Corey Worthington can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2EDtxEumFI
(Please note: most schools do not allow access to YouTube.)

On January 14, 2008, The 7.30 Report presented an item on the Corey Worthington party episode. It included comments from a number of the Delany's neighbours. A full transcript of this report can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s2138091.htm

On 14 January, 2008, The Frankston Independent published a detailed account by Daniella Miletic, titled, 'Parents "devastated" by teen's party of 500'
The full text of the article can be found at http://frankston.yourguide.com.au/articles/1161747.html?src=topstories

On January 16, 2006, The Sydney Morning Herald published an analysis piece by Andrew Hornery and Alex Tibbitts titled, 'Reality TV version of Neighbours an instant hit'
The article gives an overview of the events following the party, with a special emphasis on its media treatment. The analysis can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/reality-tv-version-of-neighbours-an-instant-hit/2008/01/15/1200159449366.html

On 17 January, 2008, The Canberra Times published a comment by Andree Stephens titled, 'Bad-boy Corey: fodder for media feeding frenzy'
The opinion piece suggests the media attention given the incident has been excessive. The full text of the article can be found at http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/news/opinion/opinion/badboy-corey-fodder-for-media-feeding-frenzy/1163814.html

Australian Women Online is an online women's magazine. On January 18, 2008, the magazine published an opinion piece by Deborah Robinson titled, 'Leave the Kid Alone: MySpace party teen Corey vilified in media frenzy'
In this commentary Robinson suggests the media's treatment of the incident has become exploitative and excessive.
The full text of this article can be found at http://www.australianwomenonline.com/?p=148

On January 18, 2008, the ABC's Opinion page published a comment by Ann Lund, titled, 'Corey's story: fair game or camera fodder?'
Lunn analyses those elements of the Corey Worthington story that led to it becoming the focus of so much media attention. She suggests that ultimately the media's handling of the episode was improper.
The full text of Lunn's comment can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/18/2141418.htm

On January 19, 2008, The Sydney Morning Herald published an article by Allan Tieu, titled, 'Party dangers of being host with the most'
The article outlines a number of MySpace prmoted parties that have occurred overseas. These parties have resulted in major property damage, injury and death. The full text of this article can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/cyber-networking-sites-can-lead-to-a-bash-going-bust/2008/01/18/1200620210426.html

Arguments suggesting the response of the police and the media to Corey Worthington was excessive
1. Corey Worthington's party caused little property damage
It has been claimed that the extent of media interest in Corey Worthington's party has been curiously overblown as little damage was caused and he and his guests have been generally well-behaved.
This point has been made at length by Jill Singer in an article published in The Herald Sun. Singer opens her piece, 'Why do the antics of Corey Worthington (aka Delaney) inspire such obsessive interest? Here he is, portrayed as the archetype of youth-gone-wrong. Yet we haven't even heard the boy utter a single profanity under duress, let alone a sentence complete with verbs and adverbs.
His legendary party is being touted from Narre Warren to London to New York as one of the wildest bashes known to revelling louts, yet the sum total of material damage appears to be a single broken windscreen.
We've even watched on TV as Corey and his mates cleaned up after their party. Let's face it, these kids are pussies when it comes to public menace.'
Corey Worthington has acknowledged that some minor damage was done to neighbours' properties, however, he maintains that this was done by others, unknown to him, who gathered outside his house. 'I can't be exactly blamed for everything that happened because I was inside the house ... it could have been any random person in the street doing it, it happens all the time.'
Corey Worthington's parents have supported their son, claiming he did little wrong and that the party caused little damage. They have stated, 'Most of the kids were just hanging around but about 15-20 gatecrashers, down the street from our house, caused all the trouble and the damage to the police cars ...
Some of the police told us they were amazed by how little damage was done in the street - from what we can see, one birdbath and one letterbox broken - considering how many people were there.'

2. Police intervention and threatened fines were excessive or inappropriate
It has been claimed that the initial police reaction to the Narre Warren party and the subsequent suggestion that Corey or his parents might be fined for the cost of the police intervention were inappropriate.
On January 16, 2008, the following comment was posted on Sydney's Indymedia site. 'Police illegally detained Corey and his friends when they locked them inside the house and ordered them not to come out on the night of the party while they chased up those who were smashing bottles and misbehaving outside. However this shows that Corey, as he has stated, had nothing to do with the vandalism.
There is no way he can be charged with vandalism as he did not do it. It was others present at the party who carried out these antisocial acts.
Sure he did a silly thing but he is only 16. A sixteen year old in the lockup? How disgraceful. This has happened because of the media hype and the demands by various good citizens that he be punished. Another trial by media.'
A commentator on Larvatus Prodeo also noted on January 16, 'I don't see why the Victorian Police have a right to bill anyone for doing their job and still less to charge one individual for property damage he can't solely have been responsible for. By all means proceed against individuals against whom specific offences can be alleged, but some sort of exemplary punishment seems ludicrously contrary to any notions of due process, and for that matter, the presumption of innocence.'
Corey Worthing has specifically argued that his parents should not be fined for the cost of the police action.
A report in the British newspaper the Daily Mail states, 'Corey said he didn't think his family should pay the police bill. Corey said police in bullet-proof vests told the partygoers not to leave the house as hundreds of drunken teens rampaged outside.
"There was nothing I could do to stop the people outside," he has claimed. "If it was on my property or in my house, I'd have stopped it. But because it was up the street and the cops made us stay inside, forced us to stay inside and locked the door on us, we weren't allowed out ...We did everything they told us to do."'
These views have been echoed by Melbourne QC David Galbally who has claimed that neither Corey nor his parents could be forced to pay for the cost of the damage or to fund the police callout, as suggested by Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon.
'If you have a private party, you have a duty of care to those that attend to look after them, but when they leave your premises you are not responsible for what they do, Mr Galbally said.

3. Police intervention worsened the situation
Corey Worthington has been reported as claiming that police intervention actually worsened the situation and that no bottles were thrown until police tried to have those outside the Delaney house move on.
A girl invited to the party has claimed on the private Internet site nickford.com.au, 'There was absolutely no trouble until police showed up from what I'm guessing was a noise complaint. What people (mainly the media) don't report, is that there was a second party within two streets of Corey's. Everyone in Narre Warren and the surrounding areas, know one another pretty well. Especially those of us with MySpace and the likes. So when this "invite-only" party got boring, a good chunk of its people left and turned up at Corey's. He can't be blamed for this entirely.'
A BBC report from January 14, 2008, also notes, 'Officers answering a complaint about noise were forced to retreat and await reinforcements after they were attacked with rocks and bottles.' The report would seem to indicate that the extent of the violence increased with the arrival of the police. Prior to that, the issue for neighbours appears to have been noise rather than property damage.

4. Corey Worthington's actions have been presented in a deliberately negative light by some media outlets
In the first interview he gave on A Current Affair (ACA), Corey Worthington said that he had already offered to say sorry to his neighbours when he saw them. He then offered to say sorry immediately as part of the interview. It was only when the interviewer, Leila McKinnon, insisted that Worthington remove his glasses before he apologised that the boy became difficult.
Critics of the media's treatment of the incident maintain that some media outlets ignored the boy's efforts to apologise, instead creating a situation where it was less likely he would do so.
It has also been noted that when Corey Worthington attempted to explain that neither he nor his parents was responsible for the behaviour of people who may simply have been out on the street outside his house when the police arrived, the ACA interviewer again diverted him by claiming he did not sound remorseful.
Andree Stephens writing in the Canberra Times noted, 'in an interview on Channel Nine's A Current Affair, to which he was driven by the network, Corey's quietly spoken responses to the ludicrously self-righteous Leila McKinnon was the turning point.
When prompted, he did say sorry to his parents and the neighbours. There it is, he said it. He was contrite.
But, failing to achieve suitable remorse, perhaps even tears from the boy, the persistent McKinnon continued. "Take off your glasses and apologise to the neighbours, the police, the community."
She attacked his appearance and told him to take a good, long look at himself. Nasty and provocative ...
The Daily Telegraph now refers to Corey as the "puffed-up teen party pest". A headline in The Age offered the word "moron" as a possible description. Public commentary, through letters and radio talkback, has been, for the most part, sanctimonious.
Much of it could have been prevented had television not squeezed the story just that little bit more. The police have to save face, a family has to save face, and predatory media will continue to call it news."
Similarly, Debra Robinson, commenting in Australian Women Online, has stated, 'I'm not sure what the media expected of young Corey when they contacted him for interviews. But it soon became clear the media were out to demonise this boy to boost circulation and ratings. In one of the worst examples, Sydney's Daily Telegraph are encouraging readers to Slap Corey via a game published on their website. Others are calling the teenager a 'brat' and a 'coward' and criticising the teen for making a little cash on the side when appearing in media interviews. Maybe it's just me, but I fail to see how vilifying a minor in this way could possibly be in the public interest.'

5. Media attention has created the likelihood of copycat action
The attention given the Narre Warren party has increased the likelihood that other teenagers might imitate the behaviour of the various gatecrashers.
Associate professor of communications and media at Bond University, Jeff Brand, has suggested that copycat party throwers might emerge. "There's a culture in popular culture of people trying to "out-stunt" the stunt masters. There's a party culture on the Gold Coast, so it wouldn't be hard to use social networking to facilitate that.'
A Sydney 'party promoter', Tim Sabre of Raw Entertainment, has invited Worthington to get involved with his business, to 'bring what he does to what we do'. Corey Worthington claims he has been offered $2000 to go to Queensland for the party industry. Max Markson has suggested that Corey Worthington's story is worth between $30,000 and $40,000 and has said he would manage him if the youth got in touch.
Ann Lund, commenting for the ABC, has stated, '[Corey Worthington's] interview with McKinnon was posted on YouTube, his MySpace site had thousands of hits and news organisations and bloggers around the globe were obsessed with the story.
But the media outlets which were condemning him were merely perpetuating his new found "star" status. If they hadn't given him the airtime they did, it would have been all over and done with.'

6. Media attention will make it harder for Worthington to resume a normal life
It has been claimed that the media attention given Corey Worthington will make it difficult for the boy to live normally.
Robyn Riley, writing in The Herald Sun, has expressed concern over the impact this media attention may have on Worthington.
Riley wrote, 'I worry about how this teenager is going to be in the wash-up. I also worry about the sort of businesses openly trying to exploit the situation; the clubs, radio stations and magazines who seem to think that encouraging Corey to continue his dazed party act is OK. It is not ...
Corey is simply a teenager who was foolish. Now he has had his few moments of fame it is time to let Corey and his family resolve this in private.'
Critics have repeatedly claimed that it is going to be difficult for Corey Worthington to go back to his previous life. He has been courted by a range of entrepreneurs and party promoters who are interested in exploiting his notoriety.
Ann Lund, commenting for the ABC, has stated, 'Did Corey know what he was doing with the media when he fronted them on Monday? No. Did he think his face and name would suddenly be known worldwide? Of course not. No matter how media savvy he thinks he is - he's a 16-year-old kid. Was the media acting irresponsibly by interviewing a minor? ...
Look on the internet today and it's well beyond this teenager's control - and if he ever thought he was in control he was sadly mistaken. While his few minutes of fame on Monday night may have given him that feeling, now he's being parodied on websites and made to look an idiot among his peers.
Fake websites have been set up, appearances on US radio stations have been faked and his image (or one similar to it) has been used in online advertising. I've even heard the expression "Coreygate" - and he has no say over it.
The power of the media cannot be underestimated. Where they see a drawcard for an audience they will use it every time.
I'm not defending Corey Delaney's actions this week. But there are many people who should consider carefully how this teenager has been used and exploited...'

Arguments suggesting the response of the police and the media to Corey Worthington was appropriate
1. Corey Worthington's party was out of control
The Police Commissioner of Victoria, Christine Nixon, has stated that she was appalled by the extent of ill-behaviour among the youth who gathered outside the Narre Warren party.
The Commissioner stated, 'We were all young once, so we should understand that young people left to their own devices for considerable periods of time can ultimately spell trouble.
Many of them are "good kids, from good homes", but they lack the life skills to make the right decisions. These are skills they learn from their parents and teachers. Saturday night's party in Narre Warren South is a case in point.
Not only did the young people blame the police for breaking up their so-called fun, they appeared to have no remorse for the pain they caused to neighbours, as well as damage to police cars.
These were 16-year-olds, with no supervision and access to large quantities of alcohol, a recipe for disaster. I was shocked and appalled by their reaction and disturbed that my members had to deal with such a volatile situation in a quiet suburban street.'
The comments of a number of Corey Worthington's neighbours confirm that the situation was volatile and for at least part of the time either out of control or close to becoming so.

2. Corey Worthington's neighbours were distressed
It has been noted that Corey Worthington's neighbours were frightened by the events occurring in their street. What began as a major noise nuisance escalated into an episode in which lawful authorities were defied and property was damaged.
The following comments from neighbours were reported on The 7.30 Report on January 14, 2008.
One neighbour who was not named stated, 'Kids were throwing bottles and bricks and I think a big garden stake got thrown at a cop car.'
Another neighbour, Rose Lyton, claimed, 'There was screaming, the girls were screaming and it was just so bad, you know. It's frightening; I've never seen anything like it.'
While yet another neighbour, Wendy Lavin, stated, '[They were] Picking bricks up and smacking them against the lamp posts and just basically scary stuff, because there was so many of them.'
The ABC's online news site also reported between January 14 and 15, '"There was jumping on cars, just horrendous. Just like a football crowd, the noise was really bad," one woman said.
"Just hundreds of kids, big groups, large groups coming up and down the street and they were basically throwing bottles, smashing things..." said another.
A man said people were in his front lawn, trying to rip a metal stake out of the ground.
"[It] just was out of control. Just didn't quieten down for a couple of hours. The police helicopter was up about, looking around," he said.'

3. Corey Worthington's party had the potential to become a major affray
There have been a number of incidents reported from overseas where MySpace promoted parties have attracted large unruly crowds that have been responsible for major property damage, injury and death. In the light of such earlier incidents it is understandable that Victoria Police were concerned to ensure that the Narre Warren incident did not accelerate further.
On April 13, 2007, in County Durham, England, a 17-year-old girl hosted a party in her parents' absence that resulted in a $48,000 damage bill and the family having to leave the house for weeks while it was cleaned.
The girl's mother said partygoers had stubbed cigarettes out on carpets, ransacked rooms, urinated on her wedding dress, scrawled on walls and broken light fittings by swinging on them.
The gatecrashers had filled the bath with the family's crockery, the shower with empty alcohol bottles and dyed the clothes of the girl's younger brother.
British police, who are still investigating the incident, were surprised at the extent and deliberate nature of the damage done.
On January 3, 2008, less than two weeks before the Corey Worthington incident, a group of American teenage girls organised a private back-to-school party in Seattle. Details were posted on MySpace. When gatecrashers arrived, an argument developed which escalated into a fight. At least one person opened fire. A 17-year-old Cleveland High School football player, Allen Joplin, was killed and a 13-year-old girl was shot in the leg.
Police are still searching for suspects, who witnesses said drove a dark blue car through a stoplight as they fled the party.
The victim, Allen Joplin, 17, who told his great grandmother he would be back from the party at about 10 pm, was shot in the head around about 11:45 p.m., according to witnesses. Police, who are investigating possible gang connections to the shooting, said he was dead when they arrived.
While the shootings took place during a private party, police and city officials also were investigating whether permits were required and obtained. It is also unclear whether adults chaperoned the party and whether there was formal security on the premises.
In the context of such recent events involving teenage parties that spiralled out of control it is not surprising that Victoria Police felt the need to take decisive action.

4. The police had to take action to maintain public order and to prevent copycat behaviour
The police have a major responsibility to maintain public order. The party staged by Corey Worthington had been judged to be a threat to public order. Had some of those at the party not attacked the two police cars first sent to the incident there would have been no need for a helicopter, two dog squad units, a critical incident response team, transit police and divisional van crews from surrounding suburbs to be called in.
There are those who have argued that police have an obligation to act in such a situation. If their authority is defied, they cannot simply withdraw and hope that the offending persons will ultimately disperse. They are obliged to take action to contain the risk. Large groups of drunken youths milling around on a suburban street and refusing to disband constitute a major threat to public order that necessitated a police response.
The Police Commissioner Christine Nixon later suggested that a fine might be imposed to cover the cost of the police action. There are those who have suggested that imposing such a fine is beyond the scope of police authority and further, that neither Corey Worthington, nor his parents, had done anything to warrant such a fine. However, it is clear that Police Commissioner Nixon is very concerned to prevent the repeat of an episode such as that which occurred in Narre Warren.
It would appear that the Commissioner was attempting to warn parents that they might not escape unscathed in the aftermath of their children's bad behaviour. The Commissioner stated, 'I believe parental responsibility is the key. Young people are strongly influenced by their parents and teachers and that responsibility cannot be taken lightly.
The statistics relating to young people are confronting. There are about one million young people aged 10-to-24 living in Victoria. They make up 21 per cent of the population, yet almost half of offenders processed and one-third of people killed on our roads were in this age group.
I have been concerned for some time at the number of young people coming to our attention and Victoria Police is currently leading a cross-government initiative to look at how to deal with a range of emerging issues. This is not something Victoria Police can tackle alone.'

5. Corey Worthington's party was of legitimate media interest
It has been claimed that the Corey Worthington party incident has genuine public interest and thus should have been dealt with by the media. Supporters of its media coverage claim that this was not simply a matter of sensationalising a adolescent's innocent party-gone-wrong. Rather, they claim, the incident raises a range of important social issues including what level of restraint parents should exercise over their adolescent children through to what action we, as a society, should take to regulate adolescent alcohol consumption.
Some of these points were made by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, an adolescent psychologist and author of 'Surviving Adolescents'. Dr Carr-Gregg has noted a number of political and parental actions that might be taken in response to the Corey Worthington party incident.
Dr Carr-Gregg has written, 'Among parents, setting of boundaries around alcohol consumption is often ambiguous, with parents reassuring themselves that at least alcohol is "not as bad" as illicit drugs.
Galloway Drive hit the headlines but readers would be naive to think similar scenes, albeit on a smaller scale, were not being repeated across the state last Saturday.
It is time our political leaders took the action that public health advocates have been demanding for decades. Authorities could make a start by toughening liquor licensing laws. Alcoholic drinks targeted at young people should be labelled with credible messages about safe consumption. There should be greater restrictions on the promotion of alcohol, especially to young people.'
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon, has made similar comments about the social lessons to be learnt from the Corey Worthington party incident. Commissioner Nixon has stated, 'I was shocked and appalled ... that my members had to deal with such a volatile situation in a quiet suburban street.
That is why I have asked for a report on the costs incurred as part of the Victoria Police response to the party.
I will then consider whether the party organisers will be responsible for the costs.
I hope this will send a strong message that we are not prepared to tolerate this type of behaviour and that there will be strong consequences.
There were at least 500 other parents involved in the incident who might want to think about where their children were that night. I believe parental responsibility is the key.'
Commissioner Nixon has also noted that behind the Corey Worthington party episode are the problems associated with adolescent misuse of alcohol.

6. The media treated the Corey Worthington story ethically
The first of the Australian Journalists Code of Ethics states, 'Report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts. Do not suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis. Do your utmost to give a fair opportunity for reply.'
Under this code the media had an obligation to present all relevant, available facts in relation to the Corey Worthington incident. The subsequent interviews with Corey Worthington have been presented by critics as exploitation of the minor. However, defenders of the media's handling of the incident note that the young man was simply being given an opportunity to put his side of the situation.
The media claims to have treated the Corey Worthington party incident comprehensively and fairly. The young man was interviewed; the boy's parents had an opportunity to give their opinion on the matter, as was the Police Commissioner, Christine Nixon. The media also gave follow-up treatment to the story, interviewing
Max Markson, the agent and promoter who has offered to take on Corey Worthington.
A variety of expert opinions were also sought, including that of adolescent psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.

Further implications
There are many aspects of the Corey Worthington party incident that warrant further consideration.
The media's arguably excessive interest in the event is one question. It can legitimately be asked whether the way in which the episode was generally reported was responsible.
Broader questions surround what the event may indicate about the extent of parental control over adolescent offspring and the way in which, as a society, we respond to the problems associated with teenage drinking.
Victoria Police appear to be developing a set of proposals to reduce the likelihood of a similar event occurring again. They want real estate agents to include a rental agreement clause limiting the size of youth gatherings in rental properties. They also want council by-laws that restrict noise generated by loud tools, band practice and panel-beating to apply to parties. Tighter regulation of party hire and tougher alcohol laws are part of the proposal. Police have also urged the public to come forward with tip-offs about teens using cyberspace to plan huge parties.
The problems posed by parties swollen by large numbers of people who have been anonymously invited using the Internet cannot be easily addressed. While it is true that in the short term the publicity attracted by the Corey Worthington party may encourage copycat behaviour, it is also true that it may prompt parents to assume a more active part in the organising of social events hosted by their children. It may also be the case that many young people will themselves be encouraged to be more cautious. However, for this to occur, the media needs to give greater attention to Internet-promoted parties where major property damage occurred or lives were lost. In the final analysis the Corey Worthington party, though it had the potential to develop into a major incident, may well not have warranted the amount of media attention devoted to it.

Newspaper items used in the compilation of this issue outline
Herald-Sun: January 16, page 5, news item by Carly Crawford et al, `Corey wants to party on'.
The Australian: January 16, page 3, news item, `Family of party boy "not liable"'.
The Age: January 16, page 14, editorial, `Lessons of a party boy'.
The Age: January 16, page 1, news item by Farah Farouque and Dewi Cooke, `Legend, moron or just a naughty boy, Corey's the talk of the global village'.
Herald-Sun: January 15, page 19, comment by Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, `Shocked and appalled'.
Herald-Sun: January 15, page 19, comment by Michael Carr-Gregg, `Risky business'.
Herald-Sun: January 15, page 1, news item, `Party's over'.
Herald-Sun: January 15, page 18, editorial, `Party over, now for the bill'.
Herald-Sun: January 15, page 17, cartoon.
The Age: January 15, page 3, news item by David Rood and Ben Schneiders, `Parents not happy, son not repentant'.
Herald-Sun: January 14, page 5, news item by D Hastie, `Won't dad and mum be proud'.
The Australian: January 14, page 1, news item by Gary Hughes, `500 teens rampage as police end party'.
The Age: January 14, page 2, news item by Danielle Miletic, `Police probe how 500 teens got party invite'.
Herald-Sun: January 21, page 21, comment by Jill Singer, `Wicked! It's Corey all right'.
The Age: January 20, page 4, analysis by John Elder, `What do you do with a problem like Corey? How about a jolly good strapping?'.
Herald-Sun: January 19, page 25, comment by Russell Robinson, `Generation why?'.
The Australian: January 19, page 5, news item by Richard Kerbaj, `Experts blame folks for party boy's actions'.
The Australian: January 25, page 5, news item by Richard Kerbaj, `Corey, parents to cash in on deals'.
The Age: February 3, page 8, news item by R Wells, `Party animal headed for the catwalk'.
Using google to find newspaper items still available on the Web
Use your mouse to copy a newspaper headline (just the headline, not the entire entry as it appears in the sources) and paste it into the google search box below. Click search to see if the item is still accessible.

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