What Hath Flip Wrought?–The Ghoul Edition

July 9, 2009 at 6:06 am PT

Earlier this week, BoomTown pointed out how Cisco (CSCO) Chairman and CEO John Chambers was captured doing duck calls on the Flip digital video camera, made by the start-up his company bought in March for $590 million.

That was an adorable use of the consumer electronics device. But in the not-so-cute department, I submit this photo above.

Sitting next to her boss, Barbara Walters, an ABC producer used it to ghoulishly take shots of the kids of pop legend Michael Jackson memorial service on Monday.

Noted the TMZ celebrity news site:

“During last night’s ’20/20′ Michael Jackson special, Walters showcased footage shot by an ABC producer sitting next to her at the memorial. The video captures Katherine Jackson and Michael’s kids two rows in front of Barbara watching the service–despite the fact that tickets to the event clearly state ‘no camera/video/recording.’”

While readers of this blog know I am all for annoying execs with the Flip treatment, pointing and shooting at what is essentially a funeral service, given how much video was available already of those kids (already being sadly overexposed, but that’s another issue): Yuk.

Here is a link on the TMZ of the video in use by Walters.

[Photo courtesy of Getty Images.]

Tagged with: 2020, ABC, Barbara Walters, blog, BoomTown, camera, celebrity, Cisco, consumer electronics, digital, duck call, Flip, funeral, Getty Images, hardware, Internet, John Chambers, Kara Swisher, Katharine Jackson, Michael Jackson, photo, POP, Start-up, television, TMZ, video

comments so far. Add yours.

http://www.adotas.com Edward Barrera

The TMZ folk are shocked, simply shocked that someone can be more disrespectful as they are — so they take photos of people taking photos where no photos are allowed.
Todd Jonz

> pointing and shooting at what is
> essentially a funeral service…

That’s where I think you’ve got it wrong, Kara. It was *not* a funeral, it was a media event.

> …given how much video was
> available already of those kids
> (already being sadly overexposed,
> but that’s another issue): Yuk.

Is it really another issue? What’s more disreputable: trotting that poor little girl out to cry in front of the cameras, or taking a picture of her doing so?

As for the “yuk” part, we’re in total agreement — but for different reasons.