A CRUEL HOAX

Evening Star, Issue 19765, 16 January 1928, Page 6

A CRUEL HOAX

“ MISSING AIRMEN FOUND " INTEREST IN FIGHT AND FLIGHT The flight, then the “fight,” have been on tho lips of everybody for the past week. The public were hoaxed twice on Saturday over both tho flight and tho fight. It was a cruel hoax which some misguided informant played on the Wellington broadcasting station, 2YA, on Saturday afternoon, and the thousands of listeuers-in throughout the dominion were informed that the missing airmen had been discovered. The news spread round Dunedin like wildfire, and one happy man posted a notice on a prominent window in the city. The fight in New York between Tom Hceney and Jack Sharkey was forgotten in the relief expressed over the reported safety of the airmen. However, it was soon found that the broadcast news was erroneous, and the hopes of the public for the wellbeing of the aviators again dropped to a low level. Throughout the week the flight and its ending was the sole subject of universal discussion, but on Friday the flight gave way to the fight in America. Queries to the ‘Star’ by telephone alternated between “Any word of the' fight?” and “Any word of the flight?” After all, New Zealanders are sensationalist, and, like the American public, relish a change in big news. A report was received in Dunedin early on Saturday afternoon that Heency had won on points. Many believed tho news, but if they had perused their time-tables they would have found that the fight had not then started in America. Numerous Dunedin radio fans dialled on to the American short and loiig-wa,ve stations, but not a word of description of the fight was broadcast. Morse signals overwhelmed any signs of activity by the New York stations.