Your say: Should Sydney siege hostages be paid?

Should Sydney siege hostages be paid? 

With the recent discussions in the media and word that 60 Minutes will be hosting a “Siege Special”, it seems important to discuss what people think about the hostages getting paid to perform for magazines and TV. Whilst 60 Minutes has not declared whether it has paid hostages, it is alleged in some media that Channel 7 has.

I must admit being gobsmacked yesterday when I heard that one hostage was asking for a six figure payment to perform in the media. It made me stop and think. With two people tragically dead, and no doubt considerable trauma to those who lived through the event, is it right for the living to capitalise? In this day and age of media monetisation, what’s to stop them but their own integrity?

My second thought was, if it was me, I would donate it to the children who lost their mother, knowing they will want time to heal with their dad not having to work for a while – maybe this would enable such a thing.  

Then, my justification kicked in and said, well, in all their trauma these people probably need to be able to get something positive for it. Could that possibly be a good enough reason? 

And yet I still feel uneasy with the idea that the survivors are being paid when others in the room died, and their families have to live with that forever.  

Have your say today…. Is it right for the hostages to demand 6 figure payments or similar to tell their story of the Sydney siege?