MTV came by today with a camera crew to interview Zadi about the MySpace suicide intervention she was involved in the other week (info here, here, screenshot here, and another screenshot here).
This young man is very lucky to have had Zadi be the one to find the note. I had been up all night and just laid down to get some sleep when Zadi burst into our bedroom and said there was a suicide note on MySpace. My gut reaction was a hoax (and then I rolled over and went back to sleep), but thank goodness she followed her instincts and reached out to get in touch with the kid. When he stopped responding, she reached out to our friends online.
Rick Rey took the next step and canvassed the kid's profile to find his school. Rick called the principal and dogged him until he took him seriously. Kudos to you, Rick.
Danah Boyd came over to be part of the interview, as well. She studies teen behavior online and is an expert on social networking sites that teens use. What a smart woman, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the online world.
All in all it was an outstanding interview that Zadi and Danah gave, though 2+ hours of footage will be whittled down to a 3 minute clip for MTV News. It will air this Friday, January 12th. I don't know the time yet, but we should be able to post it online after it airs.
When asked a final question by the producer, Zadi summed it up best: "If you are in a position to do something or not do something, it's better to do it instead of wondering what might have happened."
Update: Danah has a great post on her blog about the interview and the whole event.
Today is Zadi's birthday! Happy Birthday!!!
Here are some January 3rd birthdays in history. You're in some good company:
- January 3, 1892 J. R. R. Tolkien, English Novelist, Lord of Rings
- January 3, 1905 Ray Milland, born in Neath, Wales, actor, Lost Weekend-Acad Award 1945
- January 3, 1929 Sergio Leone, Italian, director, Fist Full of Dollars
- January 3, 1940 Thelma Schoonmaker, actress/editor, Casino, Cape Fear, Good Fellas
- January 3, 1956 Mel Gibson, born in Peekskill, New York, actor, Mad Max, Mrs. Soffel, Lethal Weapon (sorry!)
- January 3, 1967 Helena Bonham Carter, London, actress, Getting it Right
Dinner tonight at Ruth's Chris in Beverly Hills, then some champagne, then who knows...
