Ok so we get that there’s no news, but this is just silly. If ever an enterprising PR hack was wanting to drum up a bit of free coverage for their cause, then this is the time to do it. Simply send off a s-xy press release to all major outlets and kick back as the publicity fills the pages.

Melbourne Zoo have taken the opportunity to fill the summer news vacuum:

Penguins Marching to Gay Beat  The Herald Sun

For males in a breeding program, Donny and Skipper aren’t exactly getting with the program. The boys like the flashy jewellery and bright clothes of the thousands of visitors who flock to see them. They are in touch with their feminine side. That’s fine. Their keeper, Sarina Walsh, says all Melbourne Aquarium’s king penguins are like that. But recently the pair have become just a little too close for comfort, at least for the comfort of one young lady with her beak out of joint. The males haven’t quite reached sexual maturity. Their enclosure isn’t Brokeback Icefloe, yet. But their fondness for each other and casual disregard for female company has already raised eyebrows and earned them a slapping.

And today we award the first Wankley of 2009 to all the Happy little Vegemites, including acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard, for the free kick they’ve given to the Australian Food and Grocery Council and Kraft over the last few days. 

The press release has taken new precedence in the age of churnalism, but when the media shuts down over summer, the reliance on PR outlets to fill the space becomes even more unapologetic.