FROM POLITICAL REPORTERS IN CANBERRA

A TWENTY-FIVE year old man died peacefully in his sleep last week while watching an ABC journalist interview a Federal Government Minister.

The deceased began to drift off into a deep sleep, which developed into a coma and then death. His wife only realized he was dead when she began to feel dizzy and then lose consciousness during the remainder of the interview. She managed to turn the television off before she passed out. Her husband could not be revived.

It appears he was a victim of a little known illness called Sudden Soft Soap Interview Death Syndrome. It can strike at any time during a particularly easy interview with a senior politician. And it appears to be on the increase.

“Yes, we’ve had a spike in these kinds of deaths since the coming to power of the Labor Government,” a doctor who specializes in Sudden Soft Soap Interview Death Syndrome observed. “It can be difficult for people who expect some holding to account of power to cope with an interview that resembles a Swedish massage. Symptoms include initial frustration, resignation, then a sleepy boredom, followed by a quick descent into unconsciousness. Frightening, really.”

If you find yourself suffering any of the above symptoms, consult your treating physician about whether you should be watching ABC political interviews with Government Ministers.