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Gold Logie goes to... Hamish Blake
Comedian Hamish Blake wins gold at the 54th Logie Awards, with Asher Keddie and Adam Hills among those taking silver.
Comedian Hamish Blake says he was genuinely surprised when he was named winner of the Gold Logie last night - despite news of his victory being published online more than an hour before the official announcement.
The Herald Sun broke an embargo by accidentally publishing an article naming the winner of Australian television's top honour, which was picked up by search engine Google and quickly shared on social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook.
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Host broadcaster Channel Nine's website, ninemsn.com.au, then published an article explaining what had happened and also naming Blake as the winner.
In a statement on its website this morning, the Herald Sun said the Gold Logie winner was "inadvertently and momentarily made available via Google prior to the winner being announced at the event in Melbourne".
The newspaper said it was testing its new iPad application, due for release in the coming weeks. Testing had been taking place for the past week, it said.
"At no time did the Herald Sun publish the name of the winner on its website, iPad app or in Twitter," the statement said.
"However, during the live testing, a link to an embargoed story naming the winner was momentarily created and published by Google.
"The link was discovered almost as soon as it had been created and immediately killed.
"The only media outlet to knowingly publish the winner's name prior to it being announced was ninemsn.com.au - the website of the host broadcaster."
Blake said no one at his table at Crown told him that his name was circulating on Twitter as the winner of the Gold Logie.
"Ultimately all that information was kept from me so it was a genuine surprise," he said, adding that Logies presenter Shaun Micallef had told him before the night that he would say his name as the winner anyway and then retract it, just to make him feel as though he was a winner.
"If you watch it closely when I walk up, he did have to show me the name so I knew I won the Logie," Blake said.
Yet that was little comfort for those inside Crown last night who began hearing of the online leak while the ceremony was still taking place.
Channel Nine reporter Ben Fordham last night tweeted: "I'm hearing some websites have already published the winner of Gold Logie. We're in the room and don't know yet. Poor form."
Later he tweeted: "LIVE UPDATE - They've just announced the Gold Logie winner but I'm not going to spoil it for the Herald Sun...."
Journalists covering the event said on Twitter that Herald Sun reporters were evicted from the Logies media room after the leak was discovered.
The Herald Sun's explanation was questioned by some on social media sites this morning.
@PrimMich asked: "Why would Herald Sun be live testing an ipad app on a Sunday night with an embargoed story? Strange explanation...."
"I'm going to blame Google for everything today, Herald-Sun-style!," tweeted @evilsnoofy . "I have cold feet. Bloody Google."
Some fans also called for a new award category to be created in light of the leak.
Home and Away fan group @SummerBayFans tweeted: "Dear TV Week, I'm tweeting on behalf of the world requesting a new Logie be made. Name it the 'Leaky Logie' and award it to Herald Sun."
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