Thursday, April 14, 2005
MSM Screws Up Royally
Reuters is reporting a twin suicide bombing of buses in Israel.
Here's the thing: It never happened. There was no bombing.
Theories are abounding as to how this report came about:
a) Old story details (almost certainly this one) were re-run by accident. Although the current facts have been intertwined (Gaza withdrawal etc.) and updated so this probably wasn't a technical or automated error. It could merely be a co-incidence that the Gaza withdrawal is on the agenda again and Ahmed Qureia is back in the picture.
b) A canned report was prepared in advance of an attack with the awful details to be filled in later. Perhaps Reuters gets phone calls from terrorists in advance? Certainly, their report is not complimentary of Israel's reaction
In any case, Google News and numerous other sites which syndicate Reuters material have run with it in good faith. Screenshots are archived here for when and if it 'mysteriously' disappears.
Someone has screwed up majorly.
So now we know (as if we didn't already) that Reuters can't be trusted.
Sounds like a job for....(Trumpet fanfare) Independent Media. Unfortunately rather than providing quality journalism that is obviously lacking from Reuters, they seem to have the market cornered on creating untrue 'news'which Reuters could only possibly dream of.
A pity.
Update: Thanks to a comment left by one of the most charming right-wing death beasts from hell I know, I have been alerted to an article by Michelle Malkin that demonstrates this sort of screwup happens a whole lot more than it should (i.e. never)
Update #2: Surprise, surprise, the original article linked above is now gone. That is, gone without an explanation, clarification or apology. Unfortunately this page and the numerous others which covered this 'problem' aren't going to disappear quite as easily.
Here's the thing: It never happened. There was no bombing.
Theories are abounding as to how this report came about:
a) Old story details (almost certainly this one) were re-run by accident. Although the current facts have been intertwined (Gaza withdrawal etc.) and updated so this probably wasn't a technical or automated error. It could merely be a co-incidence that the Gaza withdrawal is on the agenda again and Ahmed Qureia is back in the picture.
b) A canned report was prepared in advance of an attack with the awful details to be filled in later. Perhaps Reuters gets phone calls from terrorists in advance? Certainly, their report is not complimentary of Israel's reaction
In any case, Google News and numerous other sites which syndicate Reuters material have run with it in good faith. Screenshots are archived here for when and if it 'mysteriously' disappears.
Someone has screwed up majorly.
So now we know (as if we didn't already) that Reuters can't be trusted.
Sounds like a job for....(Trumpet fanfare) Independent Media. Unfortunately rather than providing quality journalism that is obviously lacking from Reuters, they seem to have the market cornered on creating untrue 'news'which Reuters could only possibly dream of.
A pity.
Update: Thanks to a comment left by one of the most charming right-wing death beasts from hell I know, I have been alerted to an article by Michelle Malkin that demonstrates this sort of screwup happens a whole lot more than it should (i.e. never)
Update #2: Surprise, surprise, the original article linked above is now gone. That is, gone without an explanation, clarification or apology. Unfortunately this page and the numerous others which covered this 'problem' aren't going to disappear quite as easily.
