Media screws up again...

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message news:tz4yc.31

I work in Civil Engineering and when one of our people don't the
answer,
they ask around to find someone who does. It's not hard, really.

Are their deadlines measured in hours or minutes like pressroom
reporters
are?

When an entire 100 man crew is waiting....yes.

And what is the turnaround time for an average project? Turnaround from an
actual news event to press, or air time, is measured in minutes. And the
population of viewers or readers can be measured in tens of thousands,
hundreds of thousands or millions, and the revenue lost if you're behind the
ball can be measured in same.

Here's a more direct approach. The phrase "media screw up again" because
one guy allegedly confused aerodynamic with mechanical stall would be like
the media saying "general aviators screw up again" or that flying is unsafe
because one guy augured.

-c

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message news:BA4yc.32$

We've got journalists coming home unceremoniously in body bags from
Iraq.
Bet you don't even know their names, but I bet you've seen the footage
of
action and soldiers in Iraq.

Non-sequitur.

No, it's no more of a nonsequitor than your exact statment, in response to
my
"It's one of the highest-profile and most treacherous trades" which was:
[you:]

Yeah...so many got killed last year."

Which, like I said, also insinuates that flying is dangerous.

-c

"gatt" wrote in message
...

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message news:tz4yc.31

I work in Civil Engineering and when one of our people don't the
answer,
they ask around to find someone who does. It's not hard, really.

Are their deadlines measured in hours or minutes like pressroom
reporters
are?

When an entire 100 man crew is waiting....yes.

And what is the turnaround time for an average project?

Wrong analogy.

Turnaround from an
actual news event to press, or air time, is measured in minutes.

So, their own self-imposed restriction is a child's excuse for inaccuracy?

And they wonder why their market is crashing.

"gatt" wrote in message
...

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message news:BA4yc.32$

We've got journalists coming home unceremoniously in body bags from
Iraq.
Bet you don't even know their names, but I bet you've seen the footage
of
action and soldiers in Iraq.

Non-sequitur.

No, it's no more of a nonsequitor than your exact statment, in response to
my
"It's one of the highest-profile and most treacherous trades" which was:
[you:]

Yeah...so many got killed last year."

Which, like I said, also insinuates that flying is dangerous.


Of those things you listed that they ostensibly teach in journalism schools,
evidently logic and critical thinking are not on the list.

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message news:wC4yc.33

Assuming the attribution is correct, it was the source who got it
wrong.
On the other hand, the reporter may have misinterpreted his
statement.
Either way, don't you think it would be more productive to write to
the
site and educate the reporter than just bitch about it?

WELL SAID! THANK YOU!

So why is that entire industry so impervious to correcting it's major
fault?

It's interesting hearing comments from people who say that anybody can be a
journalist, who themselves don't even have a high school-level grasp of
their own language. There is no apostrophe in "its major fault." "It's"
is a contraction of "it is."

Now, addressing what Rich was getting at: Rather than bitching on amUsenet,
have you actually bothered to correct a reporter or editor who misused the
term? And, it turns out, the reporter in this case merely reported the
information as it was given to him. So, if the subject were to be targetted
accurately it should read "Aviation industry screws up again," which makes
about as much sense.

-c

"gatt" wrote in message
...

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message news:wC4yc.33

Assuming the attribution is correct, it was the source who got it
wrong.
On the other hand, the reporter may have misinterpreted his
statement.
Either way, don't you think it would be more productive to write to
the
site and educate the reporter than just bitch about it?

WELL SAID! THANK YOU!

So why is that entire industry so impervious to correcting it's major
fault?

It's interesting hearing comments from people who say that anybody can be
a
journalist, who themselves don't even have a high school-level grasp of
their own language. There is no apostrophe in "its major fault." "It's"
is a contraction of "it is."

Geez...when your face is shoved into a toilet, don't hit the handle.

Don't get all pompous that if we can't write like an expert, we can't
comment.

Take that attitude (so commonplace in your field) and stick it where the sun
doesn't shine.


Now, addressing what Rich was getting at: Rather than bitching on
amUsenet,
have you actually bothered to correct a reporter or editor who misused the
term?

I've sent letters to the papers about major mistakes in facts (I don't
bother correcting their gramatical erros which are numerous) and got
NOTHING.

AAMOF, there's a website dedicated just to correcting errors in the NY Times
economic reporting.

Guess what their response is.

And, it turns out, the reporter in this case merely reported the
information as it was given to him. So, if the subject were to be
targetted
accurately it should read "Aviation industry screws up again," which makes
about as much sense.

Okay...here's a clue about the media: they don't report, they pontificate.
They are impervious to correction. They promote themselves (virtually) as
experts in every field.

And they wonder why their credibility is diminishing by the hour.

I understand your concern for your industry, but like so many other facets
of life, they're their own worst enemy. And
making childish excuses only exacerbate the problem.

Tom
--
Real science doesn't work on consensus.
It works on contention. When a new fact
is announced, it is attacked voraciously
from all sides and corners. If it holds up,
and proves to be true, it is then, and only
then, accepted as a fact.

With real science, you don't need
consensus. Only facts.

gatt wrote:
"Rich Ahrens" wrote in message news:40c87dd2$0$90559


Assuming the attribution is correct, it was the source who got it wrong.
On the other hand, the reporter may have misinterpreted his statement.
Either way, don't you think it would be more productive to write to the
site and educate the reporter than just bitch about it?


WELL SAID! THANK YOU!

As are your efforts to preach to the closed-minded. Drop me an email
with a usable return address, will you?

Rich Ahrens wrote in message . visi.com...
Sam wrote:

Here's the link:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...94/detail.html

Stall = Engine stall?? Why do they always seem to screw this up??

You know, if you reread the story, you'll see that it appears it wasn't
the reporter who made the error:

"Flight simulator technician Scott McKenna of Platteville said he saw
the plane appear to descend for an emergency landing when it slowed down
too much and the wing dipped. The pilot overcorrected and the engine
stalled, he said. The plane headed nose down, cartwheeled and landed on
its belly, McKenna said."

Assuming the attribution is correct, it was the source who got it wrong.
On the other hand, the reporter may have misinterpreted his statement.
Either way, don't you think it would be more productive to write to the
site and educate the reporter than just bitch about it?

When I first read the report, my first thought was also that the
witness screwed up. But then I started thinking that a flight
simulator technician must know the difference between an aero stall
and an engine "stall", and that the reporter misintrepreted. Either
that or the flight sim tech is a complete idiot. If it was Joe Public
that said it, I'd just say he doesn't have knowledge of the subject.
But I would think a flight sim tech would, particularly since he
probably brought up his aviation credentials to the reporter.

BTW, I did send an email to that station politely informing them of
the error. They're usually pretty good about getting things right.

gatt wrote:

And, it turns out, the reporter in this case merely reported the
information as it was given to him.

Or the reporter misread his shorthand notes on the interview, or the editor decided
to "correct" an obvious mistake, or ....

George Patterson
None of us is as dumb as all of us.

"gatt" wrote in message
...

Are their deadlines measured in hours or minutes like pressroom reporters
are?


I've often wondered why getting the story first trumped getting the story
right.