The Media

[James Deuce]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3355485a10,00.html

We need a writing campaign so that these two women are never, ever allowed to write about motorsport ever again.

What has "speedway" got to do with Manfield? That one closing sentence makes a mockery of the rest fo the article.

Of course that falls nicely into the "speed kills" message for Dr Goebbels, errr, Andy Knackstedt to leverage off, despite it having nothing to do with the road.

[Biff]

Typical Jim. Lazy journalism.

[Ramius]

Is that reporter insanely stupid, or stupidly smart?

[Motu]

They sound American,or watch too much NASCAR - raceway,speedway...it's a wonder they didn't say the back straightaway.

[Pathos]

It is a mistake but you're going too far. To my limited knowledge, internet articles are usually not writen to the standards of the newspaper.

The mistake is one error in the last line of the article and probably just the wrong statistic in the wrong place nothing more, you can interpret it how you like.

The writer has not inserted any opinions of their own only those of relevant sources. I actually think the article is very good considering the variety of sources they have used and the work done by the author to be as factual as possible.

in fact I'm going to give them some positive feedback. :clap:

[El Dopa]

To my limited knowledge, internet articles are usually not writen to the standards of the newspaper.


Same line was in this mornings print version (Sunday Star Times) as well.

[James Deuce]

It is a mistake but you're going too far. To my limited knowledge, internet articles are usually not writen to the standards of the newspaper.

The mistake is one error in the last line of the article and probably just the wrong statistic in the wrong place nothing more, you can interpret it how you like.

The writer has not inserted any opinions of their own only those of relevant sources. I actually think the article is very good considering the variety of sources they have used and the work done by the author to be as factual as possible.

in fact I'm going to give them some positive feedback. :clap:

Terribly sorry, but if I died doing something I loved, and it was worthy of a news item, then I'd expect it to be reported accurately. I'm a drummer. If I died of a cocaine induced heart attack on stage and it was then reported that I'd died playing clarinet in the recording studio it would make a lie of my now ended life.

I'm really glad that you think that irresponsible reporting is OK. Is it any wonder we've succumbed to US-led propaganda in world affairs? That it's taken 50 years for a grass roots movement of the people to actually notice that they have lies spoon fed to them via media sources? I don't care about the medium. The Internet is more immediate, more up to date than the print media and should be more accurate, not less. That kind of mistake leaves one open to law suits in more litigous cultures.

That article will most likely make it to the newspaper in entirety. Motorsport is after all, in NZ anyway, a sport of death-wish fulfilling loonies, with no science or intellect involved.

[Big Dave]

Terribly sorry, but if I died doing something I loved, and it was worthy of a news item, then I'd expect it to be reported accurately. I'm a drummer. If I died of a cocaine induced heart attack on stage and it was then reported that I'd died playing clarinet in the recording studio it would make a lie of my now ended life.

I'm really glad that you think that irresponsible reporting is OK. Is it any wonder we've succumbed to US-led propaganda in world affairs? That it's taken 50 years for a grass roots movement of the people to actually notice that they have lies spoon fed to them via media sources? I don't care about the medium. The Internet is more immediate, more up to date than the print media and should be more accurate, not less. That kind of mistake leaves one open to law suits in more litigous cultures.

That article will most likely make it to the newspaper in entirety. Motorsport is after all, in NZ anyway, a sport of death-wish fulfilling loonies, with no science or intellect involved.


Because some jnr girlies working the graveyard shift for a second string web site used the wrong terminology for the race track?

[James Deuce]

Because some jnr girlies working the graveyard shift for a second string web site used the wrong terminology for the race track?

Yes. That kind of reporting is indicative of a number of things, not least that we as a society don't value the information that we are fed. If reporting of a minority sport fatality can't be correct, then what hope is there that anything else we read or watch has any integrity?

Helen Bain ISN'T a junior girly. She is a senior journo at the Dom-Post and writes columns and has written the odd editorial.

[Lou Girardin]

Yes. That kind of reporting is indicative of a number of things, not least that we as a society don't value the information that we are fed. If reporting of a minority sport fatality can't be correct, then what hope is there that anything else we read or watch has any integrity?

Helen Bain ISN'T a junior girly. She is a senior journo at the Dom-Post and writes columns and has written the odd editorial.

Doesn't your average reader just skim the headlines?

[James Deuce]

Doesn't your average reader just skim the headlines?

You bastard. Way to dismantle an argument for free speech and integrity in the press.

[Lou Girardin]

You bastard. Way to dismantle an argument for free speech and integrity in the press.

OK I'll take it back. I've got to admit I'm a news junkie, but lazy reporting still gets my goat.

[Pwalo]

It must be a newspaper article, hence the totally inappropriate use of meaningless, unrelated statistics.

Guess we're lucky that global warming hasn't been blamed yet.

[James Deuce]

OK I'll take it back. I've got to admit I'm a news junkie, but lazy reporting still gets my goat.

I was kidding! I didn't think I'd need smilies. ;)

[riffer]

Nikki MacDonald's followup article (http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3355756a1823,00.html) was better.

I would dispute that the DomPost writers deliberately said the wrong thing, or that they were incompetent. It would appear from the second article that the DomPost motorsport writer Bernard Carpinter, who was at the track, relayed the info to them, most likely over his cellphone.

It doesn't really worry me that they use the word speedway instead of racetrack. Thee rest of the article is accurate, and to most non-motorsport fans, the use of the word speedway would be synonymous with racetrack.

At least they fixed the earlier report which said it happened in the pits.

[Ramius]

I actually mentioned this sort of thing to the Ice Cream shop owner the other day, that I have noticed that reporting in the papers is getting very sloppy. Grammatically speaking and with tonnes of spelling mistakes. I am quite disturbed because I would expect a better service. Do this sort of thing in school and you would fail.

[James Deuce]

Nikki MacDonald's followup article (http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3355756a1823,00.html) was better.

I would dispute that the DomPost writers deliberately said the wrong thing, or that they were incompetent. It would appear from the second article that the DomPost motorsport writer Bernard Carpinter, who was at the track, relayed the info to them, most likely over his cellphone.

It doesn't really worry me that they use the word speedway instead of racetrack. Thee rest of the article is accurate, and to most non-motorsport fans, the use of the word speedway would be synonymous with racetrack.

At least they fixed the earlier report which said it happened in the pits.


I never said they said it deliberately. They are just too lazy to bother being competent. I would doubt VERY much that Mr Carpinter would make such a fundamental mistake as to call the event a "speedway" meeting.

This type of inaccurate reporting is the thin edge of a wedge that involves ordinary people losing personal freedoms.

[TwoSeven]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3355485a10,00.html

What has "speedway" got to do with Manfield? That one closing sentence makes a mockery of the rest fo the article.


I read that and thought 'dirt track' racing or something along those lines. Then I remembered that speedway is a technical term for a special type of road course where the track has banked curves rather than flat curvers. For example, both Indionapolis and Daytona park are classified as 'speedways' whereas Laguna Seca I think is classified as a road course (road circuit). Cant remember if laguna has a speedway or if its separate.

In anycase, its not a speedway given any definition as far as I am aware.

[Lou Girardin]

I was kidding! I didn't think I'd need smilies. ;)

I knew you were kidding, just couldn't find a friggin' smilie for it either.
Think we'll ever descend to smilies in the papers?

[James Deuce]

I knew you were kidding, just couldn't find a friggin' smilie for it either.
Think we'll ever descend to smilies in the papers?

One word: Yes.

[Hitcher]

I knew you were kidding, just couldn't find a friggin' smilie for it either.
Think we'll ever descend to smilies in the papers?
Gahhhh! Thud.

[Ixion]

One word: Yes.

Hey, neat. then us normil guyz will be able to reed them, stead of just u stick up swotties wot can do joined up riting.

[El Dopa]

I knew you were kidding, just couldn't find a friggin' smilie for it either.
Think we'll ever descend to smilies in the papers?

A cable station in the UK some years ago (thankfully now defunct) used to use a 'news bunny'. This was a guy in a rabbit suit who would stand next to the newsreader, and make the appropriate gestures and actions to show an appropriate emotion for the news story being read.

'Today, 50,000 die and hundreds are made homeless by flooding in SE Asia' (ears, tail and whiskers droop, eyes downcast).

'Meanwhile, in home news, a man grows a huge leak shaped like a penis'
(bunny bounces happily, nose twitches, ears errect etc).

[Hitcher]

A cable station in the UK some years ago (thankfully now defunct) used to use a 'news bunny'. This was a guy in a rabbit suit who would stand next to the newsreader, and make the appropriate gestures and actions to show an appropriate emotion for the news story being read.

'Today, 50,000 die and hundreds are made homeless by flooding in SE Asia' (ears, tail and whiskers droop, eyes downcast).

'Meanwhile, in home news, a man grows a huge leak shaped like a penis'
(bunny bounces happily, nose twitches, ears errect etc).
And New Zealand's State broadcaster gets Judy Bailey to do both jobs at once. Maybe she is worth $800,000 a year after all...

[Beemer]

I actually mentioned this sort of thing to the Ice Cream shop owner the other day, that I have noticed that reporting in the papers is getting very sloppy. Grammatically speaking and with tonnes of spelling mistakes. I am quite disturbed because I would expect a better service. Do this sort of thing in school and you would fail.

Most journalists can't spell to save themselves - and many never read the paper themselves or keep an eye on the news. There was one report recently from a meeting where the young reporter said the council was looking into making laws about youth in Asia - oops, that should have been euthanasia... I was told at journalism school that I would make a useless journalist as I could actually spell. Most papers don't have a proofreader and because the subs are often former journalists, that means many mistakes are never even picked up. I hate it too - saw some great examples the other day - "rest your wary bones" and "complimentary colours".

I'm going to risk being attacked here, but I am a working journalist :yes: and for many years specialised in motorsport. I went out of my way to get the facts right and never had anyone complain about my stories - but then I had a genuine interest in the topic. I got a call on the weekend after the accident by a reporter who shall remain nameless. "Do you know anyone who races motocross?" I said I'd been out of the sport for a few years but told her who to contact for some names. Next question "you know a guy was killed at Manfeild?" I pointed out that Manfeild was a racing circuit, not a motocross track and asked her if she had ever been there. No, she hadn't, but she was the late reporter on that day and she had to find a new angle for the next day's paper. She must have spoken to Owen's wife, because the next day there was mention made of the fact he used to ride motocross with his son - so at least she had been listening a little.

Most journalists have little or no interest in the subjects most of them are writing about - do you think council meetings are riveting? Most of them make mistakes not so much out of laziness but because they don't know the right questions to ask and they don't have the time to do the research. They get paid crap money and work long hours, which is why I decided to work for myself - and I get to take on the work that interests me, rather than writing about boring meetings and boring people!

[Lou Girardin]

And New Zealand's State broadcaster gets Judy Bailey to do both jobs at once. Maybe she is worth $800,000 a year after all...

I did love that explanation of her antics by some (hopefully unemployed) PR person, "Judy emotes to give the viewers a guide as to what to feel about the items".
So why do I always laugh when I see her?

[James Deuce]

Most journalists can't spell to save themselves - and many never read the paper themselves or keep an eye on the news. There was one report recently from a meeting where the young reporter said the council was looking into making laws about youth in Asia - oops, that should have been euthanasia... I was told at journalism school that I would make a useless journalist as I could actually spell. Most papers don't have a proofreader and because the subs are often former journalists, that means many mistakes are never even picked up. I hate it too - saw some great examples the other day - "rest your wary bones" and "complimentary colours".

I'm going to risk being attacked here, but I am a working journalist :yes: and for many years specialised in motorsport. I went out of my way to get the facts right and never had anyone complain about my stories - but then I had a genuine interest in the topic. I got a call on the weekend after the accident by a reporter who shall remain nameless. "Do you know anyone who races motocross?" I said I'd been out of the sport for a few years but told her who to contact for some names. Next question "you know a guy was killed at Manfeild?" I pointed out that Manfeild was a racing circuit, not a motocross track and asked her if she had ever been there. No, she hadn't, but she was the late reporter on that day and she had to find a new angle for the next day's paper. She must have spoken to Owen's wife, because the next day there was mention made of the fact he used to ride motocross with his son - so at least she had been listening a little.

Most journalists have little or no interest in the subjects most of them are writing about - do you think council meetings are riveting? Most of them make mistakes not so much out of laziness but because they don't know the right questions to ask and they don't have the time to do the research. They get paid crap money and work long hours, which is why I decided to work for myself - and I get to take on the work that interests me, rather than writing about boring meetings and boring people!

Now don't get me wrong here - a lack of interest does not excuse a lack of professionalism. Once upon a time the "media" took themselves seriously enough to consider such issues as ethics and accuracy as being important in reporting the news. Reporting doesn't mean inventing, making up, or providing "details" that are wholly inaccurate.

Only geeks will get this but if a user asked for a network connection in a Microsoft server environment and I installed IPX as their network protocol I would be duly chastised for for not checking what was required and a not providing the user with what they needed.

I stand by what I said: it isn't professional to just chuck any old thing into an article like that, particularly when it involves a fatality.

[vifferman]

I did love that explanation of her antics by some (hopefully unemployed) PR person, "Judy emotes to give the viewers a guide as to what to feel about the items".
So why do I always laugh when I see her?
While I find her 'not unattractive', I can't watch her for very long because she nods way too much. It's one thing to introduce some head movement to make yourself less boring to watch, and quite another to be a complete noddy. :yes:

[vifferman]

I stand by what I said: it isn't professional to just chuck any old thing into an article like that, particularly when it involves a fatality.
Oh. :confused:

I spoze it's also unprofessional for me to just 'make shit up' when I get stuck while I'm writing BoringAsHell user manuals nobody ever reads? At least it provides me with some entertainment, and it rarely causes problems (apart from that one time my boss installed my Blackadder-inspired test data on a client's site for a demo. :whistle: )

[idb]

And New Zealand's State broadcaster gets Judy Bailey to do both jobs at once. Maybe she is worth $800,000 a year after all...
She is the mother of nation and I, along with all right-thinking males, love her.
THAT is what she is paid for $800,000 for.

[Beemer]

Now don't get me wrong here - a lack of interest does not excuse a lack of professionalism. Once upon a time the "media" took themselves seriously enough to consider such issues as ethics and accuracy as being important in reporting the news. Reporting doesn't mean inventing, making up, or providing "details" that are wholly inaccurate.

I stand by what I said: it isn't professional to just chuck any old thing into an article like that, particularly when it involves a fatality.

I wasn't saying that not being interested in a subject was an excuse for getting things wrong, it's just that general news reporters are expected to be experts on every subject under the sun. By lack of interest I meant that if they don't have a general interest in something, it makes it hard - not impossible - for them to come up with intelligent questions to ask. Years ago if a reporter got something wrong, the chief reporter or the editor would come down hard on them, but nowadays many seem to be of the opinion that "it's fish and chip wrapping tomorrow, who cares?" All of us should care whether what is reported is correct or not and so should the reporter if they are any good.

When I read the bit about speedway I thought "what is the relevance?" but the reporter may have researched how many racing accidents there had been in the past 10 years for instance. Of course speedway is vastly different to track racing but the deaths would still be regarded as racing fatalities. I'm not excusing her for this, but for someone who knows nothing about the different types of motorcycle racing (motocross, speedway, road/track, etc.), she probably didn't even think to ask if any of these accidents were similar to this one. From memory, several of the speedway ones involved spectators rather than racers.

Write to the paper/s concerned and tell them the facts - it is the only way they will know they are wrong and be able to correct this. Assuming the editor cares, that is.