OT Re: [Leica] still more on Leica "rumor" and NYT

[clzeni at mindspring.com (Craig Zeni)]

On Jan 4, 2006, at 1:54 PM, mcyclwritr@comcast.net wrote:

> This exactly the sort of NYT apologist retort I anticipated. That's 
> why my original post included a whiff of Basic Reporting 101, which, 
> predictably, is missing from your reply.
>
> How do you know what the "mining company told family members and 
> others?" Was it broadcast on TV? Did you see actual, talking-head 
> footage? Did that talking head say to the effect of "It has been 
> confirmed that rescuers have reached 12 surviving miners?" If so, I 
> defer to you. I didn't see it. Further, who is a "mining company?" How 
> can a company speak? It speaks through a spokesman. Who is that 
> person? What, exactly, did he say? Report it, wrapped it in quotation 
> marks.
>
> And that's just part of why this particular misreporting debacle is so 
> embarrassing. Nobody from the wire service or any other reporting 
> agency took the time CONFIRM a damn thing. Not one damn thing. See the 
> difference? Spreading rumors and miscommunication versus factual, 
> substantiated reporting.
>
> Don't settle for sloppy reporting. Demand facts. Get information from 
> numerous sources, whether you're the reporter or the reader.

I believe that you're incorrect.

 From our local newspaper, read this:  http://tinyurl.com/7sggw - "The 
story we published, from the Associated Press, quoted the governor of 
West Virginia and a high-level state official, both on the record, 
saying 12 miners were alive and being examined."

Still convinced it's sloppy?  Only if you think that it's irresponsible 
and sloppy to actually trust an on-the-record quote from the governor 
of the state.