Anonymous Sources
A prime illustration of media fail. The largest source of outrage about the crotch bomber was that no one picked up on the obvious flag that he bought a one-way ticket. It appears that pervasive media meme was false.
[More posts daily at The Detroit News]
But published reports on Dec. 28 cited the conclusion of the Nigerian government that Abdulmutallab had a round-trip ticket to Detroit. It had been purchased in Ghana on Dec. 16 for $2,831, according to the AP, citing Civil Aviation Authority director Harold Demuren.TPM traces the origin of this mistake to "anonymous U.S. government sources." It also seems the only major media outlet to issue a correction was the NYT. Doubt that will make much of an impact on the zombie lie after it's traveled around the world a dozen times. This is what happens when legacy media tries to be first, instead of best and most accurate.
[More posts daily at The Detroit News]
posted by Libby Spencer at 5:03 PM
3 Comments:
Figures! I cannot recall ... evah! ...any retraction getting as much press attention as the original error. Meanwhile, the inflammatory error spreads viral-like, fueling the fear-mongering and finger-pointing.
Makes Hamlet look like child's play.
A rumor in motion remains in motion -- in spite of all contradictory evidence and at a speed proportional to the square of its absurdity.
Dobbs is still saying that questioning the President's birth certificate is "common sense" for instance.
I'm sure, somehow, it's all Bill Clinton's fault...
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