Anonymous sources, hoaxes and the gullible…
This is not a local story, but it’s one that focuses on what I’ve tried to point out from time to time that the media is not only selective and biased but at times they don’t do their homework. This can also be said for some bloggers out there as well. Last week there was a story out there reported by the media and espoused upon in many opinion pieces, including here in Toledo and in the comments by a few of you that Sarah Palin thought Africa was a country instead of a continent.
This involved a hoax perpetuated on the media by Eitan Gorlin who had previously fooled some bloggers with false information as well, creating a fake person, Martin Eisenstadt. I’d even gotten links to Martin’s fake blog pointing out pieces. I knew he was a fake because I’d done my homework, and I informed those who sent me the links that he was a fake, this was in reference to the supposed connection of Joe the Plumber to the Keating Five. Apparently MSNBC didn’t catch on to this guy being a hoax as well as a whole host of others, including Keith Olbermann.
So what’s the real story on the whole Sarah Palin and Africa? Something as simple as this:
Longtime Palin staffer Meg Stapleton told ABC News’ Kate Snow that Palin had fumbled over an Africa comment, but that it was a misspeak not worthy of the press coverage it received.
She explained that during a briefing session, someone asked Palin to explain the McCain-Palin stance on an issue, and as she was responding, “in the middle, she said ‘country of Africa’ and somebody instantly wrote it down and said, ‘Oh, my God, she thinks it’s a country.’”
But “she knows it’s a continent,” Stapleton said. “It was just a human mistake, just like Obama saying 57 states. I don’t think anyone ever doubted that Obama knows there are 50 states.”
It’s hard to not use anonymous sources, people for a variety of reasons do not want to talk on the record at times, but at the very source of all of this is the fact that the only way you can be credible and use anonymous sources is if you check their credibility. It’s one of the reasons why I typically make sure I have more than one source willing to confirm something, especially if the person wants to remain anonymous…
Gorlin as the fake Eisenstadt says he was not the source of the Palin/Africa comment, he claimed he was to demonstrate the problems with anonymous sourcing, he says, some suggest he did it for the attention. No matter his motivation, it demonstrates that if anyone, including a journalist (or a blogger) wants to believe something bad about a person, or gets so wrapped up in wanting to be first, they forget that being truthful and accurate is supposed to be what it’s all about…
What’s sad is that years from now a Trivia Pursuit question will probably be “Which Vice Presidential Candidate thought Africa was a Country” because once a story like that is out there the truth never seems to gain as much attention as the exaggeration. Just ask Dan Quayle…
A continent vs. the number of states….one is news….the other is not.
In today’s society, if someone is attacked and laughed at by the media….someone is doing something right….and the media fear someone will succeed.
Be aware…..be very, very aware…..
When truth becomes a loser……we will all become losers…….
November 21st, 2008 at 1:23 pmIt seems like people will jump all over anything if it makes someone in the spotlight look stupid.
Look at what happened with the clothing issue. At first they made it look like Sarah Palin went out on a freaking shopping spree. Now as the dust settles from the campaign, it looks like she didn’t have a say about any of the clothing that she or her family borrowed. It also looks like those who were in trust of doing the shopping might have slipped some things in for themselves and expected the RNC to pay for it.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:34 pmThe media attack on Palin was actually a good thing, in my opinion. Like the Joe the Plumber government data abuses, finally we get a good look into a system that’s gone wrong – but really – until they went completely over the top, you couldn’t prove HOW they were doing it.
We know, from the first Palin ’scandal’ that her new four month old child was actually her teen aged daughters child, (who actually turned out to be FIVE months pregnant herself) right down to the syntax SS that seemed to be oh-SO blind to Obama’s misspeaking (thank God for youtube) that it was a mindless ravaging by adoring Obama sycophants.
We’ve known something was wrong in the American main stream media for about a decade now. Because of Obama, Palin and Joe the Plumber we now know what is wrong, who is doing it and HOW they are doing it. Stop buying those papers, stop visiting them online and don’t pass on their stories. That’s the cure.
November 21st, 2008 at 3:31 pmLike Dan Rather at CBS, Keith Olbermann and the lefties that run NBC were quick to jump on anything they thought would discredit the Republican ticket.
Now they both look like fools. Olbermann probably doens’t have the smarts to know he was duped or the integrity to apologize for participating in the fraud.
November 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pmI’m just glad that Gov. Palin enlightened us during the campaign by stating that Alaska is located between Canada and Russia. Whether there were hoaxes out there or not, the majority of the American people did not find the Governor qualified to be vice-president. And I agree with that majority.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:45 pmShe was talking about Alaska being between Canada and Russia because the interviewer was not aware that there was a trade route from Russia and that the governor of Alaska is responsible for managing that international relationship.
She was being generous to a very poorly informed interviewer. It would have thrown anyone who actually owns a map.
November 21st, 2008 at 8:48 pm