Half-assed media
Here at TAH we’ve watched the media get basic facts wrong when it comes to veterans, but this one takes the cake. KTVU in San Francisco reported obviously false names for the pilots of the Asiana Airlines plane that crashed there the other day. Seriously, who among you would have let this air? From the Daily News;
Anchor Tori Campbell of KTVU said on the air Friday that the Asiana jet crew, flying from Seoul, consisted of “Captain Sum Ting Wong,” “Wi Tu Lo,” “Ho Lee Fuk,” and “Bang Ding Ow.”
The station claimed that the NTSB verified the names but;
The NTSB confirmed to the Daily News in a statement issued Friday evening that a summer intern — and not an NTSB official — mistakenly confirmed the names of those on the doomed flight.
They said the intern “acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft.”
Regardless, given the names involved, how stupid does someone have to be to broadcast those names as news? Apparently, not too stupid for the San Fran media market. From Politico;
“First of all, we never read the names out loud, phonetically sounding them out,” anchor Frank Somerville said, adding that the station also didn’t ask the position of the person within the NTSB giving them the ultimately erroneous information.
Yeah, well I never read them out loud, either, but I noticed the problem right away;
Ho Lee Fuk indeed.
Category: Media
Ho, Le Chit.
As the late Robert A. Heinlein put it: “Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.”
Finally, something worthwhile on the news! What a scream!
I know. I dam near choked on my coffee when i saw this clip earlier this morning….lol But hey you can’t lie on the internet or TV I’ve heard.
Asking if the media is stoopid is like asking if the water is wet…
What about their Navigator, Seymour Heinie, and the cute Stewardess, Sum Dum Chik? Maybe that Anchorcritter IS blonde, and she dyed her hair red, I see that as a clear example of Artificial Intelligence!
The station’s News Producer, Ima Sucker, had no comment about the names.
The image of television “reporters” is of educated, wise individuals who dispassionately report the news. This proves that they are indeed just talking heads who will read whatever is shoved in front of them on the teleprompter. Reminds me of someone who lives in a big White House…..
I guess news readers haven’t changed much in the 30 or so years since I last watched it. Oh, I catch glimpses now and then–mostly when my wife (or is she a significant other now?)–watches it alone. She enjoys the idiotic banter. Me, I want to beat all of them silly. (2/17 Air Cav)
I’d be looking for who put that info together and he/she/it (it’s ‘Frisco after all…) would be fired at light speed.
“Im Ron Burgandy?”
damn it, who put a question mark on the teleprompter?
Old Soldier, its california, they are union. no one can be fired
Falls off chair laughing until breathless.
This would be funny if people hadn’t died
You said it all right there, Smitty! Most of the snoozecasters are little more than teleprompter repeaters!
All I am going to say is that over the radios, some of the birds out here elected to go “Chinese Name Secure”…
I am sure “Fuk Du Two” and “Gun Bun Nee” were either the apache guys or the scouts…
“Deez Dum Diks” and “Hyoo Tu Slow” were probably fellow hookers..
“Cum Fo Yu” had to be a dustoff bird…
That reminds me of a Lone Ranger story where Tonto signaled for them to halt while riding. Tonto then dismounted, put his ear to the ground for a moment, and said “Ug, Buffalo come.” The Lone ranger asked “Gee, Tonto, you can tell that just from listening?” Tonto replied “No-um, ground sticky.”.
Yeah, it’s still funny. Here’s why; “see that bubble-headed bleache blonde? Comes on at 5. She can tell you about a plane crash with a gleam in her eye. It’s interesting when people die.”
I’m sorry that people died, but puncturing the pretentiousness of our media, which markets in misery, strikes me as fair play. “Dirty Laundry” understood that, I think our prankster did too.
68W58: yep, your comment gets right to the heart of the matter.
Any one with half a brain knows that there are only two surnames in Korea. Kim, Lee, and a couple of less popular ones. It was once said that if you tossed a rock off the top of the tallest building in Seoul you had a 100 percent chance to hit a Kim or Lee. And everyone knows that Won Wing Low is a Chinese fighter pilot.
[…] Ain’t Hell has a bunch of great posts up today including this one by Jonn called “Half-assed media.” You want to go read this and don’t forget the […]
The media knew not to ask for the names until after the investigation. I toast to the intern for giving the names. The media asked a stupid question and was rewarded for its stupidity.
While working many years ago in a retail establishment far, far away, we would call the store’s main phone number from a different in-house phone and ask the front desk to page Richard Smoker, Harold Balzac, etc. It worked. Sometimes.
Hearing “Harold Balzac, you have a call at the front desk” was hilarious in high school.
It’s still funny today, much to my children’s despair.
@8: last year, my kids rolled their eyes at that joke and the books by I.P. Freely, I.P. Standing, and Claude Balz.
@22, Doc, Mike Hunt was my personal favorite to have some waitress page in a bar It worked in “Porky’s” and it still does today!
Where I live, calling any county office looking for Mike Hunt would probably end up with him picking up the phone. He’s the Sheriff.
Is this news gal Rhonda Burgundy? If they ever teach a parrot to read, she’s on unemployment line. Whatta moron!
I’m alternating between being offended, ashamed that humans are allowed this sort of unfettered public access, and laughing my fucking balls off.
Herbie Hind, Amanda Hugankiss, Mike Litoris, Dick Swett (that one is real, BTW,) Jack Goff (also real,) and finally, the Cain sisters: Candy, Sugar, and Nova.
Yeah, tell me I haven’t had one too many midwatches doing 4 knots to nowhere, Ray.
I once saw a news interview of Haywood Jablome.
Next up with Tori Campbell: interviews with Hilda Vortia, Mona Littlemore, Brenda Housedown, Claude Baddley, Mandy Lifeboats, Judy Price-Downe, Gordon Bleeding, Lorna Snakesbelly, Clete Torres. . .
@23 – Mike Hunt played saxophone on the J. Geils Band’s “Bloodshot” album. I think he’s a relative of Magic Dick.
Hispanic stripper Chili Burroughs reflects on media hoax. . .
Media watchdogs Iva Sorebutt and Ivan Erection weigh in on KTVU news prank. . .
Dick Swett? Got a better one for ya, NHSparky.
http://www.af.mil/information/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5751
I’m thinking people didn’t use the short form of his first name. (smile)
Hory clap!!!
MrBill@27, that Haywood guy sure gets around.
http://www.snopes.com/media/goofs/heywood.asp
Hack.Stone: so did the guy I referenced above. His last assignment before he retired was at the Pentagon.
I’m serious.
Meanwhile, Howie Felterbush is much too busy to comment.
Lmfao @ bang ding ow….jesus that shit was funny
@36. So was Dick Gozinya.
Simply cannot be topped by anyone sane.
Bart Simpson calling Moe’s Tavern — broadcast live, not cartoon. Who knew Springfield was a REAL place?
It took me several minutes to stop laughing enough to enter this. Too, too funny.
For what it’s worth, KTVU is located in Oakland, not San Francisco.
As for anchorman Frank Somerville… he can read a teleprompter, but when it comes to going live… Yikes. The day of the crash KTVU is showing a picture of the crash scene, covered in foam. Frank is on the phone with someone from SFFD, and says (approx.) “I see the area is covered with foam. Do you use foam to put out fires?”….
Reminds me years ago of the morning local show showing pictures of kids and their birthdays… “Maximus Kockx is ten today”…I hadn’t laughed so hard in years. I still laugh at that one!
OldSargeUSAR@41, it could be a Mad magazine Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions
Frank Somerville: I see the area is covered with foam. Do you use foam to put out fires?
Fire Department Spokesman:
No, we are having a fundraiser, and that is a slip and slide ride.
No, the Starbucks foam machine in Terminal B went bat shit.
No, we use the fire to contain the foam.
No, that is the climactic scene of a porn movie being shot at the airport.
What if the crash was a Lufthansa flight?
Captains Mandy Kraschen-Hertz and Gotthold Throtlsarder.
Back when I was on gate duty exclusively my leadership went through a phase where they wanted us to address folks coming in by their last name as opposed to a simple sir or ma’am, (we found out later that someone had complained that we looked to “scary” and this was apparently a way of presenting a softer image.) We ran into two problems with this scheme. The first was insanely long Hispanic names that I doubt even the owners were able to wrap their tongues around. The second came a few days after the policy went into affect and a female officer passed through with her family. There was no wayI was ggoing to the block for extending common courtesy to major weiner