Friday, October 30, 2009

Fact checking?

"Nine missing in US helicopter crash," headlines The Daily Telegraph, one of the many newspapers to carry the report of the tragic collision between a C-130 and a USMC helicopter over the sea off San Diego.

This newspaper, however, then goes on to tell us that: "There were seven people on the US Marine AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter, and two on the C130 transport plane." One can only observe that if indeed there were seven people on board the two-seater Super Cobra helicopter (pictured), then this might have had something to do with the crash.

More likely though, the paper's Nick Allen, reporting from Los Angeles, has got his aircraft mixed up. His report, therefore, does not exactly inspire confidence, either in himself or the sub-editors who are supposed to have checked the copy – in a process which, as the MSM would have it, distinguishes the "responsible" media from us mere bloggers.

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