4 ms·

I don't know about the specifics of this report, but Marketplace last month had another emotional story turn out to be false. Perhaps that is what prompted Rob

by yajoe 15y ago

I don't know about the specifics of this report, but Marketplace last month had another emotional story turn out to be false. Perhaps that is what prompted Rob? Retraction: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/commentary/returning-veteran-has-few-marketable-skills http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/commentary/returni... Story about the fabriaction: http://jimromenesko.com/2012/02/02/marketplace-scolded-for-airing-false-my-life-is-true-commentary/ http://jimromenesko.com/2012/02/02/marketplace-scolded-for-a... I listen to Marketplace everyday, and I just donated to both groups because it takes a lot of integrity to admit when you're wrong. EDIT: donated to This American Life as well as Marketplace

jlarocco 15y ago
I'm sorry, but the marketplace slip up seems pretty inexcusable. I could see if the guy had maybe not earned some medals he claimed he had, or if he was lower rank than he claimed, but he claimed to be a returning veteran and was never even in the army. Maybe it's just me, but verifying his army background and veteran status would be the first thing I would check going with a story titled, "Returning veteran has few marketable skills" Admitting they were wrong is nice, but that's a pretty big wrong that was easily avoidable by doing even a little checking.
- yajoe 15y ago
  Marketplace purchased the story from another non-profit producer (http://www.mylifeistrue.org/ http://www.mylifeistrue.org/). They assumed the original journalists had done the basic due diligence, so blaming marketplace for failing the obvious background checks is a bit unfair. They took accountability for someone else's mistake.
  - tsotha 15y ago
    That doesn't cut it for me. Media organizations ought to be doing their own reporting, and where they don't they need to be going with reputable organizations with standards and procedures in place to keep this kind of thing from happening.
  - sambeau 15y ago
    Accountability for other people's mistakes is law in commerce. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donoghue_v_Stevenson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donoghue_v_Stevenson
protomyth 15y ago
NPR has had a bit of bad run in general lately, the Native American adoption story from South Dakota was pretty much wrong (proof was in the budgets).
- chrisrhoden 15y ago
  This American Life is not an NPR program.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    Marketplace is.
    - snowwrestler 15y ago
      Marketplace is produced by American Public Media. http://www.marketplace.org/ http://www.marketplace.org/
      - Tloewald 15y ago
        Look, they're all part of the same Kenyan muslim communist atheist climate-change-imagining prius-driving organic-food-eating "fact and reality" based conspiracy. A real news outlet determines the truth before, optionally, looking for or fabricating facts to support it. Now, what's a good synonym for "slut"?
  - protomyth 15y ago
    Sorry, it only airs on NPR around here and their site says "This American Life is produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International."
    - tptacek 15y ago
      NPR and your local public radio station are two different things. Everyone acts like they aren't (I never say "I'm putting on WBEZ"; I say "I'm putting on NPR"), but in reality, your local public radio station is a separate entity that buys content from NPR and PRI. This is usually a distinction without a difference, but when it comes to evaluating the standards and practices of a particular show, it helps to know who actually has oversight.

by yajoe 15y ago

jlarocco 15y ago

I'm sorry, but the marketplace slip up seems pretty inexcusable. I could see if the guy had maybe not earned some medals he claimed he had, or if he was lower rank than he claimed, but he claimed to be a returning veteran and was never even in the army. Maybe it's just me, but verifying his army background and veteran status would be the first thing I would check going with a story titled, "Returning veteran has few marketable skills" Admitting they were wrong is nice, but that's a pretty big wrong that was easily avoidable by doing even a little checking.

yajoe 15y ago
Marketplace purchased the story from another non-profit producer (http://www.mylifeistrue.org/ http://www.mylifeistrue.org/). They assumed the original journalists had done the basic due diligence, so blaming marketplace for failing the obvious background checks is a bit unfair. They took accountability for someone else's mistake.
- tsotha 15y ago
  That doesn't cut it for me. Media organizations ought to be doing their own reporting, and where they don't they need to be going with reputable organizations with standards and procedures in place to keep this kind of thing from happening.
- sambeau 15y ago
  Accountability for other people's mistakes is law in commerce. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donoghue_v_Stevenson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donoghue_v_Stevenson

protomyth 15y ago

NPR has had a bit of bad run in general lately, the Native American adoption story from South Dakota was pretty much wrong (proof was in the budgets).

chrisrhoden 15y ago
This American Life is not an NPR program.
- tptacek 15y ago
  Marketplace is.
  - snowwrestler 15y ago
    Marketplace is produced by American Public Media. http://www.marketplace.org/ http://www.marketplace.org/
    - Tloewald 15y ago
      Look, they're all part of the same Kenyan muslim communist atheist climate-change-imagining prius-driving organic-food-eating "fact and reality" based conspiracy. A real news outlet determines the truth before, optionally, looking for or fabricating facts to support it. Now, what's a good synonym for "slut"?
- protomyth 15y ago
  Sorry, it only airs on NPR around here and their site says "This American Life is produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International."
  - tptacek 15y ago
    NPR and your local public radio station are two different things. Everyone acts like they aren't (I never say "I'm putting on WBEZ"; I say "I'm putting on NPR"), but in reality, your local public radio station is a separate entity that buys content from NPR and PRI. This is usually a distinction without a difference, but when it comes to evaluating the standards and practices of a particular show, it helps to know who actually has oversight.