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> I think a lesson everyone should have in life is witnessing something first-hand in real life, and then reading about it in the media, Even better: Saying s
by jpmattia 11y ago
> I think a lesson everyone should have in life is witnessing something first-hand in real life, and then reading about it in the media,
Even better: Saying something to a reporter, and then reading what you supposedly said within quotation marks. (Although perhaps my data is old and things have gotten better since adequate interview-recording equipment is now on every smartphone.)
- _red 11y agoYes, trying to give any sort of nuanced answer to a reporter is almost hopeless. For instance if you say: "Plan ABC is good, however the specific concerns are X, Y, and Z. If care is not taken in how these issued are addressed it will likely be a very expensive failure". The article will appear as: PLAN HAS BROAD SUPPORT. _red says, "Plan ABC is good".
- w4 11y agoNope, it hasn't gotten better. I don't think I've been quoted precisely any time I've spoken with a reporter. The "quote" is usually the gist of what I said, so it's not a big deal, but sometimes the paraphrased version is different enough to change the meaning of what was actually said.
- ZoFreX 11y agoI sat down with a reporter and literally watched him type out my words, and corrected his article as he wrote it, and made damn sure exactly what I said was written on his screen... and the final article still managed to wildly misquote me. Nothing to do with incompetence (or lack of recording equipment), everything to do with making things fit an interesting narrative.
- nailer 11y agoConversely, from when I used to write professionally, people would often not recall saying something I had recorded them saying on tape.