[meteorite-list] Meteorite Wrong from Washington-disinformation?
From: Pekka Savolainen <pekka.savolainen_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:16:33 2004 Message-ID: <3F3C09A8.6000108_at_dlc.fi> --------------090706080806030405000408 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Well, here in Finland (sure in a very small country) we have built a kind of "semi-official status" for the finnish astronomy association in co-op of the university of Helsinki to give statements. Sometimes this works, sometimes the hoaxes will be published, but we have quite good relationships to press, so usually we can get the correction published very fast. It means work, no doubt, but it´s possible. We have some 3 - 4 people in the meteor-department of the association to do this, and we can get the statement from the university usually in few hours. Our contact to the university is also the curator of the Natural History Museums met. collection, and is also very well known as a "stone-doctor" here, really great work from him, but I think, meteorites are a passion also to him, not just the items to study. These kind of people in the science-world are worth of their weight in gold in many cases. Our goal is to have several reporters in every publishing-house, who make the articles, we have gave them free samples and told some basics of these things whenever possible, and usually this works fine. To me it looks, the press tells rather the truth than some nonsense anyway, but this means, we have reporters, who know something about the topic and who can get the right people contacted as fast as possible, when the situation is actuel. It´s sure, in many cases the hoaxes will came out, but in this way we can get the correction published as fast as possible and the "semi-official" statements of the association or the university published. The press or TV sure want their stories as fast as possible, but it´s not very nice for them, if they have to correct their story next day. That´s why it´s good for all sites, they can have the real data somewhere, but they also must know, where to get it, and to tell this to them means work for the community. take care, pekka Kevin Fly Hill wrote: > Educating the press is like singing to a pig -- It wastes your time > and only irritates the pig. Granted when some one of the media ilk > wants to know more great, but most of them TV (especially), radio and > print want to get a story out (on WHATEVER) and get on with the next > thing on their list. I guess they figure schools and universities are > for education and they are there for entertainment. We like to > educate, because that is was we like to do and it does help. Just > don't expect a lot of response to your efforts at least on behalf of > the press. A bit cynical but that has been my experience in dealing > with the media over astronomy issues. If you want to prove my point, > work up a "press release", invite the local media folks to a class, > hell, serve refreshments and see how many show up. If I'm wrong, you > get to do your deal for a mess of media types, instead of hunting them > down one-by-one. > > > > From: Howard Wu <mailto:freewu2000_at_yahoo.com> > > To:Sharkkb8_at_aol.com <mailto:Sharkkb8@aol.com> ; markf@ssl.gb.com > <mailto:markf_at_ssl.gb.com> ; meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com > <mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com> > > Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 1:48 PM > > Subject: [meteorite-list] Meteorite Wrong from > Washington-disinformation? > > > I recall an Andy Warhol story where he tells that he deliberately > gave different biographical information about himself to different > reporters so when he met people at New York social parties he > would know what magazines they read. :<) > > > > However, I agree ethically that we should not be the source of > disinformation and support public education. Also knowledge may > lead to more real finds. For example, I didn't know till I became > involved in collecting that meteors stop "burning" high in the > atmosphere before dropping in a terminal velocity decent. > > > > Howard Wu > > Sharkkb8_at_aol.com wrote: > > >> There is also a case for NOT educating the press on the exact >> ins and outs of meteorite falls, phrases like ‘I burnt my >> hands’ ‘it set fire to my garden etc’, are excellent >> ways of distinguishing false falls from potentially genuine >> ones, as soon as all the press reports sound believable, we >> will be over whelmed with reports that would end up wasting >> all our time. > > > > Wait a minute. Stepping back from it a bit, I find it hard to > believe there's a compelling reason for WANTING the press to > report falsehoods as truth, no matter what the subject matter > of the story. If we can seriously justify allowing (much > less wanting) the press to lie because we've decided that it > helps meteorite-hobbysits distinguish between likely reports > and unlikely ones, it becomes pretty easy for ANYONE to > justify fraud in the press, for any and all convenient reasons > that may come along. Surely that's a direction we want to > head AWAY from, not toward....and yes, even if it "ends up > wasting our time". > > Gregory > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE > Yahoo! Messenger > <http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/mail/tagline_messenger/*http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/> > > -- Pekka Savolainen Jokiharjuntie 4 FIN-71330 Rasala FINLAND + 358 400 818 912 Group Home Page: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/eurocoin Group Email Address: eurocoin_at_smartgroups.com --------------090706080806030405000408 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit <html> <head> </head> <body> <br> Well, here in Finland (sure in a very small country) we have<br> built a kind of "semi-official status" for the finnish astronomy <br> association in co-op of the university of Helsinki to give<br> statements. Sometimes this works, sometimes the hoaxes<br> will be published, but we have quite good relationships to<br> press, so usually we can get the correction published very<br> fast.<br> <br> It means work, no doubt, but it´s possible. We have some <br> 3 - 4 people in the meteor-department of the association to<br> do this, and we can get the statement from the university <br> usually in few hours. Our contact to the university is also<br> the curator of the Natural History Museums met. collection,<br> and is also very well known as a "stone-doctor" here, really<br> great work from him, but I think, meteorites are a passion also<br> to him, not just the items to study. These kind of people in<br> the science-world are worth of their weight in gold in many<br> cases.<br> <br> Our goal is to have several reporters in every publishing-house,<br> who make the articles, we have gave them free samples and<br> told some basics of these things whenever possible, and usually <br> this works fine. To me it looks, the press tells rather the truth<br> than some nonsense anyway, but this means, we have reporters,<br> who know something about the topic and who can get the right<br> people contacted as fast as possible, when the situation is actuel.<br> <br> It´s sure, in many cases the hoaxes will came out, but in this <br> way we can get the correction published as fast as possible<br> and the "semi-official" statements of the association or the<br> university published.<br> <br> The press or TV sure want their stories as fast as possible,<br> but it´s not very nice for them, if they have to correct their<br> story next day. That´s why it´s good for all sites, they can<br> have the real data somewhere, but they also must know, where <br> to get it, and to tell this to them means work for the community.<br> <br> <br> take care,<br> <br> pekka<br> <br> <br> Kevin Fly Hill wrote:<br> <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:00d201c362ad$4178b5c0$6d00a8c0_at_coxinternet.com"> <meta content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name="GENERATOR"> <style></style> <div><font face="Arial" size="2">Educating the press is like singing to a pig -- It wastes your time and only irritates the pig. Granted when some<font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> one of the media ilk wants to know more great, but most of them TV (especially), radio and print want to get a story out (on WHATEVER) and get on with the next thing on their list. I guess they figure schools and universities are for education and they are there for entertainment. We like to educate, because that is was we like to do and it does help. Just don't expect a lot of response to your efforts at least on behalf of the press. A bit cynical but that has been my experience in dealing with the media over astronomy issues. If you want to prove my point, work up a "press release", invite the local media folks to a class, hell, serve refreshments and see how many show up. If I'm wrong, you get to do your deal for a mess of media types, instead of hunting them down one-by-one.</font></font></div> <div> </div> <div><b>From:</b><a title="freewu2000_at_yahoo.com" href="mailto:freewu2000@yahoo.com"> Howard Wu</a> </div> <blockquote style="padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(0,0,0); margin-right: 0px; "> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none; "><b> To:</b><a title="Sharkkb8_at_aol.com" href="mailto:Sharkkb8@aol.com">Sharkkb8@aol.com</a> ; <a title="markf_at_ssl.gb.com" href="mailto:markf@ssl.gb.com">markf@ssl.gb.com</a> ; <a title="meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com" href="mailto:meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com"> meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com</a> </div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none; "><b> Sent:</b> Thursday, August 14, 2003 1:48 PM</div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size-adjust: none; "><b> Subject:</b> [meteorite-list] Meteorite Wrong from Washington-disinformation?</div> <div><br> </div> <div>I recall an Andy Warhol story where he tells that he deliberately gave different biographical information about himself to different reporters so when he met people at New York social parties he would know what magazines they read. :<)</div> <div> </div> <div>However, I agree ethically that we should not be the source of disinformation and support public education. Also knowledge may lead to more real finds. For example, I didn't know till I became involved in collecting that meteors stop "burning" high in the atmosphere before dropping in a terminal velocity decent. </div> <div> </div> <div>Howard Wu<br> <br> <b><i><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Sharkkb8_at_aol.com">Sharkkb8@aol.com</a></i></b> wrote:</div> <div> <blockquote style="padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(16,16,255); width: 100%; "><font face="arial,helvetica"><font lang="0" face="Arial" size="2" family="SANSSERIF"><br> <blockquote style="padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(0,0,255); margin-right: 0px; " type="CITE"><font lang="0" style="background-color: rgb(255,255,255); " face="Arial" color="#000080" size="2" family="SANSSERIF"> There is also a case for NOT educating the press on the exact ins and outs of meteorite falls, phrases like ‘I burnt my hands’ ‘it set fire to my garden etc’, are excellent ways of distinguishing false falls from potentially genuine ones, as soon as all the press reports sound believable, we will be over whelmed with reports that would end up wasting all our time.</font></blockquote> <font lang="0" style="background-color: rgb(255,255,255); " face="Arial" color="#000080" size="2" family="SANSSERIF"><br> </font><font lang="0" style="background-color: rgb(255,255,255); " face="Arial" color="#000000" size="2" family="SANSSERIF"><br> Wait a minute. Stepping back from it a bit, I find it hard to believe there's a compelling reason for WANTING the press to report falsehoods as truth, no matter what the subject matter of the story. If we can seriously justify allowing (much less wanting) the press to lie because we've decided that it helps meteorite-hobbysits distinguish between likely reports and unlikely ones, it becomes pretty easy for ANYONE to justify fraud in the press, for any and all convenient reasons that may come along. Surely that's a direction we want to head AWAY from, not toward....and yes, even if it "ends up wasting our time".<br> <br> Gregory </font></font></font></blockquote> </div> <hr size="1"><font face="arial,helvetica"><font face="Arial" size="2"> Want to chat instantly with your online friends? <a href="http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/mail/tagline_messenger/*http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/"><b> Get the FREE Yahoo! Messenger</b></a> </font></font></blockquote> </blockquote> <br> <pre class="moz-signature" cols="$mailwrapcol">-- Pekka Savolainen Jokiharjuntie 4 FIN-71330 Rasala FINLAND + 358 400 818 912 Group Home Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/eurocoin">http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/eurocoin</a> Group Email Address: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:eurocoin_at_smartgroups.com">eurocoin@smartgroups.com</a> </pre> <br> </body> </html> --------------090706080806030405000408--Received on Thu 14 Aug 2003 06:14:00 PM PDT |
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