Knee Jerk
Saturday's faked beheading video is getting a ton of interest after the event now. The guys who made the video are shunning all responsibility, whilst AP and Reuters are blaming them for everything.
The truth of the matter is that it was made as an experiment to find out how quickly erroneous information could be spread by the Internet.
For an hour on Saturday morning, the Associated Press reported that 22-year-old Benjamin Vanderford had been beheaded in Iraq. They did this without checking facts, or even bothering to call Vanderford who gave out his address in the video.
In fact if you look closely at the video, you can see that the supposed beheading is done with a dull vegetable knife and they even used the wrong side!
Even though the video portrays only somebody making a sawing motion against Vanderford's neck with a knife, the Associated Press repeatedly characterized the depiction in the clip as a "beheading" -- and its first four stories about the video stated flatly that Vanderford had been "beheaded."
What this shows is the vulnerability of the news media to manipulation in reporting on the shadowy activities of terrorist organizations and militant groups. They're so willing and wanting to get ratings and big news stories that they'll do anything to get them.
Kirchner, one of the filmmakers, said the concept behind the hoax was to show how easy it is to make something fake look real. She said she wanted to challenge others to question the validity of material that is presented as fact. Bravo. Well done.
So then we come to the panicky "keep them scared" nature of the current government. Both Vanderford and Martin were interviewed by FBI agents Saturday. The Feds said that they are working with local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney's Office to determine whether any charges can be filed against Vanderford.
Why? None of them did anything wrong!
So they then go on to say "It's a very unusual situation. It may come down to freedom of speech, and we'll defer to the U.S. attorney's office here on that. The question is: At what point does he step from freedom of expression into something that makes a mockery out of the pain suffered by families that have had beheadings of loved ones?"
Look. This video was made in May. Maybe before, maybe after the Nick Berg story.
They did it to prove a point, which they proved totally successfully. The press got caught with its pants down, and are now blaming everyone but themselves, when they only have themselves to blame. And the ringleader of the current case against Vanderberg? Faux News, of course.
It's called freedom of speech - you know - that thing that El Busho is trying to have removed from the consitution.
The truth of the matter is that it was made as an experiment to find out how quickly erroneous information could be spread by the Internet.
For an hour on Saturday morning, the Associated Press reported that 22-year-old Benjamin Vanderford had been beheaded in Iraq. They did this without checking facts, or even bothering to call Vanderford who gave out his address in the video.
In fact if you look closely at the video, you can see that the supposed beheading is done with a dull vegetable knife and they even used the wrong side!
Even though the video portrays only somebody making a sawing motion against Vanderford's neck with a knife, the Associated Press repeatedly characterized the depiction in the clip as a "beheading" -- and its first four stories about the video stated flatly that Vanderford had been "beheaded."
What this shows is the vulnerability of the news media to manipulation in reporting on the shadowy activities of terrorist organizations and militant groups. They're so willing and wanting to get ratings and big news stories that they'll do anything to get them.
Kirchner, one of the filmmakers, said the concept behind the hoax was to show how easy it is to make something fake look real. She said she wanted to challenge others to question the validity of material that is presented as fact. Bravo. Well done.
So then we come to the panicky "keep them scared" nature of the current government. Both Vanderford and Martin were interviewed by FBI agents Saturday. The Feds said that they are working with local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney's Office to determine whether any charges can be filed against Vanderford.
Why? None of them did anything wrong!
So they then go on to say "It's a very unusual situation. It may come down to freedom of speech, and we'll defer to the U.S. attorney's office here on that. The question is: At what point does he step from freedom of expression into something that makes a mockery out of the pain suffered by families that have had beheadings of loved ones?"
Look. This video was made in May. Maybe before, maybe after the Nick Berg story.
They did it to prove a point, which they proved totally successfully. The press got caught with its pants down, and are now blaming everyone but themselves, when they only have themselves to blame. And the ringleader of the current case against Vanderberg? Faux News, of course.
It's called freedom of speech - you know - that thing that El Busho is trying to have removed from the consitution.
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