hey kupe.... Right now In heaven johnny chocoran is argueing the popes case... he just told GOD "if the pope won't quit, you must aquit"

You make a great point about the amateur status of us bloggers. Interesting that you target bloggers (who are basically nothing more than wannabe columnists) but let the so-called "professional journalists" who first reported the erroneous news off the hook. As LW pointed out, while she admitted to "jumping the gun", she did it based on what should have been considered a legitimate source. A source which you all but ignored, in favor of that harbinger of truth and enlightenment... "google".

Is it really so hard to check multiple sources and to cite them? Weeks ago, I posted an article asking if anyone could confirm the death of Al Zarqawi. The rumor had been posted on a Kurdish website...BUT only there. No corroboration. So, I posted as a question. Turns out the story was wrong.

By the way Ted, I described a general pattern of behavior. You're the one that assumed I was talking about one person in particular. There were numerous incorrect posts.

But thats not the point. Everyone gets to be wrong sometimes. But when anyone displays a pattern of posting sensational headlines with no support or based on poor research, then my judgement stands.

Is it really so hard to check multiple sources and to cite them? Weeks ago, I posted an article asking if anyone could confirm the death of Al Zarqawi. The rumor had been posted on a Kurdish website...BUT only there. No corroboration. So, I posted as a question. Turns out the story was wrong.

No it's not hard. But you *entirly* missed LW's point. She was watching a LIVE broadcast! If your watching a high speed police chase live on TV are you going to assume that the reporter no absolutly nothing?

By the way Ted, I described a general pattern of behavior. You're the one that assumed I was talking about one person in particular. There were numerous incorrect posts.

Touche! But if this is the extent of your disagreement with what I wrote, I'll consider my points valid in your eyes. I still wonder why you hold us bloggers to a higher standard than "professional journalists", but apparently you chose to skip over that part of my reply.

btw, upon hearing the news that the Pope is dead, I took your advice and "googled" it, just to make sure. Here's what I should take as gospel, if I was to listen to your advice. I searched "The Pope Is Dead", the links I got sure cleared it up for me!! ;~D

The Dead Pool... The Pope is Dead or Not Dead. Posted by Marktime at 12:25 | link | 2 Comments | 0 Trackbacks. Reuters and Italian Media are reporting that Pope John ...
deadpool.isfullofcrap.com/ - 49k - Apr 1, 2005 - Cached - Similar pages


The Dead Pool - Mobile News Page... The Pope is Dead or Not Dead (12:25 PM). Reuters and Italian Media are reporting that Pope John Paul II has died. UPDATE: Well, maybe not. ...
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Pope John Paul II is *NOT* Dead (FOX Now reporting Heart/Brain ...... FNC had a voice patched in from somebody who said "The Pope is dead". Who knows. 18 posted on 04/01/2005 10:25:23 AM PST by GOPyouth (De Oppresso Liber! ...
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1375579/posts - 34k - Apr 1, 2005 - Cached - Similar pages


Ding Dong The Pope Is Dead! | Alternative News NetworkAlternative News Network web site, publishing collective for the bio-economic region around Cairns, tropical north Queensland, Australia.
us.altnews.com.au/drop/node/view/1400 - Similar pages


PC World Forums - The Pope is Dead: Long Live the PopePC World's PressF1 tech help forum powered by vBulletin.
forums.pcworld.co.nz/showthread. php?goto=newpost&t=56326 - 34k - Apr 1, 2005 - Cached - Similar pages


mediabistro: TVNewser... FNC viewers could hear a producer yelling "the Pope is dead. ... Pope: Here's The FNC Producer Who Shouted "The Pope Is Dead..." ...
www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/the_pope/pope_ on_fnc_shep_smith_declares_pope_dead_then_retracts_it_20057.asp - Similar pages


Southern Cross Feature: Can the pope resign... The appropriate Vatican official, the papal chamberlain, needs to rely on truly competent experts in determining that the pope is dead. ...
www.thesoutherncross.co.za/features/presign.htm - 11k - Cached - Similar pages


Daily Kos :: Raw Story broke Pope's death story at 1:42pm EST... The Pope is dead. The pope is near death. The Pope is alive. The Pope is dead when someone decides to turn off the ventilator. We don't really know what ...
www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/1/21229/46216 - 23k - Apr 1, 2005 - Cached - Similar pages


Ship of Fools: The Pope is Dead... The Pope is dead. Pope Gregorio XVII It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sad news that the Pope has suddenly died. Those closest to the Holy ...
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How a Pope Is Elected... The Pope is Dead. In the bedroom of his apartment in the Vatican Palace in Rome, the Pope has just died. Standing by his bedside is the Cardinal ...
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Link

With all due respect, by some people's standards, since the pope was old, was fed by a feeding tube, and was in a state that most people would not want to be in, he was in fact dead.

With all due respect, by some people's standards, since the pope was old, was fed by a feeding tube, and was in a state that most people would not want to be in, he was in fact dead.

Excellent point!! If we are to now define "life" as "how I wouldn't want to live", life and death can now be in the eye of the beholder.

Ted, the first words of my article (after the Mark Twain quote) were "I am writing this more than twelve hours after the posts reporting the Pope's death began appearing on JoeUser." The links that you cite are time stamped hours after that. But come on. Let's be fair here: Would the average person with internet access (lacking that would make blogging difficult, wouldn't you agree?) be able to ascertain the facts?

""but let the so-called "professional journalists" who first reported the erroneous news off the hook." Ah, Ted, if only I had them on the hook! But I don't and can't do much to effect their behavior.

In light of Terru Schiavo, I guess that I should have expected something along the lines of "life and death can now be in the eye of the beholder." Lets just stick to generally accepted standards. okay?

Little_whip, I don't click on your articles, you are commenting on one of mine. Take your own advice and if you don't like what I write, stick to your own blog.

This is not about you, except in the general sense that its always about YOU, isn't it? I specifically said "This, to my mind, is the Dark Side of not just JoeUser, but of the bloggosphere in general."

"because JU has proven to me time and time again that a semi-literate, inflammatory, 3 sentence rant is more likely to provoke a lively discussion than a Nobel prize-worthy example of Journalistic Excellence." That is the generally accepted definition of points-whoring. So, if you acknowledge doing it, then what's your problem?

Ah, Ted, if only I had them on the hook! But I don't and can't do much to effect their behavior.

But surely you could post a rant about it.

Lets just stick to generally accepted standards. okay?

If the generally accepted standards isn't good enough for the courts and the only people who embrace them are the warmongering shrub and his cronies, then I must say that we shouldn't just stick with them.

1- They are absolutely clueless as to how to verify a fact. Google is a mythical place to them, as far off as El Dorado, the lost city of Gold. That is, they have hard of it, but couldn't find it with both hands and a map. I am being harsh and sarcastic here, but this is the death of one of the world's leaders here. Not an obscure figure, difficult to verify. This is the number one news story in the world. How hard is it to get it right? 2- The "rush to judgment" hypothesis. Quickly summarized this goes "I don't care what the facts may be, I'm going to post it on my blog and someone will click. If I post a big enough story, with the headline in all CAPS, many people will click. Then I will be in the Top Ten list and soon I will rule the world!!!"

What's funny is that the people actually did have sources that "verified" what they posted. It's not as if they just made it up. And it's not like they went ABC or CBS on our asses and denied the truth as long as they could, so even though they aren't journalists or even the journalistic bloggers that are always on the moving pictures box, they still have much more integrity than ABC or CBS.

My great grandmother had several sisters. If you ever sat in a room with more than 2 of them, it was a mind-numbing din of people talking, all at the same time. I have seen three of them, talking to the same person, all about different subjects, simultaneously. The poor person would just sit like they were watching a tennis match, trying to nod at the right time in each conversation.

Once, one of my family had to go to the hospital. My great grandmother didn't know, and two of the sisters were being ferried over to her house to tell her. Late seventies, one on a walker, the other unable to walk very fast. The second the car stopped it was a mad rush, well, not even close, but that was the spirit of the effort. They practically killed themselves trying to get to the door, and before it was opened each one of them blurted out the news at the same time.

That is what happens here, I think. We have some savvy people, with the ability to form pretty well thought-out opinions on what they see on TV. They also know that the first blog on a subject usually has a lock on the discussion, unless one more offensive comes along.

So, they see that the Pope dies, and they break their knuckles trying to get a blog up about it. It is silly, but enevitable.

Am I asking for sympathy? Hell no. I just don't like the insinuation that because I enjoy having my threads visited and commented on, and am happy that my blog usually rides in the top 10, thereby increasing that traffic, that I am somehow mentally unbalanced or feeling inadequate in the 'rest of my life.'

No sympathy here, How about some understanding? I have MS and go through the same shit your going through with some added sadistic twists.

little_whip, once again this was NOT meant as a personal attack on you. There were other bloggers who posted, shall we say, prematurely. Now I thought about that...and read Ted's post. The most logical cause for those multiple posts was that everyone was influenced by the same (inaccurate) reports. So, with that in mind...

Consider this a retraction on my part. Let it end here. I am aware that you suffer from R/A and I am not insensitive to that. I failed to understand the implications of that in terms of your posting and the timing of that, but you explained it with great clarity above. I have no reason not to take you at your word.

One thing that I would ask. Grant me the same courtesy. Assume that I was not referring to you. At this point, why would I deny it if it were not so? To avoid the confrontation that we have already had? So, assume that I was not speaking about your articles. Then reread what I wrote and feel free to comment. Tell me if you think that there is not some degree of truth in it, bearing in mind that that blogs effect people, even effect elections. Should we not have some degree of accountability?

A last point. I have never blacklisted you (or anyone for that matter.) If I am right, I will stand up for what I believe in. If I am wrong, I want to hear about it and will alter my opinion.

So, go forth and blog.

Several weeks ago, when the Pope was first stricken ill, I posted an article entitled "The Pope is Dead, or at least he should be" where I quite insensitively chided Catholics for praying for his recovery, feeling the man had earned his rest already.

Little Whip, lighten up yourself.  While Larry has a point, so do you, and as I did read your announcement, I did not think it was ghoulish (I heard the same announcements).

I did not think your original post was bad either.  Just that (as we saw), it was his decision, and he did make it.  He died with dignity.  Something denied to those in the US.

A shame on that last point.  Our shame.

hey kupe.... Right now In heaven johnny chocoran is argueing the popes case... he just told GOD "if the pope won't quit, you must aquit"

Damn! I have been trying to link the 2!  And you just did!  !

Got to get an insightful there!  Alison thought they were linked!  Now we know why!  HAHAHAHAHAHA

As LW pointed out, while she admitted to "jumping the gun", she did it based on what should have been considered a legitimate source.

Another side of this Larry.  Bloggers are more than ready to admit a wrong.  When was the last time a MSM outlet did that on page one?

Sorry, I am not old enough to remember the answer.