Writer fabricated Boston Globe story on seal hunt

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15556519.htm

BOSTON, April 15 (Reuters) - A Boston Globe freelance writer fabricated large chunks of a story published this week, the newspaper said on Friday in the latest incident to embarrass the U.S. media.

The Globe, which is owned by The New York Times Co.<NYT.N>, said it stopped using writer Barbara Stewart because of a story that ran on Wednesday about a seasonal hunt for baby seals off Newfoundland -- a hunt, it turns out, had not taken place.

The story datelined Halifax, Nova Scotia described in graphic detail how the seal hunt began on Tuesday, with water turning red as hunters on some 300 boats shot harp seal cubs "by the hundreds."

The problem, however, was that the hunt did not begin on Tuesday; it was delayed by bad weather and was scheduled to start on Friday, weather permitting, the Globe said in an editor's note.

more

[flvegan]

1. Seal slaughter killing/weather updates

The Farley Mowat (Sea Shepherd Conservation Society) is sitting smack in the middle of the killing fields, weathering Mother Nature's wrath, awaiting the sealers. There are updates for each of the last few days documenting the absence of sealers due to the weather, as well as the misfortune of some that attempted to ride out the weather.

For the record, the slaughter (it's no hunt, not in the least) didn't begin today, either.

http://www.seashepherd.org/

[tinonedown]

25. How much of this DOES go on?

She described the water turning bloody red?! Maybe we are reading newspaper fiction each day. What was her motivation to lie? Is she a PETA person?
This makes no sense at all.

[Spazito]

2. Good, hyping a false story on this serves no one well

Embellishment of the facts does seem to be something many are doing, not just this writer. Good for the Boston Globe for dealing with the issue appropriately.

[seriousstan]

3. Embellishing? That would imply a base story. This was total fabrication.

The story stated the number of hunters, killed seals and descriptions of the killings......that weren't there.

[NNN0LHI]

4. Lot of tears and bandwidth were wasted around here for a BS story too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1348837

[MisterP]

7. I don't see anything in the Observer article from the Globe or the

writer, or that it's false.

[NNN0LHI]

10. There has been no seal hunt this year. That is the true story n/t

[MisterP]

22. ???

[Spazito]

6. Sorry, I should have clarified that, it was total fabrication

not merely embellishment. After reading the OP, my thoughts went to the many threads started that used embellishment, etc, and I focused on that to the exclusion of the very fact of the fabrication of the well-circulated article. I appreciate your post clarifying that.

[fasttense]

5. Imagine, the corporate media making up stories. I can't believe it. n/t

[NNN0LHI]

8. They know liberals will bite on a story like that over one about dead...

...Iraqi civilians every time. Strange how that works. Kind of reminds me of a story about a man called Pavlov and his little poochie.

Don

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. This isn't the first time these jerks

have published stories about an event before an event happened. So much for bringing an open mind to the subject. They just tweak the prepackage column before it goes to press. Sometimes they blow it.

[amazona]

11. My Lord!

She just made up the whole thing? How did she expect not to get caught? Does she think another "Shattered Glass" will be made of her story? That is just beyond belief. Why be a reporter if you just want to sit at home and make things up.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Hand]

12. Holy crap! I know her...

Wuh boy... assuming it's the same lady who lives in Halifax and used to work for the NYT. Hard to believe she'd do something this dumb. Well, that's just DAMN bizarre.

:wow:

[NNN0LHI]

13. How come no one ever mentions all the fabricated stories Judith Miller...

...had published in the NYT (sometimes on the front page too) about Saddam's nonexistent WMDs? The stories that led to thousands upon thousands of innocent people to die for nothing? If Judith had any decency whatsoever she would blast her own brains out for what she has caused. But she won't. Because she is one piece of stinking human excrement.

Don

[Barrett808]

15. Word. n/t

[Barrett808]

14. Live posts from the seal slaughter, thanks to Sea Shepherd

http://shepherd.textamerica.com

[Catchawave]

16. I love Capt Watson and his crew....

I see they're near where the Titanic sank today...what a sad, sad area all around.

[Igel]

20. "live posts from the seal slaughter" that never actually mention

a seal slaughter.

It's postponed. Or presumed. Or assumed. But never asserted.

Interesting pictures, though.

[Barrett808]

21. Earlier entries showed the bloody ice and attacks by the sealers

on Sea Shepherd crew.

Videos here:

http://www.seashepherd.org/seals/seals_video.html

[Igel]

23. Tx.

The still pics are enough.

[obxhead]

17. HST did this a lot too,

yet it doesn't seem his "stories" we're as low and dispicable.

[pelagius]

18. But HST wasn't pretending to present verifiable observations

You knew what you were getting was the reporter's highly-colored view of events.

[mmonk]

19. oops

minor error.

[raccoon]

24. I wonder how much of this goes on

that we don't ever hear about.

Hmm, sounds like we might as well be reading John Grisham, Stephen King, Danielle Steele, etc., as reading articles by these so-called "journalists."

[demgurl]

26. There are several things that come to mind when reading this.

First of all, I think it is a sad comment on our society when no one here is the least bit surprised that the 'MSM' did this. Hasn't this just become expected of these people by now? Where has our country and our media gone?

Secondly, what are we to expect? Who is supposed to lead this country if not the President. If the president is hiring media to report propaganda and to garner a wider support for his programs, what is that except false news? Hasn't our 'leader and commander' (:rofl:) set the bar for the people of this country? What has he told them is expected? Nothing but lies and deceit. If it is good enough for him then what do we expect fro everyone else? Once again, thanks Mr. President!!!!!!! :sarcasm: