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TMZ is the most trusted name in news

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by poindexter, Jan 27, 2020.

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  1. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    There is nothing inherently wrong with checkbook journalism. ... it would be a perfectly fine way to do business, consistent with the basic tenets of journalist, IF paying sources led to accurate stories.

    The reason legitimate organizations don't pay sources is that the payments always call into question the info. The fact that you are getting paid gives you incentive to make up stuff or embellish details. ... to get the check. People pay for juicy and interesting things. Which often doesn't gibe with the actual truth.

    FWIW, I disagree with the premise of the thread. TMZ has a long history of getting things wrong. People don't hold their feet to the fire, and they slough it off and move onto the next thing, because. ... well, it is TMZ. Hit google and you can find all of their fuck ups.

    In this case, they weren't the most trusted name in news. They reported the copter crash first, but they reported that Bryant was survived by his 4 daughters. They reported that there were five dead. So we overlook that, because one of their guys got the first phone call and they got it up on their site quicker than the next place?
     
    The Big Ragu, Jan 27, 2020
    #13
  2. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    The people apparently not paying for news fucked up left and right yesterday. ABC News. NBC News. All of the local la news stations. ABC News reported all of the daughters on board. ABC News then confirmed that all the daughters were safe. BOTH WRONG.

    You know who didn't fuck up yesterday? TMZ, the people paying news sources.
     
    poindexter, Jan 27, 2020
    #14
  3. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    I haven't found that. Please link, and I will update.
     
    poindexter, Jan 27, 2020
    #15
  4. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    This professor reviewed every step.
     
    poindexter, Jan 27, 2020
    #16
  5. Alma

    Alma Well-Known Member

    ABC's screw-ups have nothing to do with TMZ. ABC's mistakes are its own.
     
    Alma, Jan 27, 2020
    #17
  6. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    So cross ABC News of the Most Trusted List. ABC couldn't have fucked up more yesterday if they tried.
     
    poindexter, Jan 27, 2020
    #18
  7. CD Boogie

    CD Boogie Well-Known Member

    Well at least they didn't pull a BBC and run video clips of LeBron James for a story about the death of Kobe Bryant. I was driving yesterday afternoon when the news broke and CNN radio had some British broadcaster on, speaking in lame platitudes about Kobe. That's the last thing anyone wants to hear at that point. The immediate sense is not to trust the speaker.
     
    CD Boogie, Jan 27, 2020
    #19
  8. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    Links, please.
     
    poindexter, Jan 27, 2020
    #20
  9. PaperClip529

    PaperClip529 Well-Known Member

    I mean, you wouldn't need links if you were actually paying attention to the original stories that were published by your so-called beacon of trusted journalism. Just because they've updated and edited their original posts doesn't mean that they weren't incorrect at times. They got a lot of the big points correct but they did not hit 1.000 yesterday.
     
    PaperClip529, Jan 27, 2020
    #21
  10. poindexter

    poindexter Well-Known Member

    You can't edit twitter, correct?
    So either their tweets are wrong (and still up) or deleted (which you'd hear about).

    It can't be that hard. People screengrab stuff all the time.

    I'm just looking to set the record straight. What I saw yesterday, living in LA, was absolute garbage on TV. I have seen TMZ accurate and timely. I see you guys saying TMZ was wrong, but I've yet to see proof. The Northwest PBS professor went through the entire timeline as he saw it, and didn't mention TMZ fucking up.

    If they did fuck up, post it.
     
    poindexter, Jan 27, 2020
    #22
  11. PaperClip529

    PaperClip529 Well-Known Member

    I mean, you wouldn't need links if you were actually paying attention to the original stories that were published by your so-called beacon of trusted journalism. Just because they've updated and edited their original posts doesn't mean that they weren't incorrect at times. They got a lot of the big points correct but they did not hit 1.000 yesterday.
     
    PaperClip529, Jan 27, 2020
    #23
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I think I am wrong. I got it from what someone posted on the thread on Sports & News yesterday and didn't check it. They deleted their post later in the day. I should have checked first just now -- I wasn't paying attention to TMZ yesterday. Sorry.

    Regarding the rest of my post, TMZ has gotten a lot of crap wrong over the years. Hit google for those examples. Getting something right -- they have a lot of people on the ground in LA -- doesn't negate the fact that you still can't know for sure when they report something that it is sourced well or if it is going to hold up later on.

    They may not have paid anyone for the Kobe phone call, but the kind of checkbook journalism they practice makes everything about them suspect. That is true, even if 98 out of 100 things they report prove to be true. It's the ones they rush to report without good info that can be destructive.
     
    The Big Ragu, Jan 27, 2020
    #24
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