Worst mainstream news article ever?

[N1UAD]

Okay, ladies and gentlemen...

Every now and then, our hobby makes an appearance here and there in the mainstream news media. Unfortunately, many the articles are often-times controversial among ham radio operators. They're never always perfect.

What's the worst mainstream news article that you've ever read about ham radio? Of course, when I say that, what I'm referring to exactly is certain aspects such as 1)poor research, 2)inaccuracy, 3)bias, 4)general laziness... etc.

What was so bad about it? What exactly did the reporter say within the article about ham radio, which rubbed you the wrong way?

[N1UAD]

On the other hand, I like how Hams go out of their way to disown some coward, and prevent a media frenzy.

For example the guy who defined the term "going postal" was a Ham.

Within minutes the call went out to reassign the trustee on several repeaters, and to make sure no one leaked the info to the press.

Sorry, but what does any of this have to do with my question???

[K5OKC]

Sorry, but what does any of this have to do with my question???

I was just thinking, you only hear 1% of the real news in the media, so I found it interesting that 99% of Ham stories are never written.

Why get upset about 1% :-)

[N1UAD]

K5OKC: please stop contributing to this thread. Your posts have absolutely NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with my original question, and you are therefore wasting my time.

Moderators: Please delete posts 2 thru 4. It appears that K5OKC has hijacked my thread. Thank you.

Everybody else: please re-read the original post. I really want to know your opinions about the original topic.

Thank you.

[K9STH]

EQX:

Threads get "hijacked" all the time. Please don't try to be a moderator!

Glen, K9STH
Head Moderator QRZ.com

[N1UAD]

***POST DELETED***

[K4KYV]

I have found over the years that whenever I have had intimate knowledge of some event, then read about it in the news, I see that they inevitably screwed up many of the details and often reported the facts completely wrong.

One of the most infamous media gaffes concerning amateur radio in recent years was the "faintly embarrassing" incident.

Power Line Named Blog of the Year: TIME also names Power Line its Blog of the Year. �Before this year, blogs were a curiosity, a cult phenomenon, a faintly embarrassing hobby on the order of ham radio and stamp collecting. But in 2004, blogs unexpectedly vaulted into the pantheon of major media, alongside TV, radio and, yes, magazines, and it was Power Line, more than any other blog, that got them there,� writes TIME�s Lev Grossman. See separate press release.

Scroll down to the 13th paragraph:

http://www.time.com/time/press_relea...009842,00.html

[NN3W]

[WN9HJW]

I was just thinking, you only hear 1% of the real news in the media, so I found it interesting that 99% of Ham stories are never written.

Why get upset about 1% :-)

I feel the same way. Plus I doubt if anyone besides hams ever reads the news stories about ham radio, anyway.

Reporters have been garbling news stories ever since news was invented, and the garbling is not unique to ham radio.

[WN9HJW]

They're never always perfect.

"never always"?

Of course, when I say that, what I'm referring to exactly is certain aspects such as 1)poor research, 2)inaccuracy, 3)bias, 4)general laziness... etc.

Pick just about any article about anything in most media outlets and you'll find that. Include poor English in the list. Seems like nobody proofreads anything any more.

There is no conspiracy to write bad articles about hams. It's just a general trend.

What exactly did the reporter say within the article about ham radio, which rubbed you the wrong way?

What happens more often than not is some reporter goes in with a preconception of what ham radio is: Either it's CB or it's "quaint" or archaic. So that's what they expect, that's what they'll look for, that's what they'll write about.

I also would say that if a reporter interviews some ham and comes away with the same impression they went in with, that's not necessarily all the reporter's fault. Very few hams are prepared or equipped to do good interviews. And that includes many "public relations" officers from clubs, IMO.