Ridiculous media misidentifications... (1 Viewer)

[JWN Andrewes]

This'll take some beating!

Rare flightless bird sighted exploring in Sankey Canal

SANKEY Canal became the playground of a rare flightless bird over the weekend.

www.warringtonguardian.co.uk

 

[Lerxst]

LOL.

I cannot point to documentation, but our guides in Mexico City once told us, while visiting the wetlands at Xochimilco, that someone there, years ago, mis-identified a Black-crown Night-Heron and called a local news outlet. They arrived and did a segment for the nightly broadcast, breaking the news that somehow, a penguin had made it to Mexico City.

 

[dantheman]

Don't think the media are to blame in the slightest - only reporting what they've been told. (Cracking capture of a moulting Great Auk too in the last image??)

 

[delia todd]

Oh gawd... bit early for April Fools, isn't it LOL

 

[Richard D]

We've had Guillemots described as penguins in local media...

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Don't think the media are to blame in the slightest - only reporting what they've been told. (Cracking capture of a moulting Great Auk too in the last image??)

Part of journalism is fact checking. So blame away.

 

[dantheman]

Part of journalism is fact checking. So blame away.

Totally agree.

;-)

 

[Stonefaction]

Journalism* these days seems to be mostly...

1. Trawl social media for stories.
2. Lift more or less directly (including photos), .
3. Assume your audience knows no better (whether or not you do) and publish regardless.

* My city, Dundee is famous for the 3 Js - Jute, Jam and Journalism. The Jute and the Jam have pretty much gone, and those in charge of the Journalism side seem to be doing their damnedest to ensure it goes the same way.

 

[Stephen Dunstan]

This one was recycled all over the place and is just as bad, but they've edited most of them since to appear more sceptical which I guess may happen in this case in due course...

Pink pigeon believed to be one of world’s rarest birds spotted in Lancashire town

One of the world's rarest birds could have been spotted in a garden in a town in Lancashire

www.nationalworld.com

 

[earlytorise]

This isn't exactly an erroneous news report, but I do remember reading about the following. There is a comedy show about college scientists called 'The Big Bang Theory'. One episode of that concerns a phobia of birds. Sheldon, one of the main characters, identifies a bird sitting on the windowsill as a Blue Jay. But it was actually a Black-throated Magpie-Jay. The misidentification was never acknowledged in the episode, as far as I know.

The point is that these characters love to correct each other on the tiniest mistakes when it comes to science, comic books and other so-called nerdy subjects. The show is also supposed to appeal to nerds, too. One would imagine that the fact-checkers for the show would normally be exceedingly careful in their work.

 

[Mono]

The Big Bang Theory case is down to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It prohibits native US birds from being used in TV and Film, producers have to use stand-ins, stock footage of wild birds or in more modern films CGI.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/03/14/the-surprising-reason-hollywood-gets-birds-all-wrong/

 

[Andy Lakin]

This one was recycled all over the place and is just as bad, but they've edited most of them since to appear more sceptical which I guess may happen in this case in due course...

Pink pigeon believed to be one of world’s rarest birds spotted in Lancashire town

One of the world's rarest birds could have been spotted in a garden in a town in Lancashire

www.nationalworld.com

About on par with the old Sunday Sport headlines such as 'London Bus Found on the Moon' brilliant

 

[Mysticete]

This isn't exactly an erroneous news report, but I do remember reading about the following. There is a comedy show about college scientists called 'The Big Bang Theory'. One episode of that concerns a phobia of birds. Sheldon, one of the main characters, identifies a bird sitting on the windowsill as a Blue Jay. But it was actually a Black-throated Magpie-Jay. The misidentification was never acknowledged in the episode, as far as I know.

The point is that these characters love to correct each other on the tiniest mistakes when it comes to science, comic books and other so-called nerdy subjects. The show is also supposed to appeal to nerds, too. One would imagine that the fact-checkers for the show would normally be exceedingly careful in their work.

I loathe that show with every fiber of my being, but Sheldon misidentifying a bird and no one correcting it isn't necessarily a problem. Just because you are a nerd and a physicist doesn't mean you know ANYTHING (or even care about) birds.

 

[Xenospiza]

I loathe that show with every fiber of my being, but Sheldon misidentifying a bird and no one correcting it isn't necessarily a problem. Just because you are a nerd and a physicist doesn't mean you know ANYTHING (or even care about) birds.

Just check the ignorance with respect to British flora and fauna of most participants in University Challenge... it is almost as bad as their knowledge of Scottish geography.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Not back in the good old days of Bamber, when I actually captained the Bristol team! We scored 215, but still lost to a Cambridge college who had the temerity to score 250; no second chances for losers back then!

 

[kb57]

Just check the ignorance with respect to British flora and fauna of most participants in University Challenge... it is almost as bad as their knowledge of Scottish geography.

I think I read it on Twitter, which isn't exactly a repository of verified facts itself, but was it true that on a recent University Challenge, no-one knew what a catkin was?

 

[Xenospiza]

I think I read it on Twitter, which isn't exactly a repository of verified facts itself, but was it true that on a recent University Challenge, no-one knew what a catkin was?

The question was something like "What is the flower of a Hazel called?" which might throw some people of!

 

[JTweedie]

Oh I've just shared this story in the Bird News forum. Moderators, feel free to delete my other thread.

 

[JTweedie]

Just check the ignorance with respect to British flora and fauna of most participants in University Challenge... it is almost as bad as their knowledge of Scottish geography.

And yet they seem to be great at identifying cities in China or rivers in central Europe. And give them a question about 16th century painters or 18th century music and they're on it. Ask about a band from the 1990s - nope, not a clue.

 

[Farnboro John]

And yet they seem to be great at identifying cities in China or rivers in central Europe. And give them a question about 16th century painters or 18th century music and they're on it. Ask about a band from the 1990s - nope, not a clue.

That's because the 90s are the second worst decade for music, only the 2000s are worse.

John