I love the press

jimpeel

jimpeel

Well-Known Member
They can make something out of nothing at light speed and make us laugh at the same time. Take this for an example.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,431215,00.html

Grenade Found Across Street From Egyptian Embassy in Washington
Wednesday, October 01, 2008

A maintenance worker found a grenade across from the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, but the FBI was quick to say terrorism isn't suspected.

The jarring discovery of the weapon — which wasn't live, FBI spokeswoman Debbie Weierman told FOXNews.com — brought the military and police bomb squads to the scene and prompted several homes in the area to be evacuated.

The grenade hadn't exploded when it was found Wednesday morning in a ball field across from the embassy, near 16th Street and Rock Creek State Park, according to the FBI.

"We were at the scene and it was determined that it was not a live grenade," Weierman told FOXNews.com, correcting earlier reports.

There was no known terrorism link, she said, and the case is now being handled solely by U.S. Park Police.

The embassy office was evacuated while military bomb experts removed the explosive.

A National Park Service maintenance worker found the explosive about 8 a.m. Wednesday, said U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. Robert Lachance.

He said authorities determined it's a real grenade. :shrug: A D.C. police bomb squad also was working to remove it.

Police temporarily closed 16th Street, a busy commuter route, before clearing the scene.

Some homes along Kennedy Place were evacuated as a precaution.

Click here for more from The Washington Post.

FOXNews.com's Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click to expand...
 
So, let's parse this a bit. Should make Spike happy that I am criticizing FoxNews. Contrast this story with the one from the Washington Post.

The jarring discovery of the weapon — which wasn't live ...
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It is only a weapon if you beat someone up the side of the head with it. Other than that, it isn't a weapon.

The grenade hadn't exploded when it was found ...
Click to expand...

First of all, it couldn't explode because it wasn't live. Second, if it had exploded it would no longer be a grenade.

"We ... determined that it was not a live grenade," ... correcting earlier reports.
Click to expand...

Yet the story goes on to detail that erroneous report later in the story.

The embassy office was evacuated while military bomb experts removed the explosive.
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How they could remove an explosive which is not able to explode boggles the mind.

A National Park Service maintenance worker found the explosive ...
Click to expand...

Again, it was not an explosive by any stretch of the imagination.

He said authorities determined it's a real grenade.
Click to expand...

Other than sensationalism; why was this included in the story when earlier in the story the erroneous reports had already been corrected?

FOXNews.com's Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Click to expand...

And they are both idiots who don't know how to write an accurate story.
 
the stunning analysis presented in the original post has changed the way i think about this so called "news." i am floored.
 
psst - a grenade, live or not..is an explosive.
Live means that the pin has been pulled.
Inert is what it was judged to be after the Bomb Squad showed up.

Oh...and your article's changed.

Here's a question: Any unclaimed/abandoned suitcase in an airport is treated as a potential bomb by the Bomb Squad. They treat it as a possible explosive, often xraying it and sometimes just blowing it up with a robot from a good distance. That's their job. Evacuating the area is part of that.

Where exactly did they go wrong?

As for reporters...getting something in print/web/tv/radio fast is how they make money. Stories are foten revised on the fly for 2nd, 3rd, 4th editions...as details become evident. That's the balancing point to people's desire to know NOW what just happened. They'll find out fast. Most people know to add a few grains of salt to most 1st editions.

Remember the 'horrible accident of a 747 crashing into one of New York's twin towers.' ?
 
MrBishop said:
psst - a grenade, live or not..is an explosive.
Click to expand...

Not if it cannot explode. Otherwise, a fake plastic toy grenade would be classified as an "explosive".

Live means that the pin has been pulled.
Click to expand...

No, activated means the pin has been pulled. Live indicates that it is a viable explosive device.

Inert is what it was judged to be after the Bomb Squad showed up.
Click to expand...

Inert means that it has been rendered such that it cannot be activated. The word "INERT" was also printed on the device.
 
By the way, the thread is not about the condition or viability of the device. The thread is about the piss poor writing abilities of the authors and their penchant for the sensationalization of their stories.
 
jimpeel said:
It is only a weapon if you beat someone up the side of the head with it. Other than that, it isn't a weapon.
Click to expand...
Awesome! Now guns aren't weapons unless you pistol-whip someone! Dirty bombs aren't weapons either, apparently.

How they could remove an explosive which is not able to explode boggles the mind.
Click to expand...
The grenade was found by someone who isn't an ordnance expert. I'm sure if you find what looks like it could be a bomb at Wal-Mart, the policy wouldn't be to let you determine whether it's live or not, but instead would be to get everyone out of there and determine whether it's real later. It sure would suck if some old know-it-all said it's not a live bomb and then it explodes and kills a few people.

And they are both idiots who don't know how to write an accurate story.
Click to expand...
Let's see you do it with all the training you have in the field of journalism.
 
jimpeel said:
By the way, the thread is not about the condition or viability of the device. The thread is about the piss poor writing abilities of the authors and their penchant for the sensationalization of their stories.
Click to expand...
As for reporters...getting something in print/web/tv/radio fast is how they make money. Stories are foten revised on the fly for 2nd, 3rd, 4th editions...as details become evident. That's the balancing point to people's desire to know NOW what just happened. They'll find out fast. Most people know to add a few grains of salt to most 1st editions.
 
Inkara1 said:
Awesome! Now guns aren't weapons unless you pistol-whip someone! Dirty bombs aren't weapons either, apparently.
Click to expand...

A firearm is only a weapon when it is used as one and it is viable -- that means when it is loaded. Other than that, it is only a weapon when you beat someone with it.

A dirty bomb isn't a weapon until it has an explosive and detonator. Until then it is merely a bunch of parts capable of becoming a weapon.
 
Let's not over look Stephen Seagull and his 'explosive' fighting style, turning his body into a 'weapon'.
 
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