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February 21, 2005
Don’t These People Have Fact Checkers?
One of the things that the Mainstream Media likes to accuse us bloggers of is the fact that we don’t have fact checkers, that we’re just guys (in a completely non-sexist meaning of the word "guy" of course, nothing if not PC the MSM) in our living room in pyjamas with a connection to that internetweb thingie. This criticism has some truth to it, of course, but I think it would resonate rather better if they themselves had fact checkers.
Now, I have no idea who is correct here, being as I am, just a guy with a connection (although fully clad this morning, thank you for asking) but consider these about last night’s suicide of Hunter S. Thompson:
The Guardian:
Self-styled "gonzo
journalist", novelist and gun collector Hunter S Thompson shot himself
dead last night at his home in the Colorado mountains. He was 67
....
Born July 18 1937, in
Kentucky, Hunter Stocton Thompson served two years in the Air Force,
where he was a newspaper sports editor.
The New York Times:
Tricia Louthis, of the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office, said Mr.
Thompson had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in
Woody Creek, Colo., yesterday afternoon. He was 65.
....
Hunter Stockton Thompson was born in Louisville, Ky, on July 18, 1939,
the son of an insurance agent. He was educated in the public school
system and joined the United States Air Force after high school. There,
he was introduced to journalism, covering sports for an Air Force
newspaper at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. He was honorably
discharged in 1958 and then worked a series of jobs writing for
small-town newspapers.
Wikipedia:
Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937–February 20, 2005) was
As I say, I have no idea who is correct here, but I’m pretty sure that someone must be wrong. From memory he did his two years in the Air Force, meaning he would have entered in 1956, making him 17 by the NYT measurements, or 19 by the Guardian and Wikepedia (well, it also depends on the actual date of entry and his birthday).
Sure, this is all just trivial, someone’s made a booboo and it will be corrected....a story had to be got out fast and the checking wasn’t complete...but I’m looking forward to finding out who is right and who is wrong....and even more so to reading the apology when it comes.
Update: As in the comments from Sherri, the controversy seems to have been a long lasting one.
February 21, 2005 in Current Affairs | Permalink
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» HUNTER THOMPSON DEAD from Michelle Malkin
First reports in from AP: ASPEN, Colo. - Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counter-culture author of books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67.... [Read More]
Tracked on Feb 21, 2005 9:46:27 AM
Comments
Apologise to a dead man for calling him younger than he was? Wow. Talk about the definition of pointless.
Tim adds: Very good, very good indeed.
Posted by: Ron Atkinson | Feb 21, 2005 1:20:33 PM
Seems as if the confusion about HST's birthdate has been around for some time, as evidenced by this web page devoted to the 1937 vs. 1939 issue. http://www.gonzo.org/hst/ht/date.html
Posted by: Sherri Dodsworth | Feb 21, 2005 1:41:10 PM
While we're nit-picking and regardless of which age the guy happened to be, I don't think there was ever a time when an Air Force enlistment would have been for only two years. My memory is that such a term was only for the draft (including volunteering for the draft) except for a limited number of two-year enlistments in the USMC (phased out, I believe, circa '56).
Through a number of circumstances providing me with first-hand, accurate information about events which made it into newspapers (and to TV, in one case), I've long been aware that facts may be treated cavalierly. It took me much longer to appreciate the degree to which news content is routinely (and often completely uncounsciously) molded to convey a left-tinged interpretation. Finally (25 years ago next month) I "swore off" and have been clean and sober ever since: no newspapers or newsmagazines.
Posted by: gene berman | Feb 21, 2005 7:23:39 PM
