Genuine Reuters-Grade News®
The Guardian appears to be none too pleased after having been the victim of Genuine Reuters-Grade News®. It seems that Reuters illustrated their story about Russian submarines planting a flag at the North Pole with some really snazzy pictures. Why they were so snazzy that they could have come from a Hollywood movie. In fact they did come from a Hollywood movie! The 1997 James Cameron blockbuster Titanic, to be precise.
News agency Reuters has been forced to admit that footage it released last week purportedly showing Russian submersibles on the seabed of the North Pole actually came from the movie Titanic.
The images were reproduced around the world - including by the Guardian and Guardian Unlimited - alongside the story of Russia planting its flag below the North Pole on Thursday last week.
But it has now emerged that the footage actually showed two Finnish-made Mir submersibles that were employed on location filming at the scene of the wreck of the RMS Titanic ship in the north Atlantic some 10 years ago.
This footage was used in sequences in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster about the 1912 disaster.
Reuters has issued a statement:
"On August 2, 2007 in a TV story about two Russian submersibles planting a flag on the seabed under the North Pole, we used file shots of MIR submersibles as part of this story.
"Reuters mistakenly identified this file footage as originating from the Arctic, and not the North Atlantic where the footage was shot.
"This footage was taken during the search for the Titanic and copyright is held by Russian State broadcaster RTR.
"This location error was corrected as soon as it was brought to our attention. A still image of the submersibles was also taken from the footage and put out on the Reuters photo wire. The caption has been corrected."
In addition Reuters also admitted that their front line "war correspondent" stories are actually written by a retired schoolteacher in Cleveland, Ohio, that they make up figures out of thin air when they need to sex up a story and that their editorial staff all graduated from the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Clown College. (Mastering in seltzer bottle usage.) Ok, you got us, we made that last bit up. Do we qualify for a job at Reuters now?
Media, World news | Gaius Friday, 10 August , 2007
By Jack, Friday, 10 August , 2007 @ 5:57 pm
“In addition Reuters also admitted that their front line “war correspondent” stories are actually written by a retired schoolteacher in Cleveland, Ohio, that they make up figures out of thin air when they need to sex up a story and that their editorial staff all graduated from the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Clown College. (Mastering in seltzer bottle usage.) Ok, you got us, we made that last bit up. Do we qualify for a job at Reuters now?”
I don’t know. I think you’re still underqualified.
But you did make me laugh.
By Mwalimu Daudi, Friday, 10 August , 2007 @ 7:21 pm
What shall we file this under?
1. Fake but accurate.
2. The narrative was right, but the facts were wrong.
3. Fauxtography created with FauxtoShop.
Or will we need a new category? Perhaps “All submarines look alike 20,000 leagues under the sea”?
By Bleepless, Saturday, 11 August , 2007 @ 10:29 am
No, you do not qualify. Your invention is neither anti-American nor anti-Semitic. Better luck next time.