The Cruelest Of Hoaxes
by: Autumn Sandeen
Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 10:45:00 AM EDT

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/11619/the-cruelest-of-hoaxes

This was forwarded to me from a moderator at Laura's Playground when I asked for additional information about the alleged hate crime murder of someone called Rachel Roo.

For me, there was a huge red flag attached to this story. I looked for any New York media sources to independently verify the details of this alleged crime (the details are sensational enough that one would, even minus the trans details of the story, expect to see in on the front pages of a New York City Tabloid), but there were no reports of such a crime in any New York media source.

Autumn appears to be getting a bit full of herself. Now she's suggesting that internet forums should choose and vet their moderators better so she and others, apparently won't be tossed-back on their own fact-checking.

Sorry Autumn, if you're gonna put yourself out there as a "journalist" and "new media" reporter it's your responsibility to check out your own published stuff rather than suggesting that Laura's (in this case) was somehow at fault for Pam's, Zoe and Bilerico spreading the "Tale of Rayshel Roo."

Puh-leez!

QuoteThere's a Certain Hubris That Everyone Should Beware (0.00 / 0)

Most especially in this diary, if ya ask me. You didn't. But, anyhow ...

QuoteThe people who run online forums are now going to have to look at their moderators a lot more closely in the future. If someone can create and maintain a false character for a year -- a character the head moderators at a forum believed was connected to a real person due to how well the persona was held together -- well, even in forums meant for building community we find we need more jaded eyes than we'd like to look at our peers with.

Andrea James pointed toward a number of ways to fact-check. She didn't have the hubris to state that forums need to vet their members and mods with a fine-tooth comb so some maven of the "new media" who is basically a blogger who publishes and portrays her own opinions as "news" (the recent radio program in Sacramento, for instance) can wax expert once more.

Fact is Autumn, I have no doubt about your integrity. But to suggest that GenderLife, BeginningLife, Susan's, Laura's and goodness knows how many other forums are somehow irresponsible for not making sure that their moderators don't try to perpetrate hoaxes is one of the more foolish opinions I have ever read at Pam's.

Autumn, I don't come to Pam's for "news." You may call Pam's a "new media" site, I suppose, if Drudge and Aravoisis are "new media" as well ... well, the cachet of "news" doesn't attach itself to such places. I get my news locally for my locale and from the WaPo, LAT, NYT for national and world. I don't immediately think of Pam's as journalism. I think of Pam's as opinion with provoking commentary by the blenders. 

That said, perhaps if the new media is required to get their stories from internetz forums they should re-think their own position. And perhaps they should be less-involved with "making news" themselves.

In fact, the story was "broken" at Bilerico and Pam's because the horror of the idea overtook the sense of the "reporters." Same with Zoe. The "break" on this would have been huge, no?

It's not up to forum site owners to make sure you have reliable informational sources with which to write you blogs. That's up to the individuals. Perhaps that's another thing Andrea should have written in her tsroadmap posts.

Perhaps it should dawn on someone here that they may well wish to concern themselves with their own fact-checking rather than blaming site owners for not doing enough to safeguard over-zealous bloggers? Just a thought.

I have to admit I am thinking that comment won't last long at Pam's, not on Autumn's diary, but come-on. If I must go the way of Cathryn Platine then I suppose I shall. But what was Autumn thinking? That she is suddenly the arbitor of all things "trans" because she managed to become minorly "famous" through one local radio program and being at one trial in CO?

What, Sandy, Janet, Nero, Dennis, myself need to turn over our entire history for fact-checking so a set of bloggers won't have this happen to them again?

What ridiculous bs that is!!   

Nichole

What, Sandy, Janet, Nero, Dennis, myself need to turn over our entire history for fact-checking so a set of bloggers won't have this happen to them again?


No problem, a friend of mine is a VP at IBM, and he looked all of you up in the homeland security, TRW, and other data bases, and by the way Nichole, you need to mow the lawn.

Quote from: tekla on June 22, 2009, 09:41:32 PM
What, Sandy, Janet, Nero, Dennis, myself need to turn over our entire history for fact-checking so a set of bloggers won't have this happen to them again?


No problem, a friend of mine is a VP at IBM, and he looked all of you up in the homeland security, TRW, and other data bases, and by the way Nichole, you need to mow the lawn.

I can accept TRW etc, it's Autumn's suggestion I'm having trouble with!!

Well, if its a good idea, I think we ought to start with her then.

Companies pay about 1.6 billion to generate "buzz" on line.

http://www.parade.com/news/intelligence-report/archive/can-y ou-believe-what-you-read-on-the-web.html
Can You Believe What You Read on the Web?

No I can not be sure that it is accurate but since it is a national publication, the probability that it will be challenged for accuracy is very high. Also there is a publisher responsible that can and does get law suits filed against it if it fabricates information. I also read it in the paper version delivered to my door.

That said, the Internet is free, easy to hide identity, and has no laws against lies.

If you are going to use any Internet information for a serious decision make sure you get independent verification form a source that will be monetarily and legally responsible. Never buy from someone without a brick and mortar presents.
People wear masks so long that they lose their moral compass.

Fantasy is like a stone skipping across the water, it sinks in the end.

It is sad to say but the electronic media has contributed to the loss of morals along with the corporate mentality of only looking at profits.

the electronic media has contributed to the loss of morals along with the corporate mentality of only looking at profits.

Yeah, that never happened before the Net did it?

QuoteYeah, that never happened before the Net did it?

Your logic is about on par with your wit.

Really you sound like one of those old ladies yelling at kids to get off the lawn.  False news stories, they happened before, long before, or is the Cardiff Giant one of them new fangled internets deals?  And the decline in 'morals' (that of course is subjective, depending on if you see the old morals as something worthy of support, or merely some decaying artifact of a defunct decrepit system that had long outlived its usefulness) had been going on by anyone's count since at least the 1920s. 

Quotedepending on if you see the old morals as something worthy of support

Does that also effect the quality of life?