Friday, November 23, 2007

Expose the Fakes!

For Article: OJR: Decline of the Gatekeepers
E-Media Tidbits
Poynter Institute
Posted by Jane Abao 11/23/2007 7:39:31 PM

One way to combat this syndrome is to help in exposing fakes in communication efforts in as early as the inception stage. I am doing... One way to combat this syndrome is to help in exposing fakes in communication efforts in as early as the inception stage. I am doing my part here. Recently, I saw a site titled Spoof.com in the name of a certain Andrew Lawrence, of Los Angeles, CA.

Lawrence wanted to teach news writing from imagined news and he called it comedy spoof news writing. For his example, he wrote about supposed writers on strike but were not at the picket lines on Thanksgiving Day. As the supposed witness and author of the news, he chided the writers who he said to "get their asses on the picket lines." The story he wrote comes from his imagination.

Confused as to whether his piece would come out as an opinion piece or as news, he had mixed his elements.

After his piece, he wrote a disclaimer: "The story above is a satire or parody. It is entirely fictitious. If you fancy trying your hand at comedy spoof news writing, click here to join!"

Lawrence is a business man who thought of making money teaching news writing his crooked way. He wanted to make entertainment out of news writing.

The question is: How would laughter that his kind of stories may elicit, measure against a trend that would spontaneously grow out of his crooked style of news writing? Wild temporary entertainment against systematic plunder of truth?

This is not Funny! Why Should We Tolerate News Writing Like This?

A so-called spoof on writers who were supposed to be on strike but were probably out for Thanksgiving Day was written by a certain Andrew Lawrence, of Los Angeles, CA.

According to Lawrence’s news who was the supposed reporter and witness, these writers were supposed to be picketing outside Universal Studios and Warner Bros Studio, but they were not.
Titled, “A Writer's Strike With No Picketers?” Lawrence then says at the end of his supposed news, “How can writers, who aren't working, have a day off? Or do they start the strike day later, say 10AM and end early, say 2PM? Where were the strikers? What kind of a strike is this, with no picketers? C'mon, writers, show 'em you're serious. Get your asses out on the picket lines!”
Lawrence’s news was at best confused whether it should come out as an opinion piece or an event, as it mixed its elements.

After his piece is a disclaimer: “The story above is a satire or parody. It is entirely fictitious. If you fancy trying your hand at comedy spoof news writing, click here to join!”

Hey, Lawrence! What kind of mind have you got? Is this your kind of journalism?

What Spoof.com are you talking about? You want to start a kind of news writing with a world of lies?

How would laughter that your stories might elicit, measure against a trend that would spontaneously grow out of your crooked style of news writing?

Is that how you imagine legitimate news would come about? Wild temporary entertainment against systematic plunder of truth?

Should business, for the love of money, dictate how news is supposed to be crafted?

Enough of fake news, Lawrence! May heaven forbid that we train the young to write like your crooked kind.