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Daily Mail Publishes Wrong Knox Verdict, Then Corrects

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Mon Oct 03, 2011 at 06:48:56 PM EST
Tags: Amanda Knox (all tags)
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I usually like the Daily Mail reporting despite its tabloid nature. It also has good photos. Today it made a big misstep. Via Gawker and Malcolm Coles: In its hurry to be first reporting the Amanda Knox verdict, the Daily Mail got it wrong, and hit the "publish" button on a pre-written article pronouncing Knox guilty. The article even included reaction quotes from the prosecution.

Prosecutors were delighted with the verdict and said that 'justice has been done' although they said on a 'human factor it was sad two young people would be spending years in jail'.

Here's a screen grab of the article, which the Daily Mail corrected minutes later.

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    Daily Mail Publishes Wrong Knox Verdict, Then Corrects | 6 comments (6 topical)

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    Well, that's a big oops (none / 0) (#1)
    by sj on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 12:51:27 AM EST
    I don't fault them for having the story ready, but the quotes are bit much.  Even if they are recycling quotes from the original conviction.

    The Quotes Makes it a Completely Made... (none / 0) (#2)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 10:13:00 AM EST
    ... up report.  Those are quotes from the writers, not the people they are attributing to them to.  Sorry, but that is complete BS.  They just made up what people said, or worse, used old quotes that are clearly not in the proper context.

    Imagine if someone was doing that even in this simple forum, it would be outrageous.

    Here is a better example of the press making it up.  This mourning the Today Show's Matt Lauer went on and on about the division in Italy, how tensions were running high between Americans and Italians.  They cut to video and I didn't see this tension, but they told me people were yelling 'shame' which I didn't hear.

    Then Lauer interviewed Knox's lawyer and near the end asked about the tensions.  The lawyer said he disagreed with the characterization.  Then he said not one person shouted 'shame' there and that Italians started getting behind Knox once the facts came to light.  This matched what I saw in the video, but Lauer kept it up, making it up, he even asked if the prosecution was on a personal vendetta.  Which the lawyer shut down.  He claims an appeal will be made, but it can't be until they get the judge's report and certain criteria are met.  I don't believe anyone spoke with the prosecutor, IMO just another made up quote for copy.

    They are taking liberties they shouldn't be.

    Common sense tells me thousands of Americans aren't going to Italy to cheer the verdict, the lawyers narrative more accurately reflected the situation I saw.  Which was the video they pushed which, if anything, should have had people yelling what they were reporting.  It was BS.

    Of course there is no way to know w/o some sort of poll, which applies to the reporting more so than my personal view.  If they are going to push a narrative, they should be able to back it up, not just make it up.  But that's what they do.

    It matters because according to Lauer the Italians were down with injustice, which is the complete opposite of what I saw.  He's not the only one, I am reading this all over, Italy's dysfunctional criminal justice system.  They were making it up because I assume, like the above, made better copy then the actual truth.

    Watch this video and tell me how many narritives Lauer seems to have made up.

    Parent

    You know what? (none / 0) (#3)
    by sj on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:11:02 AM EST
    Re-reading this you're absolutely right that the "quotes" make it a completely made up report.  Having a template for a story (which is lazy but I can kind of understand) is different from what they had.  

    As for Matt Lauer he's been a tool for years.  He's arrogant and dismissive and how he manages to stay on morning TV with all those too-bright and too-cheery personalities is a mystery.  And what you are describing is something I have seen him do repeatedly.

    As for Italy having a dysfunctional system, let me ask:  how many over-zealous prosecutors do we have here? I like what I've heard about the Italian justice system.  From the other Amanda Knox thread according to gyrfalcon:

    Every discussion of this I've heard said it's purely majority vote, and a tie goes to the defendant.

    THe "jury" was made up of two judges and four "lay judges," whatever that is-- apparently sort of "professional jurors."


    Don't have time to do more research right now but that sounds good to me.  A tie going to the defendent sounds right to me.  As opposed to our hang 'em high mentality.

    Parent
    What do you mean (none / 0) (#4)
    by NYShooter on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 12:53:52 PM EST
    ".........how he manages to stay on morning TV......?"

    Even the question plays into their diversionary strategy.

    See, first, they buy the politicians & regulators
    Then, they buy the apparatus of what was once, "the news"
    Finally, with everything hermetically sealed shut, they manufacture & market the (their) "news" (fairy tail, ala Lauer, ala shiny penny)

    You gotta admit it, Murdoch was a genius, and visionary. From Australia, he saw the potential. Like some smart folks saw the financial, sub-prime meltdown coming, Murdoch correctly concluded what the growing oligarchy would mean for the American population, an ever growing plurality of undereducated, disinterested, diverted & pre-occupied sub class of Zombies. FOX & the NYPOST became just two of his stable, accurately called, (first snare) the "Low Hanging Fruit."

    Not to be left out, and assuring that the "plurality" would soon become the "majority," CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, and the networks, slobbered over themselves racing to follow suit.

    Let's face it, we're living in cataclysmic times. Really.

    Why should "the Masters"  permit financing institutions and infrastructure for 300,000,000 people when only 3,000,000 (1%) matter. "Real News" is expensive......and dangerous. With the miracle of today's robots, and our willing self-addicted, ipad, iphone worshipping willing  drones, plastic news is more than good enough for us.

    Parent

    Oh no, I get all that part (none / 0) (#5)
    by sj on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 01:37:46 PM EST
    What I don't get is how -- in the super-duper, cheery, blinding white smile world of morning TV "newsmagazines" -- Matt Lauer and his disagreeable personality are kept on.  

    Everything you said?  I am in accord to some level or another.

    But in that vein, yesterday Good Morning America was giddy with the news that they will be partnering with Yahoo! news.  I haven't read to see how that is going to work but my first thought was "great, let's just expand the insipid"

    Parent

    I Should have Put... (none / 0) (#6)
    by ScottW714 on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 03:41:11 PM EST
    "Italy's dysfunctional criminal justice system" in quotes, as I was summarizing what I keep reading.  That is the mem they are pushing and I think it really sucks.  I don't believe Italy's system is dysfunctional.

    No self awareness in America as you mention.  I think anyone with a lick of sense is well aware of our imperfections in regards to justice.

    Lauer isn't the problem here, he isn't making his own copy, he's reading what they tell him to read or doing what they want in regard to the 'facts'.  It's the entire system where filling in the blanks and asking questions in a way to indicate that there is some inside information that warrants the question, when there isn't.

    In the above story, asking about a personal vendetta is beyond the pale unless there is some sort of proof; he went after the prosecutors integrity.  I am really glad the lawyer shut that non-sense down, which I assume is the figment of someone's imagination.  As if the only reason could possibly be... some sort of character flaw.

    These things matter, the Daily Mail story not only is a fabrication, the implication is they got a quote from the prosecutor which no one else was able to get, so it adds it's own level of professionalism while fabricating.  It's really genius if it weren't so vile.

    I know you get it sj, I'm just bored today.

    I watch the Today Show because I like watching/listening the news when I get ready for work, and believe it or not, that's the best available IMO.

    Parent

    Daily Mail Publishes Wrong Knox Verdict, Then Corrects | 6 comments (6 topical)

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