I have read news stories about railroads in my local newspaper the Kalamazoo Gazette over the past 30 years and the writers of the information have never had more than half of the information correct.
They have been in direct contact with railroad employees and still have left out facts or changed them to make the story flow better.
The once printed that there were 96 trains a day based on the fact that somebody once saw 4 trains in one hour. There have not been over 24 trains in a 24 hour day in the past 30 years. The 4 trains an hour was just because there is a double track to single track in Schoolcraft, Michigan.
An anonomous writer once said that trains have not been on the former PRR-PC-CR track in 30 years, but they never included the fact that the GTW served the paper mill using those tracks until 1996. If they can just gloss over a simple fact like that, what else have they fabricated out of bits and pieces?
They even say absurd things like the Michigan Central railroad poorly chose their location when they built the tracks and yard by the Kalamazoo River because now it is prime land for riverfront development. They built the tracks there because paper mills were by the river and steam locomotives needed water. The editor of the newspaper did not catch that insane remark.
How many newspapers in the U.S.A. have writers and editors who do not bother to get facts and figures about railroads accurate. The local newspapers are going out of business, so hopefully no one will belive them.
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Sensationalism sells, not the facts.
big headline in the local paper"Continental water line concerns CSX" the story talked about how a section of waterline could possibly infringe on a RR Row.Problem with the article was that NS(former nkp line) goes through the town.I emailed the editor and they printed a small retraction in the next days paper.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
Last Friday's paper in Port Jervis, NY called a roundhouse a "garage" for trains and noted that the existing turntable had been removed years ago. Lionel made great trains, great memories, and even some great railroaders and railfans. But those who have never left the Christmas tree don't know track about railroads.
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
We have a similar problem in the fire service - though it's not usually sensationalism that's the issue - it's simple ignorance.
Some larger fire departments will actually run "mini fire academies" to help teach the press (and others) just how a fire department works.
Back on railroads - I don't know how many times I've had to correct mom or dad on the train when they tell their kids the I (the conductor) drive the train...
In reality, I do, as I'm also an engineer, but not when I'm the conductor.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Springfield, Illinois' State Journal-Register is notorious for sensationalizing railroad issues.
Back in 2009, Union Pacific's line through town (used by Amtrak) was designated for Higher Speed Rail (HrSR). The railroad indicated it wanted some grade crossings closed, a few replaced by overpasses or underpasses. A second main track would be put in to prepare for projected increases in freight and passenger traffic. Present maximum capacity is estimated at 25 freight trains and 15 passenger trains per day.
SJ-R's exaggerations and distortions ("40 MORE freight trains a day," "40 to 60 freight trains a day," etc.) prompted local citizens to stage protests claiming vibration from trains threatens the city's Medical District (which somehow developed with the tracks already in place), delays caused by increased train frequency and danger to motorists and pedestrians from faster passenger trains.
Consequentially, citizens and politicians demanded Union Pacific's so-called "3rd Street Corridor" be removed with trains moving to Norfolk Southern's parallel 10th Street tracks several blocks to the east. Some demanded all rail traffic through town be moved to Canadian National's 19th Street tracks, or even along I-55!
Plans like these are immediately viable because everyone knows that tracks can be moved just like HO scale trainsets and that money grows on trees
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimm
Schlimm...what do you mean by that? I am no longer proud to say I am a member of the media because of the lack of understanding journalists have about what's around them...they no longer take time to get the facts or the truth but will take what is handed them and use verbatim. They do not seek definitions nor history nor do any kind of background research but just pass on what is emailed, faxed, phoned to them or what they are told to say. Journalism is almost non existent today, has little integrity, by standards and practices we developed in the latter half of the 20th Century.
When you consider the fabrications that were printed in the "Front Page" era, most of today's journalists are still doing a pretty good job.
Andrew FalconerThey even say absurd things like the Michigan Central railroad poorly chose their location when they built the tracks and yard by the Kalamazoo River because now it is prime land for riverfront development.
Why am I reminded of the woman who called into a talk radio show complaining that the "Deer Crossing" signs should be moved to a safer location so not as many deer would be hit when they crossed there.....
Even though my best friend works there, (also a railfan), about the only time the paper says anything correctly about the RR is how many citations were issued for blocked crossings.
Inaccuracies about things pertaining to the railroad are, unfortunately, becoming more common as railroads become less a part of everyday life (for the record, this doesn't apply only to print media). Do everyday people care about this?
Well, they should! If they're making erroneous statements about things basic to the railroads, who among us is to say that they aren't doing this about other things less important to us? Do the media distinguish among utility poles, or is everything a "telephone pole"? Wouldn't it be terrible if the media were as slipshod with political facts as they are with railroad facts? Oh, wait...
Having said that, your story about the Michigan Central in Kalamazoo is hilarious, Andrew! That just indicates a lack of thought about transportation corridors, the easiest places to put tracks, locate industries, etc. And the people probably have no desire to go deeply enough into the story to find out why things were that way. (Of course, if there were a commuter-rail station somewhere near this riverfront housing complex, things would make a whole lot more sense!)One has to hope that they aren't mistaking the current low water levels for reality, too (I'll stand corrected if there are still dams below Kalamazoo on the river).
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
The news media...papers, radio and tv stations....are owned mostly by big investment companies whose' main purpose is to add up the projected sales figure by 4PM so that they can use the overnight money markets to have a tidy sum the next day to use to leverage for more buying of properties and to up their stock prices if not a privately held company. To do this they consolidate properties and staffs pushing the older and higher paid out while bringing in young and inexperienced, often recruiting off the street rather than from college campuses or move up from smaller markets or within the company. Supervisors are those who see the writing on the wall and leave to sell real estate or financial advice and stocks. Those left to do the work are given an 8 hour, Monday to Friday, usually 9-5 job with no overtime allowed and no one to edit or fact check.. Items released to the public either in newspaper or via broadcast stories, are what the reporter has received in his emails or via fax. He neither has the time nor the ability to fact check so the story goes as received. He is given a pat on the back and made Assistant Editor or assistant to the Assistant Editor. Reporters will often have to work more than one paper or station at a time and often, too, especially in broadcasting, more than one market at a time. Thus the morning news reader at a station in city A may be doing the afternoon newscast in city B hundreds or thousands of miles distant. Or maybe be doing the 6-9 morning on the east coast followed by the 6-9 morning on the west coast. So, overall, the news media ownership doesn't care as long as they earn on their investment and those who work the news don't know how to care because they either aren't trained, aren't supervised, or don't have enough time between textings and twitterings. I can say all this after 50 years of being in the business and seeing it taken apart as I have described.
So, as for railroading and railroads, unless you have a reporter who knows railroads and railroading, you're gonna get more "garages for trains" and the other idiocies we see and hear.
I used to be an avid subscriber to a magazine... (well... I'll be kind and not name the magazine, but it was focused on all things Scientific in America) and I devoured all the articles, and felt like I knew a lot about many different scientific subjects because of what I had read in the pages of that magazine.
Then they had an article about something that I really DID know a lot about... Computers! At the time I was working in that field for my occupation and had designed computer circuits for my hobby endeavours.
What a load of horrible malarky was in that article! I was STUNNED!
If what I knew about nuclear energy was anything like that article taught about computers, you'd do well to run for the hills if I ever got near a power plant.
If what I knew about hybredization of corn or beans was anything like that article taught about computers, if I became a farmer, you would do well to stop eating completely!
If what I knew about aerodynamics was anything like that article taught about computers, if I was even a passenger in an airplane, you'd do well to nail your feet to the ground --- in a cave.
If what I knew about sailing the bounding main was anything like that article taught about computers, if I even got near the sea shore, you'd do well to just pull the plug in the ocean's drain and let all the water out.
BUT...
That was not the article that caused me to cancel the subscription... the article about how birds know which berries are edible and which are poisonous is what did it. One page had a 4 panel drawing in silhouette form... the 1st panel was of a twig with 3 berries on it. The next panel showed a bird (from the outline I'd guess it was a Cardinal or Blue Jay) on the twig eating one of the berries. The next panel was of just the bird on the twig, and the last panel showed the bird regurgitating the berries, bent over with large tear drop shaped spots coming from it's open beak. The silhouette of a barfing bird is what finally grossed me out. I still have to stiffle a laugh when I see the magazine in the racks at stores.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
I was half-tempted to start a parallel thread titled "Inaccurate (Rail-Oriented) Magazine Stories About Railroads, but there aren't enough hours in the day for me to list all the instances I've seen. Most of it boils down to what the o.p. and others described as writers who are unfamiliar with the territory or time frame or subject matter they're attempting to cover. It can be as blatant as a map of a famous mountain pass showing snowsheds in all the wrong locations, or as subtle as a botched reference to Southern Pacific ice decks as being "ice docks."
henry6 The news media...papers, radio and tv stations....are owned mostly by big investment companies whose' main purpose is to add up the projected sales figure by 4PM so that they can use the overnight money markets to have a tidy sum the next day to use to leverage for more buying of properties and to up their stock prices if not a privately held company. To do this they consolidate properties and staffs pushing the older and higher paid out while bringing in young and inexperienced, often recruiting off the street rather than from college campuses or move up from smaller markets or within the company. Supervisors are those who see the writing on the wall and leave to sell real estate or financial advice and stocks. Those left to do the work are given an 8 hour, Monday to Friday, usually 9-5 job with no overtime allowed and no one to edit or fact check.. Items released to the public either in newspaper or via broadcast stories, are what the reporter has received in his emails or via fax. He neither has the time nor the ability to fact check so the story goes as received. He is given a pat on the back and made Assistant Editor or assistant to the Assistant Editor. Reporters will often have to work more than one paper or station at a time and often, too, especially in broadcasting, more than one market at a time. Thus the morning news reader at a station in city A may be doing the afternoon newscast in city B hundreds or thousands of miles distant. Or maybe be doing the 6-9 morning on the east coast followed by the 6-9 morning on the west coast. So, overall, the news media ownership doesn't care as long as they earn on their investment and those who work the news don't know how to care because they either aren't trained, aren't supervised, or don't have enough time between textings and twitterings. I can say all this after 50 years of being in the business and seeing it taken apart as I have described. So, as for railroading and railroads, unless you have a reporter who knows railroads and railroading, you're gonna get more "garages for trains" and the other idiocies we see and hear.
I guess having a reporter get the facts straight is just too difficult.
Mac
Carl,
According to Wilipedia there is still one at Otsego and One at Allegan.
Norm
PNWRMNM I guess having a reporter get the facts straight is just too difficult. Mac
No. Too expensive. Takes from the bottom line.
tree68 Andrew FalconerThey even say absurd things like the Michigan Central railroad poorly chose their location when they built the tracks and yard by the Kalamazoo River because now it is prime land for riverfront development. Why am I reminded of the woman who called into a talk radio show complaining that the "Deer Crossing" signs should be moved to a safer location so not as many deer would be hit when they crossed there.....
Johnny
And, it is possible that some editor thinks he/she knows better than the reporter, and makes asinine changes. Last week, I noticed a column by a local writer had "garnish" where "garnishee" should have been used. I sent him a note, chiding him for the error--and he responded, saying that he had used the correct word, and some [ignorant] editor had changed it.
Oh yeah, the editors are brought up from the ranks because it is cheap.
I'm sure all major newspapers have the same policies: Newsroom editors are salaried; reporters are paid on a commission basis. No stories, no pay.
As a 20-year veteran of the newspaper biz (now retired), I'll tell you what the problem is, especially at mid-market media and smaller. The people hired there are young and low-wage; not just their life experience but their general knowledge is very slight. They tend to be journalism graduates. I don't know what schools of journalism do with them for four years, but they sure don't make them learn anything about history, science or even business math.
Their ignorance of railroading -- which naturally jumps out at us -- is replicated in just about any subject they cover. That's why reporters are so often blank slates upon which their "sources" -- government officials, special pleaders of all sorts -- can write anything they like. And why, even when they are told something straight, they so often screw it up. Or a copy editor does it for them.
Which is not to say there are not good reporters out there. But it's as important to be skeptical of anything you see in the paper or on TV as of a given source on the Internet.
Fred,
I'm glad you are retired and don't need to worry about your job. Actually I think we are lucky to have the relatively few remaining daily newspapers we have. I wonder how long they will last.
Well brothers and sisters, I've been a firearms owner and enthusiast AND a National Rifle Association member for 40 years. What you folks have seen in the press concerning railroads and their knowledge of same (or lack therof) is just a TASTE of what us American shooters have been putting up with for decades. The sensationalism, the half-truths, and the flat out lies haven't been much fun, let me tell you.
Look, i like newspapers, I sincerely hope they don't die off, but sometimes I think they won't die from lack of use as much as they'll commit suicide.
cacole I'm sure all major newspapers have the same policies: Newsroom editors are salaried; reporters are paid on a commission basis. No stories, no pay.
No. As noted elsewhere the problem is more prevalent in medium and smaller markets. When I was first hired in my present market in the mid to late 60's, it was in the top 100 and requirements were both a college degree and experience. Today, high schoolers are often hired, right off the street; news photography is often reader/viewer cell phone pix, and instead of having news contacts or making regular beat phone calls, public tip lines are used especially if the new people are not listening to scanners when something happens. Editors are often local reporters with seniority and not necessarily ability needed to be a good editor. Pay is usually state minimum wage and you are told how great you are and how the title "editor" will look next to your name. Its like the 20 year old becoming a store or fast food manager. As for stringers (those who send in stories) they no longer get paid but made to feel good because they get published while the really good writers don't bother anymore. Often the editor will rely on his/her staff even when a good story appears from the public.
At least a certain railroad-related publication still has the class to admit it's errors, and puts a "corrections" segment in the magazine.
Magazines, except maybe weekly news magazines, are different, usually to a very narrow and specialize audience. The rules are different, the calabre is different.. Cannot be compared with off the street highschool journalism.
CShaveRR [snipped- PDN] . . . Do everyday people care about this? Well, they should! If they're making erroneous statements about things basic to the railroads, who among us is to say that they aren't doing this about other things less important to us? Do the media distinguish among utility poles, or is everything a "telephone pole"? Wouldn't it be terrible if the media were as slipshod with political facts as they are with railroad facts? Oh, wait... . . .
Well, they should! If they're making erroneous statements about things basic to the railroads, who among us is to say that they aren't doing this about other things less important to us? Do the media distinguish among utility poles, or is everything a "telephone pole"? Wouldn't it be terrible if the media were as slipshod with political facts as they are with railroad facts? Oh, wait... . . .
dakotafred [snipped - PDN] . . . Their ignorance of railroading -- which naturally jumps out at us -- is replicated in just about any subject they cover. That's why reporters are so often blank slates upon which their "sources" -- government officials, special pleaders of all sorts -- can write anything they like. And why, even when they are told something straight, they so often screw it up. Or a copy editor does it for them. . . .
I share the same sentiments - "What else are the media messing up, but where we can't figure out the errors as easily ?"
As a friend of my wife's said after seeing an episode of comedian and TV show host Jay Leno's "Jay-Walking" video clips: "We're doomed !" (as an informed and free society, then)
- Paul North.
If you want accuracy in journalism then limit yourself to reading the sports page and the obits... Journalists are often hampered by the fact that the people who they report on or interview also don't have a good grasp of the facts. I was a reporter for a short time when I was 20. I would regularly interview people who gave me bogus numbers and facts, and I would be the one to be called on it when some picky reader with lots of time on his hands got upset over the errors. Four months into my journalism career I got fired (I liked to juice up the news with fictitious people and quotes...oh well)..
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