News item titled; "Train catches fire". OK, fine. But the small paragraph description got me: "The train was operated automatically so no one was on board". Sheeesh.
http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/196362231.html
Another coal train stalled on West Allis hill.
Link doesn't work!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Automatically = DPU or RCL?
What's the old Don Henley line?: "You just have to look good, you don't have to be clear?"
Balt: It's the website software that doesn't like Bill Gates.
Just another toaster, it would seem.
Mud: "I just have to look good, I don't have to be clear." Love the line about the "bubble-headed-bleach-blonde" in that song.
Evidently a mid train helper, remote controlled. But who took time to explain it to the reporter? Or did someone and that's all that was understood?
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The scariest part about a story like that is the "rumors" that then begin to circulate about how there's no crew on the trains running through their town.
When the legend becomes fact, print the legend
"Think of the children!"
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...
Oh, the humanity...
the horror............the horror......
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
It is hopeless to try and explain anything to most of the clowns who pass for 'Journalists'(scribblers) these days. They simply are filling column inches, or a two minute sound bite, and have no interest beyond that goal.
Particularly , when one of them tries to describe an activity that is in anyway technical or simply oriented to a particular area of interest.
ChuckCobleigh Just another toaster, it would seem.
A different view from the same location as the 'news' article:
UP Coal Train West Allis Hill by Jim53171, on Flickr
henry6 Evidently a mid train helper, remote controlled. But who took time to explain it to the reporter? Or did someone and that's all that was understood?
I suspect that the latter might be closer to the truth..he only heard what would sell the paper. It's what would sell, never mind the truth....
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
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Picture on the link shows the rear end DP unit on fire. The caption on the link in one sentence says it was the rear engine. Where they goofed up was using the word "train" instead of "engine" when saying there was no one on board.
Jeff
Journalism ain't what it used to be. Cobbled English and poor spelling is everywhere.
Norm
They ran "spil czech" and it was all OK.
Jeff, how many "trains" have you controlled at one time? Honestly, don't they use stylebooks any more? "Train" for locomotive, and "tanker car" for "tank car"...what next?Actually, you have to give her a little credit...she didn't call it a caboose!
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)
Hey, she got some of it right.
“ Part of a train caught fire in West Allis Thursday, around 81st and National.”
True, it was on fire, and it was around 81 st.
Union Pacific said the rear engine caught fire.
Also true, the rear engine was burning.
It was put out quickly but the train was stuck for a couple hours.
Again, correct, it was stuck for a few hours.
The train was run automatically so no one was on board.
Wow, now that’s the way out there part…but 3 out of 4 ain’t bad for today’s college grads.
23 17 46 11
If you lament the journalistic style of today, would you prefer to return to the journalistic style and accuracy (?) of the "Front Page" era?
Sometimes that "fine reporting" is done purposely. Let's say you're trying to do your job as a reporter and the person you're interviewing for the story is a complete jackass. What do you do? You could have a lot of fun with that. There are actually very few checks and balances to ensure that the reporter is actually reporting the facts. Sure there are editors, but they weren't there and can only cross check some facts. Nobody can really cross check quotes, and one could make up some pretty inflammatory stuff and bogus facts that could easily find their way into print.
See, now You've done it!
A "Toaster" is an AMTK AEM-7. and so you have put me on the wrong railroad even before I looked at the article. And Toasters do run in push-pull service.
ROAR
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Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
In many ways the answer is , YES, Paul. Journalists today, not matter how or how welled schooled, are not allowed to practice journalism of yesterday, nor do the seem to be nor need to be as curious. Today's media employers just as soon the cubs just rip and read or post internet or faxed stories without question. The cubs are not given the time or the freedom to be curious and "chase down" truth and facts of a story as was so yesterday. My conversations with several over the past few years, along with listening, watching, and reading the results of their labors, indicates many don't know how to do anything but what their employers tell them to do. For them, it is a glamorous dream job needing little effort but lots of make up.
Henry,
Isn't the issue here the fact that people who become journalists do so because they have the ability to write well? Their education is focused on the craft of writing rather than on any particular subject matter. Therefore they originally approach any subject as a learner.
Over time a journalist may come to know one or more subjects and his or her ability to understand and report them will improve. Some become real experts in a field. But at any given time journalists as a whole will have mixed abilities in any one field. It seems to me to expect that journalists all over American will have consistent expertise about railroading or any other subject is unrealistic.
John
I've been in broadcasting and close to the media for almost 50 years. And it has changed...for the worst. It is billed as a glamour job with little effort needed. So what if you can write..that's good but that's not all that is needed....one needs intelligence, curiosity, knowledge of history.....and business...and industry....and geography...sociology....and religion.....and politics....and cooking....Look at today's newspaper's front pages..not news but feature stories aimed at getting attention and not enlightening on current events or people. I admit to be in a small market where weekend "news" is a series of video clips about fairs, walkathons, runs, bicycle races, food festivals, etc.that permeates from the TV Newscuties to the front page of the paper thin of Monday morning. Journalism ain't what is used to be and far from what it's supposed to be.
Oh for a return to the glorious days of yesteryear, riding the Nostalgia express and reading those fine examples of "Yellow Journalism!"
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
schlimm Oh for a return to the glorious days of yesteryear, riding the Nostalgia express and reading those fine examples of "Yellow Journalism!"
When news reporters never let the facts get in the way of a good story!!
henry6Journalism ain't what is used to be and far from what it's supposed to be.
Well, Henry, there is always the option of writing a letter to the editor to correct the record. With luck the letter might actually get published.
Journalism today is a far cry from what it was and is supposed to be. One letter to the editor would never cover any of the problems if only because owners of the properties don't care....I'm not talking Yellow Journalism but the standards of journalism those of us who have worked for and built up since at least WWII, maybe even from the 30's. We built a system and craft of integrity and pride and professionalism which is denied by big business ownership, investment bankers and hedge fund managers, and non local ownership of media today. Readers/listeners/viewers are cheated as are small business advertisers.
In some ways journalism is better today. Nowadays you have more checks and balances because there are more media outlets covering the same stories . And then you've got the informal reporting on Youtube and the various social media, some of which is downright good and informative. It is probably more difficult today to make it as a generalist reporter when so many facts are readily available on the internet.
Ulrich In some ways journalism is better today. Nowadays you have more checks and balances because there are more media outlets covering the same stories . And then you've got the informal reporting on Youtube and the various social media, some of which is downright good and informative. It is probably more difficult today to make it as a generalist reporter when so many facts are readily available on the internet.
Actually your reasoning, Ulrich, is faulty and opposite the truth. Checks and balances in journalism is having the intelligence to question a statement and know where to go to check it before publishing...often there are editors who might do this or pose the question back to the reporter. Today, this often does not happen because reporters are not curious enough or because they are not given the time to be curious and check for facts. A media outlet that doesn't do that could get caught for libel or false reporting, etc., so it is as much a legal issue as it is a moral one. FB, internet blogs, Youtube, Tweet, and many others which allow posting without fact checking lay themselves out for being an accomplice to any false claims and accusations. So many just say something is true because they heard it or saw it someplace without knowing if there is any truth to it. Modern day journalist and bloggers often write, publish or post information which has not gone through what we used to call a gatekeeper, an editor or reviewer who checks for accuracy and truth. Without that today, most all mass media reporting is suspect. Specialty magazines or controlled websites are not as suspect and are often chosen because of the trust one has in the publisher and his staff for providing the information because it is what you want and so you trust. Often, though, the specific interest publications and websites are tainted to a subject or a particular point of view...as long as you know that, you are ok..
Certainly one or even many letters to the editor is not going to change the institution of journalism from what it has become. But it is possible to correct errors when we see them. I think that is worthwhile.
1. It is the job of the writer and the Editor to produce a piece free of errors.
2. It is not done before hand anymore.
3. It would be a full time job finding, correcting, and writing to the editors all the corrections needed.
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