ash'ventures

another blunder from Straits Times

"properly trained journalists check and double-check their facts, set these in context, work in relevant background information" - these are the words by Leslie Fong, editor-at-large at The Straits Times in response to a question "are bloggers journalists?". He was disagreeing with the suggestion that bloggers can be journalists.

As at 2315hrs Singapore Time from here

Can someone tell me which properly trained journalist checked and double checked the fact that Manila is in Southern Philippines or is that journalist trying to say Manila is in Mindanao? Can that journalist please bother to check Wikipedia, for a minimum !

By the way, I checked my facts, Dipog city is in Davao del sur province of Mindanao region, which is in South Philippines while Manila is part of Luzon region, which is not in the south.

Tsk tsk Straits Times, Leslie - give that journalist some "proper training" !

properly trained journalists check and double-check their facts

"properly trained journalists check and double-check their facts, set these in context, work in relevant background information" - these are the words by Leslie Fong, editor-at-large at The Straits Times in response to a question "are bloggers journalists?". He was disagreeing with the suggestion that bloggers can be journalists.

The following is taken from this entry on The Straits Times " Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon sent Ibrahim Gambari, a Nigerian UN undersecretary-general, on a mission to the region. He was in Myanmar's neighbour Thailand awaiting a visa. On the same page readers are given a link to the statement by George Yeo, Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of ASEAN, which states "a visa would be issued to Mr Gambari in Singapore".

Now which properly trained journalist from The Straits Time checked and double-checked the facts ? And who did he check with, the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok? Leslie, can you please sack that journalist ?