Posted on 12/03/2016 1:46:16 PM PST by usar91B
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Police investigating a notorious gang in a city on California's central coast issued a fake press release that the chief credited with saving two men by deceiving gang members who wanted to kill them, but the ruse was criticized by news organizations who reported it as fact.
Santa Maria Police Chief Ralph Martin defended the rare tactic this week when it came to light, saying he had never done such a thing in his 43-year career, but he wouldn't rule out doing it again.
"It was a moral and ethical decision, and I stand by it," Martin said Friday. "I am keenly aware and sensitive to the community and the media. I also had 21 bodies lying in the city in the last 15 months."
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
I’ve heard of similar ruses where they get people to come in for fake tax rebates or something but you can only pull that once. Fake news is made fresh every day ;-)
you would think that editors and reporters would do some basic research about the info given to them. Oh, wait . . .
silly me!
This kind of highlights how sloppy the media is, even when it’s not distorting the picture on purpose itself.
I still don’t know why the cops didn’t call those chaps and beg them to come to a prearranged safe place, though. If the police knew someone was getting set to kill me, I’d still want them to warn me, not haul me off to jail.
It’s a real hoot to watch the media fake being perplexed by this ‘fake news’.
When they do it, it’s just fine. Let someone else do it, and ethics are just too important.
The public should let the media know exactly how they feel about this. Basically, ST_U!
Wait, I’m confused—are these two stories interconnected?
What would they know about reporting facts?
The Tampa Times runs headline articles that are pure propaganda. The times that I have had personal knowledge about reported stories the newspaper articles were so full of errors they might as well have been fake news. I have no problem at all with police using the press to save lives.
Funny story. There was a flashing sign in a mostly black neighborhood reading, “If you have outstanding warrants you can turn yourself in for free for the next three days only.” It gave an address. I asked a cop at the gym about it and he laughed so hard he had a hard time telling me how successful it had been.
yeah, protective custody is a bit heavy-handed at times.
This could be an interesting ethical discussion if the press had any ethics. As it is, the complaining is mere hypocrisy.
i must say i disagree with his tactic...
but also, it is very sad when such a nice city (or any city, for that matter) gets afflicted with violent gang(s)
it is a crying shame, imho
“There was a flashing sign in a mostly black neighborhood reading, “If you have outstanding warrants you can turn yourself in for free for the next three days only.””
See! See! Cops really are racists! They’re counting on poor, disadvantaged, people of color to have inadequate reading comprehension for their tactic to work! (Dripping sarcasm)
Not an expert but I seek to know more..
I suppose ‘propaganda’, as well as ‘fake news’, can be Good OR Bad depending on the motive/outcome? [means justifying ends]
They had a TV SHOW where COPS would entice those with outstanding warrants to come pick up their FREE TV SET.
__________________________
Take your holier than thou attitude and shove it, Kendra. I can only imagine the negative crap you put out about Trump hating Hispanics during the election run up.
The mind-raping media is furious. Telling lies and calling it news is supposed to be their exclusive monopoly.
OK. I’m confused. I tried reading the article but the site locked up my computer.
What exactly happened here?
Deaths?
In fact, detectives eavesdropping on the deadly MS-13 gang had raced to the home of the two cousins in nearby Guadalupe and took them into protective custody after learning hit men were on their way there.
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