Wow, just fantastic!!! 
Posted on 02/03/2005 9:23:28 AM PST by BJungNan
News forum that caught CBS fake National Guard documents shines light on another media blunder
"I need you all to look at this photo and tell me if you think the vest is what is being issued and worn in Iraq. Also does the M-16 shown look small?" - posted on 02/01/2005 11:26:05 AM PST by Dog
"Ok, some things I'd like to point out... first, that vest, and those boots, they aren't military issue, if they are I've never seen em. Next, the mag in the M4 isn't issued I believe, it looks like a mag you would buy for civilian use." - posted on 02/01/2005 11:27:15 AM PST by BladeLWS
"Is this a hoax? The 'captured soldier' suspiciously looks like a doll for sale on the internet." - posted on 02/01/2005 11:27:22 AM PST by BlackRain
"Did you ever consider becoming an investigative journalist? You just broke this story wide open." - posted on 02/01/2005 11:29:45 AM PST by 1LongTimeLurker
" I can't take any credit for the find. These guys deserve the credit - MilitaryPhotos.net - posted on 02/01/2005 11:35:09 AM PST by BlackRain
"hee hee ....how embarrassing for AP." - posted on 02/01/2005 11:35:35 AM PST by Gator101
So goes a thread on the internet news forum Free Republic as a story about a toy soldier being held hostage was still being reported as a real hostage situation by the mainstream news media.
As noted in the thread reposted above, in this case Free Republic was not the first to discover the doll become "hostage" story - MilitaryPhotos.net was - but as the most popular political news forum on the internet, it was first to amplify the mainstream media mistake. And it was way ahead of that media in getting the story out.
It was the same news forum that first broke the CBS fake National Guard documents story. And so it has been on many other stories on a daily basis. Free Republic with its tens of thousands of citizen reporters, and commentators - albeit most of them amateur has become an influential source of news.
In this age of the communications revolution, two way news has become a reality. Free Republic has taken that revolution a step further.
And for fact checking - with those same tens of thousands of forum participants having expertise in a variety of fields and professions, you can find no better fact checking source for finding out a GI hostage was really a GI Joe.
Give credit where credit is due.
Dog? A star?
You can't be Sirius!
Unless, of course, he has a dark twin.....
Where is the Columbia shuttle thread. Anyone have it?
"Again?"
National Guard I know about, but what is 'CBS'? Ohyeah, that mainsteaming oldmedia that is laying off Dan Rather due to a 'credence malfunction' ....
/sarc OFF
Those threads were TOO FUNNY!!! Glad we can have fun as we FReep all long the watchtower....
"but as the most popular political news forum on the internet, it was first to amplify the mainstream media mistake....Free Republic with its tens of thousands of citizen reporters, and commentators - albeit most of them amateur has become an influential source of news. "
Free Republic has really come into its own. It used to be a cool backwater where we could blow off some political steam, now it is THE PLACE TO BE. Of course, we always did think it was the right place to be, but none of us who signed up during the Clintoon debacle would have foreseen this. Who'da thunk it? Amazing.
It's hilarious because while FR is becoming mainstream, DU has been allocated a place on the "Extremist Organizations list":
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1330177/posts
I now tell people that I'm proud to be a freeper, rather than quietly skulking away during political conversations.
That was an incredible thread. I was up really early and I think leadpenny noted it first. It was so grim.
:o(
Nobody loves Laz.
:o(
Cool. All I did was post the picture and article, at Dog's request.
Citizen Reporters....
we better be careful or the MSM will "re-interprit" the first amendment into a collective right. A collective right which was intended only for collective newspapers, not an individual right.
Wow, just fantastic!!!
Unrelated to politics, but Leadpenny on FR was the first to break the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster. This actually resulted in a full page New York Times story giving FR credit.
As I remember, Hillary already proposed that some time ago. I believe she wanted controls on the internet and what could be said. Others may have better recollection.
I'd die laughing if Jessie Jackson had gone there to rescue this soldier!!!!
Someone opined on an earlier thread that this was a psyops game, to discredit the terrorists.
Not a bad thought, really
Any forum called "underground" says it all. It is a "low classed" bitch blog. Nothing more!
Any forum that has people asking "what music do you like to get high to?" Or "how many of you are members of the communist party?" shows what type of crapolla forum it is!
Simply too cool.
groan..... very punny
Well, really, who needs the MSM for anything other than entertainment? (and i'm really stretching to call anything the MSM does/says/whatever "entertainment.") I rarely turn on the television for news anymore unless there is a live event. I don't care to listen to the commentators during said live events. It's much more interesting to read FReepers discussing the stupid things that the MSM says/does during LIVE events. And there's no better place to get the news than here. And there's a much better collection of experts here.
Thank YOU! :)
bttt
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.