Posted on 07/07/2003 12:22:24 PM PDT by Pikamax
Monday, July 7
Editor loses job over 'Caddyshack' embellishment
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press
ROSWELL, N.M. -- The sports editor of the Roswell Daily Record has been fired for fabricating part of a news story about a golf tournament in which he quoted a fictional character from the movie "Caddyshack."
Gregory M. Jones was dismissed by the Daily Record on June 17, the day after his article about a Father's Day golf tournament at the Roswell Country Club appeared on the sports page, editor Mike Bush said.
"He got a bunch of scores and wanted to make it more interesting," Bush said Thursday. He said he did not know if Jones attended the tournament.
He said the newspaper insists on accuracy and objectivity and "we don't tolerate anything less than that."
Jones, 24, said he was shocked by his firing and did not intend to deceive his editors or readers.
"It was tongue-in-cheek. It was sports. I was trying to be light and breezy. I was trying to put out a story that people might like to read," he said in a telephone interview.
Jones was hired in July 2002 as a reporter, was promoted to state-business editor in November and became sports editor in April.
Bush said the story contained three fictitious paragraphs referring to a Carl Spangler who claimed to work at the course. In "Caddyshack," Bill Murray played a golf course worker named Carl Spackler.
Jones quoted Spangler as saying he invented a new kind of grass for the tournament. The quotation in Jones' story is taken directly from "Caddyshack."
"'This is a hybrid ... of bluegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, featherbed bent and northern California sensemilia (sic),' Spangler said. 'The amazing stuff about this, is that you can play 36 holes on it in the afternoon, take it home and just get stoned to the bejeezus-belt that night on the stuff."'
Bush said the Daily Record received "a couple of complaints" about the story. The newspaper ran a correction.
True story (at least it was told to me as a true story): Last April, a boy who attends the same catholic high school as my niece was suspended because of inappropriate behavior in history class. Apparently, the teacher was asking the students for the names of not-so-famous inventors whose inventions have had a positive impact upon the quality of life. As the students gave their answers the teacher wrote the inventors' names on the board along with the corresponding invention. Well, this boy raised his hand and said there was an inventor named "Jablome" who invented musical instruments. The teacher with chalk in hand said, "Who?" and the boy said, "Haywood, H-A-Y-W-O-O-D, Jablome, J-A-B-L-O-M-E," which the teacher innocently wrote on the board. By now, some of the other students were giggling. Then the the teacher asked what instrument he invented and another kid (who was also suspended) whispered very loudly, "The bonerphoner." The class went wild, and the teacher finally caught the joke but she wasn't laughing. Apparently, the headmaster thought the prank was hysterically funny, but had to suspend the kids to appease the teacher and some of the parents.
DVDs have spoiled me so badly that I can't bear to watch VHS tapes anymore.
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