The Web Gets a Scoop (Congratulations, Free Republic!)

Wall Street Journal ^ | Feb. 2, 2003 | James Taranto

[Semper911]

I am proud to be a FReeper. It is the first and last thing I do every day. And I spend more hours here than I care to admit. But when I am not scrolling through the threads, I am always thinking that I could be missing something important.

We scoop the wire services all the time, when FReepers report on things that are happening near them.

You know why this works? Because we are all here because we want to be, we each have unique things to offer, and we are fully self supporting.

Makes for a fine definition of a free republic.

[Polycarp]

According to the Wall street Journal:

At 8:38 a.m. EST yesterday, a reader of the Free Republic Web site started a discussion thread for shuttle enthusiasts:

Other Freepers joined in, describing the view of the descending shuttle from the West Coast--then gradually realizing something was amiss. Someone asks at 8:58 a.m. EST, "Was it glowing at all?" The first clear sign of trouble comes in a post at 9:05 a.m. We won't quote any more than this, because you really have to read the full thread to appreciate the drama. But it's worth noting that the first word of trouble didn't come across the Associated Press wire until 9:16, the scheduled landing time. Free Republic scooped the AP by at least 11 minutes--which is an eternity in the competitive world of wire-service reporting.

"Why Free Republic is worth the effort" ping

[NetValue]

"It's said that journalism is the first draft of history. If so, the Internet sometimes affords us a glimpse at history's rough outline. At 8:38 a.m. EST yesterday, a reader of the Free Republic Web site started a discussion thread for shuttle enthusiasts:"

It's like a thousand eyes watching the world and commenting in real-time. Free Republic is awesome.

[TLBSHOW]

Did anyone hear Fox TV report that an AP reporter added a smear in a profile of the crew?

I always say the liberals are the spelling party and that is all they are. Nothing more. Who else goes to school for 20 years and lives in moms cellar but Liberals? LOL

Anyway AP stands for the liberals! Like what they tried to do yesterday to the one of the Space Shuttle Crew members. Again we slammed em but Good over it. They tried to link their source to a link at NASA that wasn't even there! Fox slammed em and so did FR. The #1 News Forum, in the World I say......

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/834088/posts?page=

[Siobhan]

BTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Carolinamom]

I like your idea of a daily live thread! It's so stimulating, like having friends right in the kitchen/den/living room (or wherever you talk).

With all the nation-wide (heck, world-wide too) freepers tracking and reporting, FR has now proved that it can out perform the wire services.

When I went for an eye exam and to get an extra pair of computer glasses, the optometrist asked how many hours I was on the computer......had to put my hand over my mouth and mumble so he wouldn't know HOW MANY hours per day I was here. LOL

[Political Junkie Too]

Not bad for a bunch of "scary" "hardcore whackjobs" on the "radical" "lunatic fringe."

What a difference a newspaper makes.

-PJ

[Teacher317]

our own horn ------> O===< . . . BEEP!!

;^)

[bootless]

David, a bump for your show... will also email it to you.

[RobFromGa]

Come on Dog, do you really think that the shuttle tragedy would have been discussed and reported better within a "Generic Daily Discussion Thread"?

The events of yesterday PROVED beyond any shadow of a doubt that FRee Republic is the place on the Internet for Breaking News and top-notch conservative analysis. We are a huge research and think tank for our country's leaders.

Why don't you post a separate thread and we can Again discuss why the generic daily discussion thread idea won't work as anything but a chatty clique?

I say Again, since you had the last one pulled.

[rwfromkansas]

Did we get Sept. 11 before the major networks? It would not surprise me because probably local affiliates in NY caught up on it before the networks and a Freeper would post from that. Of course, in that case, I am sure the difference was fairly small since the networks were based in the same city as the affiliates.

[SarahW]

I heard it here first. A FR ping gave me the heads-up.

[HighWheeler]

Congratulations leadpenny!

[Jerez2]

The fantastic thing about the FR thread was all the resources we had -- within moments, we had people in Dallas reporting that they'd heard a sonic boom, we had experts in space travel and technology post info on all the various systems, others theorizing that it was the damage to the left wing on liftoff that caused the fatal problem, links to live broadcasts from all over the world, links to NASA. It was amazing. NO network could top what we had right then! THANK YOU JIM ROBINSON! What a gift you have given all of us! "A small step for a man," perhaps to create a News/Review Website, but "a giant leap for mankind" in getting the truth, in all its facets, out to the multitude!

[agitator]

I already posted this on a duplicate thread, sorry for the double post but it should be in the record. EABinGA and a few other freepers were tracking the shuttle in real-time in the Radio FreeRepublic chat room. Here's a transcript of what happened:

[08:23:00] <@EABinGA> but from what it looks like, it will fly directly over your head

[08:23:23] <+carenot> Woah!

[08:24:28] <@EABinGA> in about 35-40 minutes

[08:24:54] <+carenot> I will look for it. Thanks.

[08:25:15] <@EABinGA> leaving australia now, heading towards the philipines

[08:25:48] <@EABinGA> i'll see if i can let you know, when to stick your head out the window :)

[08:26:10] <+carenot> LOL, Thanks!

[08:52:24] <@EABinGA> Approaching California

[08:53:18] <+carenot> Ok. Ijust went out and didn't see anything. Sky is very bright.

[08:53:27] <@EABinGA> not yet... i'll let you know

[08:53:37] <+carenot> Ok, thanks again

[08:53:37] <@EABinGA> just north of SF, calif. now

[08:54:32] <@EABinGA> it doesnt take you long to go outside does it? it is moving very fast

[08:55:03] <+carenot> About 15 seconds

[08:55:08] <+carenot> If that.

[08:55:51] <@EABinGA> north of las vegas now

[08:56:10] <@EABinGA> arizona

[08:56:30] <@EABinGA> entering new mexico

[08:56:41] <@EABinGA> looks like it will be to the north of you

[08:57:06] <@EABinGA> eproaching texas now

[08:57:26] <@EABinGA> probably will be in texas in about 2 minutes

[08:58:15] <@EABinGA> going from new mexico to luisiana in a straight line, entering texas now

[08:58:22] <@EABinGA> time to go outside

[08:58:29] <+carenot> Ok, going now!

[09:00:26] <@EABinGA> they lost tracking.....

[09:02:25] <@EABinGA> probably long gone now

[09:04:59] <@EABinGA> should be landing in 12 minutes

[09:05:32] <+carenot> Ok, back in

[09:05:38] <@EABinGA> nothing?

[09:05:40] <+carenot> It is cold out there

[09:06:07] * @EABinGA passes carenot a cup of hot tea

[09:06:16] <+carenot> No I didn't see or hear anything and now I have a stiff neck!

[09:06:26] <+carenot> Thanks, LOL

[09:06:26] <@EABinGA> :)

[09:06:46] <@EABinGA> they are trying to contact the shuttle....

[09:07:01] <+carenot> They lost it?

[09:07:12] <@EABinGA> yeah, over your house

[09:07:51] <@EABinGA> 8 minutes to landing

[09:07:55] <+carenot> How big is it? Maybe I better check the tornado cellar

[09:08:46] <@EABinGA> it wont fit in there :D

[09:08:52] <+carenot> Good

[09:09:34] <+carenot> Where is it supposed to land?

[09:09:38] <@EABinGA> i am surprised how calm the folks are at mission control.... they actually look bored

[09:09:41] <@EABinGA> florida

[09:09:59] <@EABinGA> still looking for the shuttle

[09:10:06] <@EABinGA> 6 more minutes

[09:10:35] <@EABinGA> lost contact about 10 minutes ago

[09:10:51] <+carenot> How in heck can they lose a shuttle? What about all the radar every where?

[09:11:40] <+carenot> My thinking

[09:11:48] <@EABinGA> 5 minutes

[09:12:53] <@EABinGA> 4 minutes and still no contact

[09:13:46] <@EABinGA> 3 minutes

[09:14:41] <@EABinGA> starting contingency procedures

[09:14:52] <@EABinGA> people are actually moving at mission control

[09:15:02] <@EABinGA> no radar contact

[09:15:04] <@EABinGA> 1 minute

[09:15:54] <+carenot> I can't believe they lost it!

[09:16:12] <@EABinGA> should have touched down by now

[09:17:06] <@EABinGA> look at FR

[09:17:11] <+carenot> OK

[09:17:19] <@EABinGA> 3 messages already posted

[09:17:06] <@EABinGA> look at FR

[09:17:11] <+carenot> OK

[09:17:19] <@EABinGA> 3 messages already posted

[09:17:37] * bigaln2 (trillian@TORN-32B687FB.netwurx.net) has joined #rfr

[09:17:38] * ChanServ sets mode: +v bigaln2

[09:19:13] <+carenot> They lost the shuttle!

[09:20:52] <+carenot> I wonder if it has been blow up and they are not telling us?

[09:21:37] <@EABinGA> i am watching NASA TV...

[09:22:20] <@EABinGA> you didnt see it blow up?

[09:22:35] <+carenot> I didn't see nuffin!

[09:23:02] * Scutter (Scutter@TORN-104DEC60.cmngga.adelphia.net) has joined #rfr

[09:23:03] * ChanServ sets mode: +v Scutter

[09:23:04] <@EABinGA> Last seen over Dallas.

[09:23:09] <+Scutter> Shit

[09:23:27] <+carenot> Fix my hat hat please Scutter.

[09:23:42] <@EABinGA> I am not lying about this. I live in Dallas. Right at the time it disappeared, we heard a large boom.

[09:23:46] <@EABinGA> from FR

[09:23:47] * +Scutter adjusts carenot's hat

[09:25:05] <+carenot> I saw that it was visible in Dallas on the tv. It showed a very long contrail

[09:26:27] <+carenot> Just said they are securing all records and data.

[09:28:21] <+bigaln2> What the hell happened to the shuttle?

[09:28:38] <+carenot> They lost it

[09:28:42] <+Scutter> don't know al, but it isn't looking good

[09:28:57] <+bigaln2> The pictures on CNN are quite damning

[09:29:10] <+Scutter> its gliding in for a landing, so its not like it can just float around up there indefinately

 

[RobFromGa]

good post.

[Dog]

Whatever Rob......we will all defer to your judgement. We'll get your permission the next time something is breaking....to see if we can post it.

[RobFromGa]

No need to get my approval for anything you want to post.

Post away to your hearts content.

Free Republic is an awesome place and it needs new content all the time. The more stuff the merrier, I always said.

[redhead]

"Route will take the Shuttle over Las Vegas, Flagstaff, etc."

My oldest son lives just south of Flagstaff, and just happened to be watching as the vehicle flew overhead. He saw it begin to break up, and called 911 to give them what details he could.

[TLBSHOW]

BUMP TO Radio FreeRepublic chat room AND RADIO FR What a team..........