Incompetent News Reporting

[my5cents]

But does anyone care.

A news item caught my eye, in Castanet's World section, today.

Headline "Buys Ferrari, totals it"

It's always interesting to read about the latest idiot, who somehow can afford (or sometimes daddy) an expensive vehicle and shortly thereafter wraps it around a tree or whatever.

But that's not my gripe. Contained in the story was a glaring mistake, or perhaps glaring lackadaisical missing detail.

A reporter, is employed to pass on FACTS, it's really not rocket science. When a fact has parts, even a mediocre reporter should include all the fact.

If I tell you that my house caught on fire at 2:00. Right away you will ask "Was that 2:00 AM or 2:00 PM ?" Not including the full fact is amateurish and doesn't tell the story with a complete fact.

If we discuss money, and we are converting British Pounds to another currency, especially dollars used in North America, there are TWO DOLLARS and they are different, so in telling a story where Pounds are converted to dollars even a half decent reporter should state "XX pounds ($XXX (usd)) or ($XXX (cdn))

So when I read the story that provided the value of the Ferrari at 200,000 pounds then converted it to ($260,000), I knew something was wrong. First, stories published in Canada should be converted to Canadian values.

They sure as heck do when reporting distances.

It's sickening when I read measurement supplied by US authorities converted as though the US authority provided the measurement in Canadian metric. "The Utah Highway Patrol estimate the vehicle dropped 7.6 meters before crashing......" How many US police authorities estimate distances in tenths of meters, for that matter how many police agencies estimate distances in tenths of meters. The vehicle dropped 25 feet. More properly the story should state : "The Utah Highway Patrol estimate the vehicle dropped 25 feet (7.6 meters) before crashing...."

So back to the Ferrari. I don't convert much money from Canadian dollars to British Pounds but I have a rough idea that a pound is currently around a buck and a half or more Canadian (I remember when it was $5 Canadian)

So seeing NO currency identifier "$260,000" instead of $260,000 (usd) or (cdn) and seeing 200 grand is converted to 260 grand, I know it's not in Canadian dollars.

Don't reporters have a clue any more ? Is it just pushing out a story without any care for accuracy ?

This was a Canadian Press sourced story C A N A D I A N. So the CP employee (I baulk at saying reporter) let this go through. CP obviously bought the story, not from a British news agency but from a US, who had done the conversion to usd.

The story was then purchase by Castanet <copy> <paste> "Well my work is done here....."

This is a two bit story, but this is where junior reporter's skills should be honed for when they are assigned a big story.

Oh and by the way, the sentence should have read : "The Ferrari 430 Scuderia, worth about 200,000 pounds ($327,000 [cdn]) new, ended up a burning heap in a field."

[Bsuds]

Typical reporting in todays society but either way most of us can't afford a Ferrari whether it's Cdn, US or Bitcoin!

[GordonH]

Actually I checked the currency conversion
200,000 GBP = 303,398 USD or 366,383 CAD, don't know who's converts to 260,000

[my5cents]

Actually I checked the currency conversion
200,000 GBP = 303,398 USD or 366,383 CAD, don't know who's converts to 260,000

I used a different site previously, but I just checked the Bank of Canada site. They give you the exchange for a 1 week period.
It varied from $325,960.. to $327,840. 21 Jul to 28 Jul

Being the Bank of Canada it doesn't convert the British Pound to USD

On the previous site I used, I double checked I get $262,660.00 usd.
(note sure if the link works)
https://www.google.ca/search?site=&source=hp&q=1 GBP to USD&oq=currenc&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i131k1l2j0l2.4474.5403.0.7656.7.7.0.0.0.0.155.973.0j7.7.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.7.970.raSm9J5gvQI

[neilsimon]

I sometimes wonder which is worse, the incompetent reporting, or the misleading reporting

[my5cents]

I sometimes wonder which is worse, the incompetent reporting, or the misleading reporting

Yes, that's a tough one. I guess incompetent is "disappointing" and misleading is dishonest, dishonorable.

I guess we're lucky, we don't have the complete polarization like the US has. One end they have CNN and the other FOX.

In our "misleading" category, our media, perhaps does a better job of deceiving, veiling their biases.

[neilsimon]

I sometimes wonder which is worse, the incompetent reporting, or the misleading reporting

Yes, that's a tough one. I guess incompetent is "disappointing" and misleading is dishonest, dishonorable.

I guess we're lucky, we don't have the complete polarization like the US has. One end they have CNN and the other FOX.

In our "misleading" category, our media, perhaps does a better job of deceiving, veiling their biases.

We've got The Rebel Media and significantly less extreme, The Tyee, but I get where you're coming from. If only we had the quality they have in Britain with the BBC.

[GordonH]

I used a different site previously, but I just checked the Bank of Canada site. They give you the exchange for a 1 week period.
It varied from $325,960.. to $327,840. 21 Jul to 28 Jul

Being the Bank of Canada it doesn't convert the British Pound to USD

On the previous site I used, I double checked I get $262,660.00 usd.
(note sure if the link works)
https://www.google.ca/search?site=&source=hp&q=1 GBP to USD&oq=currenc&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i131k1l2j0l2.4474.5403.0.7656.7.7.0.0.0.0.155.973.0j7.7.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.7.970.raSm9J5gvQI

The one I use has real time updates

[my5cents]

The one I use has real time updates

I think there's something wrong with your source, being that there is a difference of 20% between your real time updates and my Bank of Canada's conversion for today on the conversion of the Pound to the Can Dollar.

[GordonH]

The one I use has real time updates

I think there's something wrong with your source, being that there is a difference of 20% between your real time updates and my Bank of Canada's conversion for today on the conversion of the Pound to the Can Dollar.

So much for that app..... delete

[dogspoiler]

If the all-knowing Castamutts are in disagreement, how is some lowly reporter expected to be accurate ?

[Opeeved]

Because it's their job. Frankly, I'm dismayed at the spelling errors, fragments, double word inserts and misleading "facts".

I'm not perfect with my English writing skills, but I do my best. It's a point of personal pride. My trade skills that I've honed over the years? Professional ethic and pride. It's never, "good enough", as my father taught me.

I picked up on that conversion too.