e.tv makes 'Bush is dead' broadcast blunder

[daveza]

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-02-12-etvs-bush-is-dead-blunder

Feb 12 2009 09:35
e.tv's news channel on Wednesday mistakenly broadcast during one of its news bulletins that former United States president George Bush had died, the BBC reported on Thursday.

For about three seconds, shortly after 2pm, e.tv News ran a moving banner headline across the screen saying "George Bush is dead".

The "misbroadcast" happened when a technician pressed the "broadcast live for transmission" button instead of the one for a test-run.

e.tv spokesperson Vasili Vass told Beeld that the error crept in when the technical director wanted to test what a certain type of banner would look like on the screen. "Instead of the preview button he pressed the one for direct broadcasting."

"We've learned from it, all test banners will now be done in gobbledegook," he added.

He said he could not comment on whether the person responsible would face disciplinary action.

The mistake was first reported on by Beeld, and on the media group's website, News24.com.

"Its unfortunate, because we never comment on their mistakes," said Mr Vass.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-02-12-etvs-bush-is-dead-blunder

I wonder why they chose this message for a test.

Might have received more attention if it had said Malema passes Grade 7.

 

[Alan]

Exposing their bias

 

[MyWorld]

It seems like an honest mistake, and it could have contained any phrase. They were probably discussing the new president in USA and somehow the technician thought it funny to use that phrase as a test text.

Honest mistake.

 

[HypoThesis]

Someone went and watched Valkyrie and got an idea....

 

[ShaunSA]

Now if they had used "Bush is brain dead" it would have been true

 

[Albereth]

It seems like an honest mistake, and it could have contained any phrase. They were probably discussing the new president in USA and somehow the technician thought it funny to use that phrase as a test text.

Honest mistake.

Yep, a mistake and may have been thought of as funny by the technician. But it isn't an honest mistake.

 

[dappled]

Exposing their bias

I don't think a single technician's opinion - which is also an opinion shared by the majority of earth - is evidence of a bias on the part of the editors and journos.

I agree there is "bias" against Bush, but i also think that this "bias" is well-founded in reality. If a guy at your office punched you in the face occasionally, you would develop a "bias" against him in the same way that the media has a "bias" against the Bush family empire.

 

[2CentsWorth]

It happens. Techies and programmers often do that sort of thing, just read the comments in some source code or the error messages that should never actually be displayed... I remember seeing on an insurance website the error message: "Oh ****, that shouldn't have happened!"

 

[Alan]

I don't think a single technician's opinion - which is also an opinion shared by the majority of earth - is evidence of a bias on the part of the editors and journos.

Odd then that I seem to recall ETV [-]editor[/-] propagandist in chief Debra Patta refer to Bush as a moron before the 2004 elections. ETV news is no more objective than the SABC.

Oh how do you know what the opinion of the majority of inhabitants of the earth is? In any case this so called majority supposedly thought Mugabe was a great intelligent leader

I agree there is "bias" against Bush, but i also think that this "bias" is well-founded in reality.

Just because you agree with it doesn't justify it.

If a guy at your office punched you in the face occasionally, you would develop a "bias" against him in the same way that the media has a "bias" against the Bush family empire.

Yeah no doubt funded by the evil juice

 

[genetic]

Technicians are human. Humans make mistakes. Maybe it isn't the place for such a mistake during a live news broadcast, but sh*t happens.

Go to YouTube and type "news blooper" and see how results you get, some far worse that ETV's 3 second blooper. It happens all the time.

I find quite funny.

 

[JustAsk]

Exposing their bias

Quite a mouthfull from a lover of Fox News...better known as Republican TV.

 

[TheHiveMind]

"Debra Patta refer to Bush as a moron"

Perhaps it would have been better for her to say: "When he talks he makes himself look like a moron in comparrison to anyone with an education". Because we dunno he is a moron, but he damn sure talks/acts like one relative to the average middle class. That would just be telling the truth.

 

[rwenzori]

all test banners will now be done in gobbledegook

Julius Malema could write it for them.

 

[dj_jyno]

Technicians are human. Humans make mistakes. Maybe it isn't the place for such a mistake during a live news broadcast, but sh*t happens.

Go to YouTube and type "news blooper" and see how results you get, some far worse that ETV's 3 second blooper. It happens all the time.

+1

I mean really, has anyone watched the 7 o' clock Afrikaans news bulletins on SABC2 recently? Not an evening goes by where there's not some kind of problem (incorrect language on weather maps, stories' videos not playing, audio out of sync, etc.)

Oh yes, Die Burger ran the story about the e.tv blooper on Tuesday (oh wait, that's because they belong to Media24 - see the quote by the e.tv spokesperson)

 

[rwenzori]

Anyone remember Christopher Dingle's last night on TV faaaaaaaack?

 

[Alan]

Quite a mouthfull from a lover of Fox News...better known as Republican TV.

I never said they weren't biased

although Colmes claimed the Bush administration lied about WMDs on FOX. So yeah extremely biased coverage there lol

 

[dappled]

Alan in your view a tech's 3 sec mistake amounts to an *EXPOSURE!* of editorial bias.
The strength of your argument is like the strength of citing Huisgenooit in a medical journal.

You don't seem to understand my argument about the origin of bias being founded in evidence. I am not going to run in circles with you like people do on the internet.

 

[Alan]

No it's another piece of evidence. Isolated on it's own you could pass it off but it's not an isolated incident.

But defend them just don't complain when an ANC supporter defends the SABC. Because then you'll be guilty of hypocrisy