Monday, October 17, 2005
The amazing tale of Lu Banglie as a cautionary tale in journalism
I have blogged twice on the beating of democracy-activist Lu Banglie, once to express my shock and outrage at his apparent murder, and once to express relief that he is alive and not irretrievably harmed. The Guardian has done a full investigation and determined that the journalist who wrote the story included false details because the journalist was suffering PTSD as a result of exposure to violence.
This is an important cautionary tale of how the news is made. Honest and well-meaning people can report completely false facts. This happens routinely on cable TV, but as we see from this case, there is nothing uniquely American about it and even newspapers can get caught by deadline pressures.
So, rejoice that Lu Banglie is alive and raising Cain, and that The Guardian cares enough to do a real investigation and tell their readers the full facts when they are wrong.
More blogs about politics.
