Inventing quotes and news
A commenter sent me a link to this article in the Scots paper "Daily Record". It's a fine example of how to get some original material for a story to make it more interesting for readers. Research? Contacts? Don't be silly, just make it up as you go along! Saves so much effort :-)
Pope Is Secret Fanta Fan
THE Pope has been revealed as a secret Fanta drinker [it's not a secret - everyone in Rome knows this] after a trip to the Vatican by Archbishop of York John Sentamu.
He took Pope Benedict XVI a case of Holy Grail beer, brewed in Yorkshire, but was in turn handed a glass of the fizzy orange drink. [No he wasn't. This is completely invented.]
Aides [who?] say the German-born Pope is addicted to Fanta [no they don't] and guzzles down four cans a day [really?] - which adds up to 1460 cans a year. [Well yes 4 x 365=1460. congratulations for getting that right!]
Vatican spokesman Father Tim Finigan [Well thanks! But actually that's invented too.] said: "The Holy Father shuns booze and tries to convert all his guests to the benefits of pop. ["Fr Tim, why say such a daft thing?" Well, as you might have guessed, I didn't.]
"He prefers Fanta. I'm not really sure why, perhaps because it was originally created in Germany.
"But he goes through at least three or four cans a day and always has it with his evening meal." [Nope. didn't say that either.]
26 comments:
Too silly for words.
All this grief when he actually drinks Sunkist! [wink!]
I can see Fr. Z's visit to Blackfen is having a gravitational pull on the style of Fr. Tim's posts.
This post looks not unlike one of Fr. Z's fisks.
None the worse for that !
If the Daily Record, that bastion of fair and impartial reporting (especially when it comes to matters catholic), printed it then it must be true. lol
Fr Finigan, what sort of action can you take against their misquoting you? That they did so in this matter seems so absurd. The magnitude of such absurdity on their part itself is newsworthy.
I think you should put a claim in for a copyright fee.
fr paul harrison
Perhaps they should rename the paper "The Daily Way-Off-The-Record" ?
Are you turning into Father Z? (No - surely not!)
Given we usually have a leap year every 4 years, it would be more accurate to quote 1461 cans a year. Of course the Holy Father presumably abstains from Fanta on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, so that makes it only 1453 cans a year.
This is truly worthy of Private Eye's 'How Journalism Works' column.
How do they get away with printing such balderdash?
They do Scotland a great injustice - they once described my mentally ill parish priest as "Fr Ned".
We should pray for some sensible publication from the secular press.
ROFL! You didn't know you were such a Vatican insider did you. Gotta love the media.
You forgot the canned laughter.
PS Maybe the laughter is bottled up? Or perhaps it just 'fizz'led out.
How extraordinary!
To be honest I'd be more surprised if the daily record got their facts right.
Goodness, so the whole thing is made up and they 'quoted' you?
'The benefits of "pop"? The mind boggles!
This this bit of trivia was invented, including fictitious quotes from a real person, is not so serious but what happens when they invent something serious with fictitious quotes from a real person? I would be inclined, if I were Fr Finnigan, to ask that they make clear that they invented the quotes supposed to have come from him.
If that didn't happen I would ask another paper in the same area to print the post just made.
Well at least the Archbishop of York will be able to come up with a better gift next time he visits the Pope... four cans of Fanta! ;-)
A little hommage from your German readers:
http://thomassein.blogspot.com/2008/02/tim-finnegan-lived-in-walkin-street.html
I emailed the relevant links to Private Eye today. Keep an eye out. For those of you not in Scotland the Daily Record is unworthy to line the relevant part of our rabbit's hutch.
You should read my post for today Tuesday. I have just received a tape of the full conversation between the Pope and Bishop Sentamu which was bugged by British Police.
Fr Clifton - that is very funny!
This is the 2nd time in as many weeks that I have discovered the Daily Record printing falsified rubbish, this particular instance seems to be fairly light hearted, however the other was malicious and damaging to the person involved.
It is unfortunate that the farcical articles that this 'newspaper' prints are merely a reflection on the desires of the mainstream of society; sensation primarily, but truth seems to be an optional extra.
The Record is a blemish on the butcheeks of British journalism
Post a Comment