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6 yr. old alone in runaway experimental balloon (1 Viewer)

That balloon looks so small and flimsy in the launch video that this has to be a hoax. Theres no way these "science" nuts thought that balloon could support the child, Condor :mellow:

 
Tigran Petrosian said:
The derision is shared. The networks did much more than show people a balloon. They obsessed about a pending death (at least on CNN) for a few hours. Then Wolf gushed about how amazing it was that the kid was found and how everyone was going to "celebrate" when it was beyond clear they were being had.Hey, it's a business.. I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it or anyone has to apologize for it though.
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they didn't waste taxpayer money. Wolf can gush about whatever he wants, if the FAA is diverting planes over something that was obvious even to internet nerds was a hoax from the beginning and the army is wasting money sending helos in to rescue an empty balloon it deserves 10 times the outrage of what wolf deserves is he nuts in a mule's eye on TVpeople just cannot wait to bash the media, be it CNN or fox, I kinda think they were doing their job here
 
Arsenal of Doom said:
TobiasFunke said:
Tigran Petrosian said:
TobiasFunke said:
Howard Kurtz doesn't find much fault with news networks on this one.

Gotta admit, I kind of agree with him here. The blame for the hysteria seems like it may well lie with the cops, who appear to have taken something that was a slight possibility and treated it as a fact when relaying information to the media.

Of course, I wasn't watching CNN/MSNBC/Fox News at the time, so I can't really say for sure. Curious what those who were watching think. To the extent they played it up, was that just a function of living in a world with multiple 24 hour news stations and other sources? What could they have done differently?
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There was zero skepticism until the balloon was empty. This is a farce.
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Did the hosts/anchors give the caveat that "police are reporting XYZ" or "we're being told XYZ"? If so, I don't think the problem lies with the media. If the authorities had no skepticism there was no reason for the media to have any, at least not until they'd had a decent amount of time to sit back and consider things. It's my understanding (and the times on this thread back me up) that they never really had that kind of time.When police tell the media something, the media run with it as told for hours and maybe days. 24 hour news stations require this- they can't wait until they can get independent verification and expert analysis, or they will be hours behind the times, and if that's the case, they might as well not exist.
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The other big factor IMO is: what media outlet is going to take an overly skeptical and questioning position on something like this, only to have it turn out that the kid was actually in there and worst case scenario play out? They would like gigantic tools. It's much easier to have a little bit of egg on your face while reporting an otherwise happy ending, than to look like insensitive jackasses while a little kid is dying.
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They did exactly the opposite.Graphic on CNN yesterday as this is playing out:

"Here is what we know: A 6 year old climbed aboard a balloon before it took off."

I'm sure you don't have all of this Tivo'ed but if you did, you'd see the press making themselves look silly. They focused only on the possibility that the balloon had a kid inside when there were experts joining them who started to question the possibility of it being able to sustain that much lift or the sudden movements of the balloon during flight which were inconsistent with a ~50 lb weight inside.

It's okay not to know, and they should have said as much. I'm not expecting the media to be aerodynamics experts or physicists, but given all of the other details in the story, it seems as though the possibility of the kid not being aboard was just as likely.

 
Just heard confirmation that this ##### called 9 News here in Colorado to report the incident BEFORE calling the police.

link?
Click to expand...
I don't have a link but I was watching Channel 9 yesterday during this and I remember Kim Christiansen doing a timeline - and mentioning that they got the call first around 11:30AM or so and then 9 news called the police/sheriff as they scrambled their copter.9 news timeline

 
Last edited by a moderator:
shuke said:
TobiasFunke said:
Howard Kurtz doesn't find much fault with news networks on this one.

Gotta admit, I kind of agree with him here. The blame for the hysteria seems like it may well lie with the cops, who appear to have taken something that was a slight possibility and treated it as a fact when relaying information to the media.

Of course, I wasn't watching CNN/MSNBC/Fox News at the time, so I can't really say for sure. Curious what those who were watching think. To the extent they played it up, was that just a function of living in a world with multiple 24 hour news stations and other sources? What could they have done differently?
Click to expand...
One of the press conferences yesterday when the balloon was still in the air, the police woman said he was "definitely" in there.
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Then there was a claim that a "door" was open and that they "couldn't see anyone inside." Suddenly the CNN studio gets a somber tone and they start speculating that the kid "fell out" or "jumped" rather than the equally if not more likely conclusion that he was never in there in the first place. If you make up facts about a "basket" or a "seat" and an "open door," the story is painted in a light that make it seem more plausible that a kid is in there. There were many words used during the description of this that outright made up facts.

 
Tigran Petrosian said:
Arsenal of Doom said:
TobiasFunke said:
Tigran Petrosian said:
TobiasFunke said:
Howard Kurtz doesn't find much fault with news networks on this one.

Gotta admit, I kind of agree with him here. The blame for the hysteria seems like it may well lie with the cops, who appear to have taken something that was a slight possibility and treated it as a fact when relaying information to the media.

Of course, I wasn't watching CNN/MSNBC/Fox News at the time, so I can't really say for sure. Curious what those who were watching think. To the extent they played it up, was that just a function of living in a world with multiple 24 hour news stations and other sources? What could they have done differently?
Click to expand...
There was zero skepticism until the balloon was empty. This is a farce.
Click to expand...
Did the hosts/anchors give the caveat that "police are reporting XYZ" or "we're being told XYZ"? If so, I don't think the problem lies with the media. If the authorities had no skepticism there was no reason for the media to have any, at least not until they'd had a decent amount of time to sit back and consider things. It's my understanding (and the times on this thread back me up) that they never really had that kind of time.When police tell the media something, the media run with it as told for hours and maybe days. 24 hour news stations require this- they can't wait until they can get independent verification and expert analysis, or they will be hours behind the times, and if that's the case, they might as well not exist.
Click to expand...
The other big factor IMO is: what media outlet is going to take an overly skeptical and questioning position on something like this, only to have it turn out that the kid was actually in there and worst case scenario play out? They would like gigantic tools. It's much easier to have a little bit of egg on your face while reporting an otherwise happy ending, than to look like insensitive jackasses while a little kid is dying.
Click to expand...
They did exactly the opposite.Graphic on CNN yesterday as this is playing out:

"Here is what we know: A 6 year old climbed aboard a balloon before it took off."

I'm sure you don't have all of this Tivo'ed but if you did, you'd see the press making themselves look silly. They focused only on the possibility that the balloon had a kid inside when there were experts joining them who started to question the possibility of it being able to sustain that much lift or the sudden movements of the balloon during flight which were inconsistent with a ~50 lb weight inside.

It's okay not to know, and they should have said as much. I'm not expecting the media to be aerodynamics experts or physicists, but given all of the other details in the story, it seems as though the possibility of the kid not being aboard was just as likely.
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so did the copsand the feds

:D

should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?

 
B-Deep said:
so did the copsand the feds:shrug:should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?
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Yes, they are all to blame here. They bit into this fishing trip like a starved walleye. Seems as though no one questioned it or thought of the alternative. Someone should have torn the house apart. That was at least as sensible as committing hundreds of people to chasing an empty mylar balloon.I think you're missing the point here. They're all to blame. The authorities even more so. The issue I'm addressing here is the media's urge to jump all over a sensational story and not let it go until they physically can't anymore.After they found Falcon, Wolf reported it with glee and immediate asked whether Falcon "had ever been inside that balloon." Just can't let it go..
 
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
so did the copsand the feds:shrug:should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?
Click to expand...
Yes, they are all to blame here. They bit into this fishing trip like a starved walleye. Seems as though no one questioned it or thought of the alternative. Someone should have torn the house apart. That was at least as sensible as committing hundreds of people to chasing an empty mylar balloon.I think you're missing the point here. They're all to blame. The authorities even more so. The issue I'm addressing here is the media's urge to jump all over a sensational story and not let it go until they physically can't anymore.After they found Falcon, Wolf reported it with glee and immediate asked whether Falcon "had ever been inside that balloon." Just can't let it go..
Click to expand...
I'm not sure why you're so worked up.
 
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
so did the copsand the feds:shrug:should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?
Click to expand...
Yes, they are all to blame here. They bit into this fishing trip like a starved walleye. Seems as though no one questioned it or thought of the alternative. Someone should have torn the house apart. That was at least as sensible as committing hundreds of people to chasing an empty mylar balloon.I think you're missing the point here. They're all to blame. The authorities even more so. The issue I'm addressing here is the media's urge to jump all over a sensational story and not let it go until they physically can't anymore.After they found Falcon, Wolf reported it with glee and immediate asked whether Falcon "had ever been inside that balloon." Just can't let it go..
Click to expand...
but the media's source of information is mainly tha authorities. If the cops and the FAA and the Army all thik there is a kid on there, do we really think it is important if Wolf Blitzer is fooled?I dunno, I think people hate the media and are just dying for any reason to blast them. I thik many times there is reason, and this is not really one of them. There coverage was far from perfect, but if this was SO damn obvious, CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX are the very VERY last group i want to hold to task for this incident
 
Tigran Petrosian said:
shuke said:
TobiasFunke said:
Howard Kurtz doesn't find much fault with news networks on this one.

Gotta admit, I kind of agree with him here. The blame for the hysteria seems like it may well lie with the cops, who appear to have taken something that was a slight possibility and treated it as a fact when relaying information to the media.

Of course, I wasn't watching CNN/MSNBC/Fox News at the time, so I can't really say for sure. Curious what those who were watching think. To the extent they played it up, was that just a function of living in a world with multiple 24 hour news stations and other sources? What could they have done differently?
Click to expand...
One of the press conferences yesterday when the balloon was still in the air, the police woman said he was "definitely" in there.
Click to expand...
Then there was a claim that a "door" was open and that they "couldn't see anyone inside." Suddenly the CNN studio gets a somber tone and they start speculating that the kid "fell out" or "jumped" rather than the equally if not more likely conclusion that he was never in there in the first place. If you make up facts about a "basket" or a "seat" and an "open door," the story is painted in a light that make it seem more plausible that a kid is in there. There were many words used during the description of this that outright made up facts.
Click to expand...
The media did not know that the kid was not in the balloon. I can understand that if I thought there was a kid in the balloon then showing that their wasn't, a logical conclusion might have been that the kid jumped or fell out and another logical conclusion might be that the kid was never in the balloon - however the parents and cops can being able to find him might weigh heavily on which option to follow.In the end, I would rather have been wrong and do all that I could just in case, then not do anything and it ends up having a dead six year old.

 
B-Deep said:
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
so did the copsand the feds:thumbdown:should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?
Click to expand...
Yes, they are all to blame here. They bit into this fishing trip like a starved walleye. Seems as though no one questioned it or thought of the alternative. Someone should have torn the house apart. That was at least as sensible as committing hundreds of people to chasing an empty mylar balloon.I think you're missing the point here. They're all to blame. The authorities even more so. The issue I'm addressing here is the media's urge to jump all over a sensational story and not let it go until they physically can't anymore.After they found Falcon, Wolf reported it with glee and immediate asked whether Falcon "had ever been inside that balloon." Just can't let it go..
Click to expand...
but the media's source of information is mainly tha authorities. If the cops and the FAA and the Army all thik there is a kid on there, do we really think it is important if Wolf Blitzer is fooled?I dunno, I think people hate the media and are just dying for any reason to blast them. I thik many times there is reason, and this is not really one of them. There coverage was far from perfect, but if this was SO damn obvious, CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX are the very VERY last group i want to hold to task for this incident
Click to expand...
They had 360 degree coverage of this thing flying for over two hours. They had their own eyes, and the help of people who understand gas-filled balloons to help them interpret what's going on. They didn't have to figure it all out on their own, they could have at least said, "look, this is an unusual situation and we don't know what to think right now." That never happened.I don't have a general hate of the media. This is especially revolting, though. If they're so willing to be hoodwinked by a nut and his oversided piece of inflated mylar, are we really supposed to trust that they know what's going on with a complex issue?
 
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
so did the copsand the feds:goodposting:should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?
Click to expand...
Yes, they are all to blame here. They bit into this fishing trip like a starved walleye. Seems as though no one questioned it or thought of the alternative. Someone should have torn the house apart. That was at least as sensible as committing hundreds of people to chasing an empty mylar balloon.I think you're missing the point here. They're all to blame. The authorities even more so. The issue I'm addressing here is the media's urge to jump all over a sensational story and not let it go until they physically can't anymore.After they found Falcon, Wolf reported it with glee and immediate asked whether Falcon "had ever been inside that balloon." Just can't let it go..
Click to expand...
but the media's source of information is mainly tha authorities. If the cops and the FAA and the Army all thik there is a kid on there, do we really think it is important if Wolf Blitzer is fooled?I dunno, I think people hate the media and are just dying for any reason to blast them. I thik many times there is reason, and this is not really one of them. There coverage was far from perfect, but if this was SO damn obvious, CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX are the very VERY last group i want to hold to task for this incident
Click to expand...
They had 360 degree coverage of this thing flying for over two hours. They had their own eyes, and the help of people who understand gas-filled balloons to help them interpret what's going on. They didn't have to figure it all out on their own, they could have at least said, "look, this is an unusual situation and we don't know what to think right now." That never happened.I don't have a general hate of the media. This is especially revolting, though. If they're so willing to be hoodwinked by a nut and his oversided piece of inflated mylar, are we really supposed to trust that they know what's going on with a complex issue?
Click to expand...
the FAA had eyes on itthe cops didthe feds didand those groups feed info to the media, yet you are disgusted with the mediashouldn't someone at the FAA have turned to one of the plethora of people they have vastly more qualified then you, me, or wolf, and said"bull####" if it was that obivous? Shouldn't a blackhawk pilot or an ultralight operator have more of an indicationthan you I or wolf about what can and cannot fly with a child on board? Yt those people were all convinced and were scrambling to save the child.but your issue is that wolf blitzer did not outsmart them all and call it a hoax.I just plain do not get it.
 
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
so did the copsand the feds:goodposting:should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?
Click to expand...
Yes, they are all to blame here. They bit into this fishing trip like a starved walleye. Seems as though no one questioned it or thought of the alternative. Someone should have torn the house apart. That was at least as sensible as committing hundreds of people to chasing an empty mylar balloon.I think you're missing the point here. They're all to blame. The authorities even more so. The issue I'm addressing here is the media's urge to jump all over a sensational story and not let it go until they physically can't anymore.After they found Falcon, Wolf reported it with glee and immediate asked whether Falcon "had ever been inside that balloon." Just can't let it go..
Click to expand...
but the media's source of information is mainly tha authorities. If the cops and the FAA and the Army all thik there is a kid on there, do we really think it is important if Wolf Blitzer is fooled?I dunno, I think people hate the media and are just dying for any reason to blast them. I thik many times there is reason, and this is not really one of them. There coverage was far from perfect, but if this was SO damn obvious, CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX are the very VERY last group i want to hold to task for this incident
Click to expand...
They had 360 degree coverage of this thing flying for over two hours. They had their own eyes, and the help of people who understand gas-filled balloons to help them interpret what's going on. They didn't have to figure it all out on their own, they could have at least said, "look, this is an unusual situation and we don't know what to think right now." That never happened.I don't have a general hate of the media. This is especially revolting, though. If they're so willing to be hoodwinked by a nut and his oversided piece of inflated mylar, are we really supposed to trust that they know what's going on with a complex issue?
Click to expand...
They weren't hoodwinked by a nut, they were hoodwinked by the authorities, who were hoodwinked by a nut. Happens all the time, and it's rarely the fault of the media if it's on such a short timeline (by that I mean hours, not the days and weeks needed for investigative journalism). I'm not sure why you're fighting this one so hard- there are plenty of better examples out there where the media failed to do their job. I honestly just don't see much they could have done better, other than maybe injected a few more caveats into their coverage or been a little less dramatic about it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
B-Deep said:
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
Tigran Petrosian said:
B-Deep said:
so did the copsand the feds:goodposting:should CNN or FoxNews have looked in the attic?
Click to expand...
Yes, they are all to blame here. They bit into this fishing trip like a starved walleye. Seems as though no one questioned it or thought of the alternative. Someone should have torn the house apart. That was at least as sensible as committing hundreds of people to chasing an empty mylar balloon.I think you're missing the point here. They're all to blame. The authorities even more so. The issue I'm addressing here is the media's urge to jump all over a sensational story and not let it go until they physically can't anymore.After they found Falcon, Wolf reported it with glee and immediate asked whether Falcon "had ever been inside that balloon." Just can't let it go..
Click to expand...
but the media's source of information is mainly tha authorities. If the cops and the FAA and the Army all thik there is a kid on there, do we really think it is important if Wolf Blitzer is fooled?I dunno, I think people hate the media and are just dying for any reason to blast them. I thik many times there is reason, and this is not really one of them. There coverage was far from perfect, but if this was SO damn obvious, CNN/ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX are the very VERY last group i want to hold to task for this incident
Click to expand...
They had 360 degree coverage of this thing flying for over two hours. They had their own eyes, and the help of people who understand gas-filled balloons to help them interpret what's going on. They didn't have to figure it all out on their own, they could have at least said, "look, this is an unusual situation and we don't know what to think right now." That never happened.I don't have a general hate of the media. This is especially revolting, though. If they're so willing to be hoodwinked by a nut and his oversided piece of inflated mylar, are we really supposed to trust that they know what's going on with a complex issue?
Click to expand...
the FAA had eyes on itthe cops didthe feds didand those groups feed info to the media, yet you are disgusted with the mediashouldn't someone at the FAA have turned to one of the plethora of people they have vastly more qualified then you, me, or wolf, and said"bull####" if it was that obivous? Shouldn't a blackhawk pilot or an ultralight operator have more of an indicationthan you I or wolf about what can and cannot fly with a child on board? Yt those people were all convinced and were scrambling to save the child.but your issue is that wolf blitzer did not outsmart them all and call it a hoax.I just plain do not get it.
Click to expand...
Yes, I realize this.
 
Who posted in: 6 yr. old alone in runaway experimental balloon

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Tigran Petrosian 85

Harry Manback 44

General Malaise 26

Hawks64 26

Jambi 26

B-Deep 24

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Click to expand...
Falcon? :P

 
Death Bytes said:
Loan Sharks said:
Sarnoff said:
shuke said:
SlaX said:
There's now video of the father launching the balloon.

Link to video
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Holy ####.
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Dad sure looks a bit perturbed when he realizes wifey isn't holding the tether, eh?
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He was so mad be pretended to kick the rail.
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I swear I've seen that dance before.
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Yeah, let's launch this thing, complete with countdown, and then have the wife restrain one end of it with a rope for some reason. This makes perfect sense.
 
ffldrew said:
Just heard confirmation that this ##### called 9 News here in Colorado to report the incident BEFORE calling the police.

link?
Click to expand...
I don't have a link but I was watching Channel 9 yesterday during this and I remember Kim Christiansen doing a timeline - and mentioning that they got the call first around 11:30AM or so and then 9 news called the police/sheriff as they scrambled their copter.9 news timeline
Click to expand...
Why would the father call the media? What a complete #######.
 
Fennis said:
ffldrew said:
Just heard confirmation that this ##### called 9 News here in Colorado to report the incident BEFORE calling the police.

link?
Click to expand...
I don't have a link but I was watching Channel 9 yesterday during this and I remember Kim Christiansen doing a timeline - and mentioning that they got the call first around 11:30AM or so and then 9 news called the police/sheriff as they scrambled their copter.9 news timeline
Click to expand...
Why would the father call the media? What a complete #######.
Click to expand...
He's the woz of Colorado
 
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?sto...8&catid=339

"I don't know, after three hours of dealing with the media I couldn't tell you what he was saying at that time or what he meant. What I can tell you is that our investigators were there from the onset, very experienced investigators," Alderden said. "They can do forensic interviews; they're well trained at looking at body language . . . nonverbal communications to look for deception."

Alderden says the investigators on scene believed the incident was legitimate and not a hoax even after interviewing Falcon separately from his family.

"After the boy came out they did a forensic interview with the boy just between the investigators and them and they again thought that it was a legitimate thing from his perspective," he explained.
Click to expand...
photo of police chief
 
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