(Bumped for updates)
SDA gets results!
A quote attributed to Don Cherry that The Canadian Press included in a list of some of the year’s most memorable quotes was in fact “made up” by a Toronto-based blogger, the news agency acknowledged Friday.
The quote — “This just proves what a nation of pussies we are” — was said to be Cherry reacting to news of Canada’s declining crime rate.
In fact, Cherry never uttered the words.
[…]
The fact the quote was itself being quoted was brought to the attention of the news agency, and to Bradley himself, by blogger Kate McMillan, who had been alerted to it by a reader on her “Small Dead Animals” blog.
“I called him and asked him and he said, ‘Yeah, I just made it up,'” said McMillan, from Delisle, Sask.
“It’s something that we have to watch for as bloggers all the time, especially those of us that are high traffic and have a point of view.”
McMillan said she appreciated the fact that The Canadian Press responded to her call by immediately taking steps to report its error.
“Sometimes we do this and we get nothing but silence or resistance,” she said.
Original post continues below:
SDA reader Chris, in the comments;
Canadian Press “reporter” Linda Shearman has filed a story on the most “infamous” Canadian quotes in 2011. #1 on the list is this:
“This just proves what a nation of p*ssies we are.” — Don Cherry on news that Canada’s murder rate is at its lowest since the 1960s.
PROBLEM: Cherry never said this.
It appears on a blog post at http://www.andrewbradley.ca/?p=1819 and from the context, it is clear that it’s satire, i.e., a fictional, made-up quote, not something that Don Cherry ever said.
This story has been picked up by Global and the Globe and Mail, among other sites online. But as yet, no one seems to have picked up on the fact their supposedly most infamous quote of 2011 is not something Don Cherry ever said.
I called the Canadian Press about this, and talked to Linda Shearman, who wrote the story. She’s promised to check that the quote is legitimate and get back to me. But I did ask her if it made any sense that Don Cherry would make such a statement in response to a falling murder rate? I read her the entire passage, including the passage about bayonets.
“Do you ever listen to him?” She asked.
“Yes?”
“He says some pretty outrageous things.” she replied.
“Sure, he has his views about hockey, but do you really think Don Cherry would be in favour of a higher murder rate? Does that even make sense?”
She stated was sure she picked it up from other news stories. I pointed out that, given the practice of reporters eating each other’s turds, wasn’t it possible that someone else had picked it up from a satire site before she recycled it as fact?
Because I couldn’t find a source on Google that predates the satire.
She said she’d check it out. I suggested she contact Don Cherry.
Because I called Andrew Bradley. He says he just made it up.
UPDATE: Linda Shearman just called – SDA gets results. Canadian Press will be issuing a correction.
UPDATE 2: Don Cherry is not amused.
For today’s top nominee in journalistic cowardice, the fake quote captured above has been quietly removed in the Globe and Mail version, without so much as noting the page has been updated. However, they forgot to fix their rankings – now their “top ten” infamous quotes begin with #2.
Wow, thank you Kate. I look forward to her retraction and apology.
“I CAN SEE RUSSIA FROM MY HOUSE!”
The Rob Ford quote looks to be fake also.
Minus the murder rate context, the quote has some merit no matter who made it up…;)
Because Fact Checking 101 is not taught in Journalism school anymore.
Not enough time what with all the new courses in Social Justice, New Arithmetic and Progressive Ideas & Thoughts in the curriculum.
You know, the important stuff.
Kate goes where we dare not. One wonders if showers are needed thereafter to scrub off the ick.
“Fake but accurate”
Reminds me of when we started to hire people who left school only knowing the “new math”. New employees would bring work to me to approve with calculations way off what they should logically be.
When I questioned why they didn’t do a reasonable check on the figures with rough calculations in their head as they processed the information.
There would be a stunned look that seemed to be “how do I do that on the machine”.
The referenced journalist probably had the same look on her face when advised to check with Don Cherry. Cheers;
This happened in a local newspaper here in Victoria once. I made a satirical comment on a blog about real estate and it ended up in a front page story as fact. I wonder why we call them the lamestream media. Face it folks most “journalists” are people who went into liberal arts because math is hard.
So the Glib and Pale uses the wire service, Fuji Tamale News? Who knew!
BTW, does anyone know where to contact Mr Cherry (and his lawyers)?
SCOOOORE!
Good work,Kate.
It’s why “journalistic integrity” is a contradiction.
I hope Cherry sues.
What’s wrong?
“Journalists” don’t need to do research, they just pick quotes at random that suits their ideology and go with it.
The plebeians pick up on it and it becomes “public knowledge”. Nobody will ever know the difference, except of course those that have interest in the public affairs of the city, province, country.
Pericles, in one of his funeral speeches said, those that are not involved in public affairs, we say they are good for nothing. This was some 2000 years ago. Do things change?
Unfortunately it is becoming more so.
Good for you Kate. Every attempt to inject a bit of honesty in the world is to be applauded.
“He says some pretty outrageous things.” she replied.
I agree; scrapping the instigator rule, trying to implement no-touch icing and supporting our troops to name but three.
I’ll give credit where it’s due – Shearman was very apologetic and embarrassed, which is exactly the right reaction. Many other journos will use nearly any device available to avoid correcting their errors.
I would guess it’s not just her… presumably editors and/or fact-checkers reviewed it before it was published, and not one of them thought it was odd to quote Cherry saying that.
Not surprising. “Journalist” is up there with lawyer and dentiss in my books.
Uncle Don would never say “we” as a nation are pussies. He would definitely think it of the political Left but only go as far as to say out loud that they’re “sweethearts.”
I hope MR Cherry doesn’t hold back on the rant when he rips them to shreds. He called the liberal drones commie pinko scum 20 years ago.
God bless your courage Mr Cherry, you inspired a generation to speak out against CBC bullshit, and that sometimes a fight breaks out in a perfectly good hockey game. (Or that a hockey game sometimes interrupts a perfectly good brawl.)
I would like to see Don respond without the CBC muzzle.
But let’s face it: as satire it really is pretty funny.
The way journalism research works is this. When first starting on a story, the journo checks the “morgue”. That’s the indexed back editions of the newspaper. This sets the background. Everything in it is deemed factual. In short, once something’s in a back issue it serves as fact for all future articles on the same topic.
For example, during the 1980s and 1990s, newspapers were regularly quoting 20,000 dead from the Chernobyl accident. The original citation came from a late 1986 quote from a Greenpeace Ukraine spokesman. Even though it was a wild exaggeration based on no evidence at all it’s still in occasional use to this day.
It’s only partly about ideology. What it’s also about is the need to generate column inches and to get something in press as fast as possible. Ideology encourages slant, but most of the factual errors come from extreme haste and sloppiness of journalistic research methods.
It used to be that the press was competing with television in terms of daily news cycles. Now its competing with the internet and its minute by minute news cycles, meaning that the general standard of accuracy will only get worse.
Excellent Kate
We need to call out the MSM on their misleading information every time
Nice Catch. But a more serious question is how many more fictitious “stories” are released with 3 inch headlines that were picked up from a blog.
This is somewhat like how the Global Warming “science” is published as fact from someone’s blog….which in fact happened.
What a ghastly picture that is. I suppose liking Don Cherry is a nativist “recognition” thing, to me the man appears to be several bricks short of a load.
cgh at December 16, 2011 1:47 PM
Yep! Thats how the Ministry of Truth did it in 1984, and that is how it is done today.
I think the Rob Ford one is fake, too. She’ll have to do another (expletive) retraction.
I posted on the G&M site as I see a few others have – yes, crap journalism
On another unrelated note, facebookers here can have the comments on the NRDC’s support photo of chiquita ‘s decision not to use Alberta oil go horribly bad – I see some have got the ball rolling..
link
Shocker.
Guess which federal party pays Andrew Bradley to make s### up?
http://www.andrewbradley.ca/?cat=57
That’s our Kate and that’s exactly why this is the best blog evah!!
It’ll be fun watching them eat some crow.
It appears that ‘quotes’ only have to be something that someone said you said, not something that you actually said. I might have to ‘quote’ ‘journalists’ more often.
As Canadians we tend to eat our own sometimes when one of us escapes anonymity. It has always bothered me how much Don Cherry can be reviled for simply being outspoken and unafraid. He is not verbose or highly educated, but the man sure knows hockey. I find that most people who loathe him have never listened to him on Coach’s Corner. The ultimate was having french Canadians whining about him. It made me wonder if there actually was anyone in Quebec listening to Don Cherry, or if they were picking this up third hand. Shortly after, the CBC put him on 7 second delay for a while, which must have made him the most important talking head on the network.
The only thing topping that is today’s story of Don Cherry allegedly bemoaning the low murder rate in Canada. Good grief. Of course it is not true, but it displays the unbelievable left-wing media bias against him in his own country. I hope he sues.
But Don Cherry says a lot of things. And besides, if he didn’t say exactly that Linda could look into his eyes and know it’s what he was thinking.
Given the topic is about murder, this would qualify as CHARACTER ASSASINATION….
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
One (of many) trouble with leftists is that they believe their own hyperbole. If they misquote someone, they are perfectly content to believe it is something he would have said.
Brevity is the soul of wit, but truth is its heart. They find amusement in their satire because their grasp on reality is so poor.
Before universities created “journalism schools), journalism was a real profession, learned on the job. Rule 1 was “get it first, but first get it right”.
Current MSM is based on left wing bias, repeating rumours, exaggeration,and suppression of any news considered not considered socially correct.
Journalism is not a degree it is an indoctrination of left wing philosophy. Close Journalism schools by yanking funding from universities that offer it.
It had that element of “truthiness”. You know, like Dan Rather’s document on Bush’s Air National Guard record. Anyone wonder why newspaper are a dying animal?
Yes, hope Cheery mentions something in the Coaches corner and says how a lack of journalistic integrity exists to day.
Almost two hours later.
2:55 pm and Bell/ Globe Media is still knowingly broadcasting an admitted incorrect and slanderous accusation.
Well that’s what makes Kate special, Special K?
A simple logical question: Is it even remotely plausible that Don Cherry would be disappointed with lower murder stats? 5 Seconds, I figure.
As to Chernobyl, just saw that Ron Paul in an exchange with Michelle Bachmann, retailed the bogus “statistic” of 1 million dead Iraqis which came from a “prestigious” medical journal, recall.
That’s out there now, just like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the Al Durah hoax, and Don Cherry’s disappointment with the lower murder stats.
The retraction won’t matter.
He’ll probably be BIG about it and not bother; that would be a mistake. He should SUE. These journos need to be more fearful/careful.
A correction and an apology is more like it.
This is one of those times Cherry should sue.
“… given the practice of reporters eating each other’s turds…”
Missed that gem the first time through. ROFL.
Classic, Kate. Classic.
Well done Kate. Like most, I hadn’t seen it and probably wouldn’t have done anything about it, other than mumble and grumble.
Well done!!
Pat Patrick
Cherry’s response: http://www.torontosun.com/2011/12/16/don-cherry-blasts-infamous-quote
It looks like #1 has now disappeared down the memory hole but without comment, correction or replacement.
I wonder what later readers will think when they click through to #1 and get a photo of Lord Black without an attributed quote?
Not sure about the timeline – but I just looked at the link and there is now another controversial Don Cherry quote, this one is real. It’s the one where he actually does use the term pussy in relation to some old hockey fighters talking about getting it out of the game. Not exactly what I would call an apology for getting caught with the fake quote, more like petty revenge. (Unless she had two Don Cherry quotes up originaly)
I have to say I’m underwhelmed by her correction, “Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version erroneously attributed a quote to Don Cherry that he did not say.”
Um, how about an apology?
Oh, and she’s added Justin Trudeau’s *apology* for calling Peter Kent a P.O.S. Note, his apology, not the P.O.S. itself. And she puts it at #9, shifting everything else up, so Don Cherry stays at #1.
I think he should sue.
P.S. For the record, I was wearing my pajamas when I found the original misquote. 🙂
Greg, they seem to be having trouble updating the Globe’s site, but the WFP has posted the corrected version (see above for link).
Corrections aren’t good enough.
Good work, Chris, and a keen eye.