By their works shall ye know them...

[Zep Tepi]

RU's James Carlson provides us with a unique insight into the murkier aspects of UFOlogy as he explores the ramifications of the 2011 F.E. Warren AFB UFO Hoax.
Read Part 1 of his tour-de-force here:
http://www.realityuncovered.net/blog/20 ... em-part-1/

Part 2 follows tomorrow so stay tuned for further updates.

Nice work James!

[ryguy]

Thank you for working on getting that posted Steve. It looks f'ing awesome. Great job with formatting and images!

And excellent article James - as always.

-Ryan

[Gilles F.]

And excellent article James - as always.
-Ryan

+1. I look forward to read the second part tomorrow!
Thank you James for your great job(s).
Gilles

[Tim Hebert]

James, I have to tell you that I enjoy your style of writing. Good to see some of us explore the underbrush of ufology's psyche...ironically my field of expertise, yet outstanding analysis on your part! I found myself both chuckling and nodding my head in agreement as I read Part I. Looking forward to part II.

Best regards and Happy Holidays (Christmas for me) to you and your family,

Tim

[James Carlson]

Thank you to everyone. Steve deserves a lot of credit, especially -- in my opinion -- for both the layout, and for determining where best to break up the main article. I know what happens, but even I'm a little curious about tomorrow's continuation! Thanks, Steve.

And Merry Christmas to everyone -- thanks Tim!

[astrophotographer]

James,

I wasn't sure if I read this right. Are you stating that Hastings actually PAID reuters to post his article on their newswire? Do we have an actual statement by Reuters or Hastings supporting this?

[Zep Tepi]

Thanks for the kind comments, the credit should go to James for yet another excellent exposé.

Not wanting to answer for James, but Hastings paid someone to have that Press Release published.

From Reuters (Emphasis mine):

PRESS RELEASE
Robert Hastings: Unidentified Aerial Object Sighted During October 2010 Nuclear Missile Incident
* Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release.

Mon Jun 20, 2011 1:56pm EDT

Robert Hastings: Unidentified Aerial Object Sighted During October 2010 Nuclear Missile Incident

...

From How do I submit a press release to Reuters?

Press releases are considered for news reports and are not passed straight through in the manner of a press release distribution service.

Please submit via Thomson Reuters ONE, PR Newswire, Business Wire, GlobeNewswire or marketwire.

Looking at any of those distribution services, they all charge for the service. eg, PR Newswire (the service it appears Hastings used).

Quite a clever trick, really.

Part 2 has now been published and can be viewed here.

Nicely done

[ryguy]

Yeah - those releases are "raw news" that flow in and journalists review for stories worth covering. 90% of the garbage that constitutes a "press release" is promotional material...

[James Carlson]

James,

I wasn't sure if I read this right. Are you stating that Hastings actually PAID reuters to post his article on their newswire? Do we have an actual statement by Reuters or Hastings supporting this?

Absolutely, yes -- that's exactly what he did; he didn't pay Reuters outright, however, just as Steve and Ryan have indicated. The distribution that included Reuters Newswire as the primary release manager, was handled by PR Newswire, United Business Media, which has been established on Hastings' article (see Steve's commentary above: http://www.prnewswire.com/). Their terms of use are simple and basic:

Members of PR Newswire are solely responsible for the facts and accuracy of all information submitted by them for transmission by PR Newswire. The only responsibility of PR Newswire shall be to use its reasonable efforts to correct any error of fact, timing or omission brought to its attention. PR Newswire reserves the right to reject copy when necessary in its judgment.

All other uses of PR Newswire's daily news release file, including but not limited to any electronic redistribution or database storage and retrieval -- whether or not for resale -- in full, in part, in full text or in abstract, is prohibited without the express written consent of PR Newswire.

They offer member corporations or individual clients a "full suite of services to magnify communications success", part of which includes the distribution of member submitted media to Reuters Newswire. At that point, distribution is applied through Reuters international multimedia news agency with the content that was submitted through PR Newswire.

What makes this method so utterly fascinating, however, is that member submissions of PR Newswire content are not bound by the ethical guidelines that Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to, part of which requires the fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. These ethical guidelines can be examined at http://handbook.reuters.com/index.php/Main_Page. Note the following points taken from the Introduction to their corporate handbook:

Everything we do as Reuters journalists has to be independent, free from bias and executed with the utmost integrity. These are our core values and stem from the Reuters Trust Principles. As a real-time, competitive news service whose reputation rests on reliability, we also value accuracy, speed and exclusivity. The way in which we, as Reuters employees, live these values is governed by the Reuters Code of Conduct. That code, with a few notable exceptions that apply specifically to journalists, governs the behaviour of all Reuters employees and is essential reading. As journalists, however, we have additional responsibilities if we are to fulfil the highest aspirations of our profession – to search for and report the truth, fairly, honestly and unfailingly.

This is how individuals like Robert Hastings can "purchase" the credibility that Reuters has established for itself over the past 150 years without being held up to the same standards that Reuters journalists are compelled to follow. It is these same high standards that define the very well respected reputation that Reuters currently has in the field today -- a reputation that was earned, not borrowed.

[Zep Tepi]

Part Three is now up and can be viewed by clicking the link.

Part Four follows tomorrow!

Cheers,
Steve

[astrophotographer]

Thanks for the clarification on the Reuters thing. Oh what a tangled web they weave......

BTW, the article is great. I am beginning to wonder which is longer. This article on my upcoming mega article in the next issue of SUNlite.

[James Carlson]

Thanks for the clarification on the Reuters thing. Oh what a tangled web they weave......

BTW, the article is great. I am beginning to wonder which is longer. This article on my upcoming mega article in the next issue of SUNlite.

Well, I for one am seriously looking forward to the mega-article in the next SUNlite, although I can't help but sympathize with m0r1arty's lament of a couple days ago that those who should read such articles probably won't be convinced of anything anyway. Well, it's their loss...

[astrophotographer]

Part four is late.....

[Zep Tepi]

Sorry about that, it will be posted tomorrow now instead.
Not enough hours in the day...!


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[Zep Tepi]

The fourth and final part of James' epic essay is now online.

Apologies for it being a little later than promised, I'm sure you will agree it was worth the wait!
Read it here