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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 4 posts ] 
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 Post subject: Don't let common sense get in the way of a great story
PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2010 1:21 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 887
Location: U.S.A.
Quote:
Census Takers Find World’s Oldest Woman Alive and Well in Riau Province

Two of Katemi’s neighbors, Sutejo, 45, and Dwi, 50, said Katemi had lived in their village since 1980 but over the years she had not aged significantly.

“So I think it is quite possible that Katemi is 145 years old, because she has a 98 year-old younger sister and a daughter aged over 70 years,” Dwi said.

That explanation apparently sealed the deal for the census takers, who concluded that Katemi was indeed born in 1865.


(The Jakarta Globe)

Nowhere in this story is there any skepticism about this claim of Methuselah-like longevity. I also like the fact that the newspaper, lacking a picture of this Civil War-era woman, went with a photo of another old woman.


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 Post subject: Re: Don't let common sense get in the way of a great story
PostPosted: Tue May 18, 2010 9:23 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 3135
Location: Albuquerque, N.M. USA
I don't know the reputation of the "Jakarta Globe," but the whole story is a mess, as you might expect:

Quote:
Mimi, 70, Katemi’s adopted daughter, told the team that she only knew that Katemi was born in 1865 from Karyo, Katemi’s brother. He passed away aged 165.


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 Post subject: Re: Don't let common sense get in the way of a great story
PostPosted: Wed May 19, 2010 2:05 pm 
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 887
Location: U.S.A.
FWIW, the following is from a friend of mine who works in and is extremely familiar with the Australasian media. The person is not in the group, but can be considered a credible source:

Quote:
It's actually a summary of an Antara story (Antara is the state news agency), and Antara stories are routinely crappy at best.

Still, I'm surprised this made it into the paper in such poor condition. I suspect it was an attempt at levity that failed because the headline doesn't indicate any tongue-in-cheekness.

There are several places in the story that let the reader know this isn't to be taken seriously, but I agree it was an amateurish job.


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 Post subject: Re: Don't let common sense get in the way of a great story
PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:36 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2005 3:47 pm
Posts: 4655
Location: New York City
Jakarta Globe? It's like any other paper, publishing news, the police blotter, wedding announcements, whatnot:

Teenager Passes Out Marrying Cow He Had Sex With

Quote:
A Balinese teenager caught in the act of intercourse with a cow passed out on Friday when he was forced to marry the animal in a ceremony witnessed by hundreds of curious onlookers.

As the Jakarta Globe reported earlier in the day, Ngurah Alit, 18, an unemployed youth from the seaside village of Yeh Embang in Jembrana, was caught stark naked positioned behind the cow in a rice paddy field.

In his defence, Alit admitted to the act of bestiality but claimed the cow, which he believed was a young and beautiful woman, had wooed him with flattering compliments.


Bonus: Yes, there is art. No, it has nothing to do with the story:
Image
It was on a terrace between two paddy fields like this that Balinese teenager Ngurah Alit was caught having sex with a cow, who he claimed had flirted with him. (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)


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