Sloppy mainstream reporting on basic gun facts points to pervasive failure

Gun Rights Examiner ^ | 4 April, 2012 | David Codrea

[marktwain]

Police seized some guns in Nashua, NH, writer Carl Bussjaeger noted over the weekend on Bear’s Blog.

“At least two papers and a TV station are carrying the story on their web sites,” he explained. “Notice that I used the singular form of ‘story’ despite multiple venues. All three ‘reports’ look to be slightly paraphrased re-issues of the same law enforcement press release.”

Why was Bussjaeger concerned, and why should we be?

“What originally caught my eye in this story was the claim that three ‘AK-47 assault rifles’ and a submachine gun (UnionUseless Leader says ‘Tec 9 machine pistol"’, Nashua Typographical Error reports ‘a submachine gun’, and WMUR has it as a ‘Tec-9 sub-machine gun’),” he writes, not even trying to mask his disregard for their journalistic standards.

Why does Bussjaeger have an issue with their reporting?

“I have a sneaking suspicion those ‘AK-47 assault rifles’ were no such thing. If I had money to bet, I'd say they were semi-auto-only variants that look kinda like AK-47s to the ignorant and most cops,” he argues.

And why would he make that assumption?

“The TEC-9 is a blow-back operated semi-automatic-only firearm,” he informs us. And he also informed them, resulting in an exchange with one of the “Authorized Journalists” involved, Patrick Meighan, who emailed back this excuse:

I'm not an expert on firearms. In this case, I trusted the police to be, and "assault rifle" was the term police used in describing the weapons. The same goes for "submachine gun," which another reader also pointed out was inaccurate. In describing firearms seized during a raid or arrest, I'm uncomfortable departing from police descriptions.

That’s what the police claim, alright. And while my call to their press release contact has not been returned at this writing [see "Update" at end

[marktwain]

Reporters are notoriously bad about getting the facts right. Treat everything that you read with skepticism.

[JRandomFreeper]

You mean that there's no such thing as a 44mm semi-automatic revolver? I was saving up my pennies....

/johnny

[BitWielder1]

If sports reporters were as ignorant about their subjects or as sloppy as mainstream reporters, they would be fired instantly.
Baseball, Basketball, Bowling ball, who cares? They're all some sort of throwing-balls, right?

[COBOL2Java]

[Brownie63]

Did they have pistol grips and bayonet attachment points? Because I’d hate to get shot; but I’d really hate to get shot with a rifle that had a pistol grip and a bayonet attachment point.

[moehoward]

"I'm uncomfortable departing from police descriptions."

That is a valid point.

I won't hold my breath for law enforcement to start describing firearms -or anything else for that matter- in a more accurately benign fashion.

[556x45]

It seems the police are too which is where the misinformation started. The reporter was too lazy to investigate but the police were too ignorant to make a positive Id before spewing.

[USMCPOP]

Wow, it’s fortunate they were only had a TEC-9 and not a tactical pro carry custom tactical Kimber ultra custom tactical Night Elf Mohawk 1911:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh_gY9eZByI

[Erik Latranyi]

NBC recently demonstrated how the MSM behaves when the story can be used to score political points.

[The KG9 Kid]

Reporters are notoriously bad about getting the facts right. Treat everything that you read with skepticism.

Same goes for police spokespersons.

[TigersEye]

Sloppy Irresponsible mainstream reporting on basic gun facts points to pervasive failure intentional propaganda

After paying attention to LMM reporting on firearms since the early '80s it is impossible for me to believe their "mistakes" are anything but purposeful misinformation.