Saturday, October 04, 2008

OJ found guilty. Steve Jobs isn't dead. Or dying.

More kid-themed pictures coming soon (no, it's not too late to submit something for Thematic Photographic.) But a couple of newsy stories have infiltrated my brain today...

1. The Juice heads for the slammer

So OJ Simpson was finally found guilty of something. Thirteen years to the day since he was found not guilty in the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman (justice, eh?) he was convicted in a Las Vegas court of robbery.

I can't help but think that karma is a cast iron b---h, and she'll eventually catch up to you if you've chosen to lead your life in a way that would make your Kindergarten teacher shake her head in shame.

My enduring memory of the fallen sports "hero" (we've got to stop overusing that word, but that's a topic for another day) is how he vowed after his initial acquittal to do all he could to find the real killer. If "doing all he could" involved playing countless rounds of golf and shielding his income to keep the Brown and Goldman families from collecting the judgment awarded them in a subsequent civil suit, then I guess he lived up to his commitment.

2. Steve Jobs not dead yet

A so-called iReporter (think a regular Joe who provides "reporting" to a CNN-sponsored site in exchange for...nothing) posted a fake story yesterday that said Apple's CEO had suffered a heart attack. This precipitated a huge selloff in Apple stock, dropping share values by 10% before it was revealed that the posting was a fake and Steve Jobs was, in fact, fine.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is now investigating, trying to find out who this anonymous poster, known as "Johntw", is so they can nail his proverbial tail to the wall. Were I him, I'd be in Tahiti by now. Quick lesson for the rest of us: Anonymous posters = zero credibility.

This will doubtless reignite the blogger vs. journalist argument that's been raging, uselessly, for years now. Bloggers are not subject to the same checks and balances that govern traditional media, so why anyone would equate the two is beyond me. This should serve as a textbook example of why unvalidated "news" can be a minefield for producers and consumers alike. And traditional media's drive to turn regular folks into wannabe-journalists is, at best, a joke.

Your turn: Haven't seen a whole lot of headlines on either of these stories. What gives? What think you?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW. 13 years to the day? There's some beauty there, isn't it? Heh.

kenju said...

I think it is long overdue (OJ) and karma finally caught up with him. Maybe now that smug look will be wiped off his face.

sage said...

I've heard enough about OJ--but not nearly as much as we heard in 1995. I just shake my head... no more running through the airport for him (remember those commericals?) As for Steve Jobs, it's amazing what one bit of misinformation can do to cause a spike or dip in the stock price of a company. As they say, "follow the money," and they'll probably find the guilty party.

Maggie, Dammit said...

This:

"I can't help but think that karma is a cast iron b---h, and she'll eventually catch up to you if you've chosen to lead your life in a way that would make your Kindergarten teacher shake her head in shame."

is awesome.

Catherine said...

It bothers me when legitimate news sites start publishing pieces from anonymous informants. Most people can distinguish ill-informed bloggers from paid journalists, but the two shouldn't mix.

Nestor Family said...

At first, I thought that it was funny how the Apple stock dove with the fake report (such fear!)... but then I realized that deep down I was appalled that someone would fake such a story. Let's remember what is funny and not funny, people!

OJ, smo-jay... I agree with maggie, dammit and think your line is brilliant!

Anonymous said...

I have to admit finding some satisfaction in OJ's conviction. What the Brown and Goldman families have been through is too much to imagine. And just consider the children!?

:sigh:

Debbie said...

Glad the chaos is over and hope the judge will lock him up for a very long time. It cost the taxpayers a lot of money again.

Being here in LV - driving downtown was quite bothersom due to the media.

Karma always wins.