Why Do News Broadcasts Mix Up Arctic and Antarctic Wildlife?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the mixing up of Arctic and Antarctic wildlife in news broadcasts, specifically focusing on a recent NBC story that incorrectly included footage of penguins while discussing Arctic sea-ice loss. Participants express frustration over the error and explore the implications of such mistakes in media reporting.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant highlights the error in the NBC broadcast, pointing out the inclusion of penguins in an Arctic story, questioning the competence of the news team.
  • Another suggests that viewers should complain to NBC about the mistake, indicating a desire for accountability in media reporting.
  • Some participants jokingly speculate about the possibility of "flying penguins" or penguins migrating between poles, adding a humorous tone to the discussion.
  • There are references to the challenges of providing feedback to news organizations, with some participants expressing frustration over the difficulty of contacting NBC.
  • Several posts shift the conversation towards playful language use, with participants discussing the idea of "verbifying" words like pizza and chili, which diverges from the original topic.
  • One participant raises a humorous philosophical question about the symmetry of hot dogs and buns, suggesting a deeper inquiry into food-related topics.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the frustration regarding the mixing up of Arctic and Antarctic wildlife in news broadcasts, but the discussion also branches into humor and playful language, indicating a lack of consensus on the seriousness of the issue.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes a mix of serious commentary on media accuracy and light-hearted banter, which may affect the focus on the original topic of wildlife misrepresentation.

  • #31
Astronuc said:
There's no limit on the number condiments on a single hot dog, as long as you can taste each one.
I like that answer! That's my hot dog philosophy. I still have a quantum hot-dog problem, though. It relates to symmetry. Why does one component of a ball-park frank (the dog) seem to appear in groups of 8 while the complementary component (the roll) seems to occur in multiples of 6? If we can solve this, the TOE is just around the corner.
 
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  • #32
Astronuc said:
I will pizza tonight.

Will you pizza with me?


Let's biscuit the whole thing.

:smile:

Okay, I found an email address for the nightly news (nightly@nbc.com) and sent them a short note about their error, suggesting they at least change it in the version on the website that will continue to be shown. Who knows if they actually read their email though, or how quickly they get to it.
 
  • #33
Moonbear said:
:smile:

Okay, I found an email address for the nightly news (nightly@nbc.com) and sent them a short note about their error, suggesting they at least change it in the version on the website that will continue to be shown. Who knows if they actually read their email though, or how quickly they get to it.
Once that gets through the lackeys, assistant-aides, aides, a$$-kissers, etc to the producers, it will be a moot point. The spot will air uncorrected all over the country. Ivan and Tsu, please watch NBC tonight and see if we still have arctic penguins! My money is on NBC-mandated arctic penguins.
 
  • #34
I JUST SAW THE PENGUINS!

Wow. Nice, NBC...nice.
 
  • #35
Thanks, lisab. I know that I am not crazy, but that clip was just out of this (rational) world. I'm certain that the penguins featured prominently in that 15-year-old girl's trek to the North Pole, if only the NBC producers could educate us dummies.
 
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  • #36
turbo-1 said:
Thanks, lisab. I know that I am not crazy, but that clip was just out of this (rational) world. I'm certain that the penguins featured prominently in that 15-year-old girl's trek to the North Pole, if only the NBC producers could educate us dummies.

It's a shame that she probably had some really cool footage they could have used, and instead they resorted to some stock footage, probably to avoid paying a 15 year old royalties.
 
  • #37
Good catch Turbo! I saw the news spot but didn't notice the blooper.
 
  • #38
Geez, guys. Try reading a book once in a while ... like Mr Popper's Penguins.

Hmmm, it turns out that was a children's fiction book, not a documentary. How depressing. :frown:
 
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