DIRTSHEETZ~! THREAD

[jstout 2,819]

Okay, as someone who makes his bones in journalism, and writing about the law in particular:

1) If someone is pressing charges, you constantly have to say things like "allegedly" in order to hedge. For example: When the police arrested O.J., articles should have said "The LAPD arrested O.J. Simpson for allegedly murdering his wife."

2) However, if a case is solved -- a court finds a party guilty, etc. -- then you don't need to say allegedly or likely. The Philadelphia Inquirer is running a series this week on a guy arrested for raping teenagers 30 years ago. So they say "Mark Johnson raped 10 girls in 1977." (Sorry to list something so horrifying in this explanation. It's the first thing that came to mind. I just read today's story.)

However, there should be a qualifier statement early in the story. "Mark Johnson, convicted of raping several teenagers in 1977, waits for a parole hearing."

3) The Benoit case was ruled by homicide detectives as a murder-suicide. The AP and USA Today and other places with really in-depth style policies do not use that qualifying statement.

4) Using likely to hedge on the date makes some sense if the exact date of their murder wasn't determined. However, he should have written around that.

For example: It's the seven-year anniversary of when the bodies of Chris Benoit and his family were discovered.

Or

The exact date of when Benoit murdered his family has not been determined.

You can also say "LAPD officials said O.J. Simpson murdered his wife." You're not saying it, they said it. Using "police said" and "allegedly" in the same sentence is writing death. I'd much rather pin it on the police so you can say "just reporting what they told me." "Allegedly" is a loaded word in that it casts doubt in whatever you're saying it about. You can almost see the air quotes around it. Simpson "allegedly" murdered his wife.

 

You can also say "LAPD officials charged O.J. Simpson with murdering his wlfe." He's just charged, that's no statement on his guilt or innocence. Charged doesn't equal guilty.

 

Meltzer didn't have to be so easy on Benoit - you can't libel the dead. He can say "Benoit killed them, yes he did" and nothing can happen to him. It's easy for writers to get trapped in worrying about not proclaiming someone guilty, but he didn't need to throw in qualifiers.

[offspring515 1,626]

You could have always crashed into a tree, that would alleviate some of the horror and pain.

I think that's what happened to Macho Man.

[hammerva 4,849]

Anybody wouldn't happen to have the Sunday morning show with Dave and Mike after the UFC shows.  Apparently the geniuses decided to replace that Observer radio with last night show with Dave and Bryan.  I guess because it happened on the same day.  

[odessasteps 13,957]

Or the poor sound quality. Dave was apologetic about it yesterday.

[Jingus 544]

What the hell is with their beyond-sporadic schedule with free shows nowadays, anyway?  It used to make sense: "These shows are consistently free, Those shows are members-only, same schedule every week".  Now it seems to be "These shows are free whenever we damn well feel like it, and we won't bother sharing that feeling with you very often".  Worse yet, they seem to be actively hiding the archive of free shows, as if they don't want us to be able to find the damn things unless we scroll through the ENTIRE headline backlog.  

[Matt D 13,288]

What the hell is with their beyond-sporadic schedule with free shows nowadays, anyway? It used to make sense: "These shows are consistently free, Those shows are members-only, same schedule every week". Now it seems to be "These shows are free whenever we damn well feel like it, and we won't bother sharing that feeling with you very often". Worse yet, they seem to be actively hiding the archive of free shows, as if they don't want us to be able to find the damn things unless we scroll through the ENTIRE headline backlog.

You're confusing incompetence for malice.

[DougN 71]

Bryan and Dave arguing over what was the decisive factor of a worked match - the crotching or the weakened leg - made for a weird drive into work this morning.

Also, I'm sure more people will comment about it, but Dave's joke (or lack thereof) about a McMahon impersonator is just kind of pissing off your listeners.

[hammerva 4,849]

Bryan and Dave arguing over what was the decisive factor of a worked match - the crotching or the weakened leg - made for a weird drive into work this morning.

Also, I'm sure more people will comment about it, but Dave's joke (or lack thereof) about a McMahon impersonator is just kind of pissing off your listeners.

 

Bryan:  "I HATE WRESTLING"

 

To honest if anyone was going to make that comment you would thought it would be Dave 

[cool arrow 4,121]

Sometimes I think Bryan really does hate wrestling.  Or at the very least he's ambivalent about it.

[MoeCristyV.1.6 991]

So....he's better or worse than Scott Keith?

[cool arrow 4,121]

Difficult to say.  I'd have to reread something Keith wrote, and that's just not happening.

[Bix 47]

What the hell is with their beyond-sporadic schedule with free shows nowadays, anyway?  It used to make sense: "These shows are consistently free, Those shows are members-only, same schedule every week".  Now it seems to be "These shows are free whenever we damn well feel like it, and we won't bother sharing that feeling with you very often".  Worse yet, they seem to be actively hiding the archive of free shows, as if they don't want us to be able to find the damn things unless we scroll through the ENTIRE headline backlog.  

There's an RSS feed of the free shows.

[RIPPA 33,786]

Meltzer tweeting about the response he gets to roller derby stories while the US World Cup game is on is amazing

[Ryan 6,052]

Soccer with roller skates sounds like a hell of a sport idea.

[cool arrow 4,121]

Just imagine the injuries you could fake on skates!

[Stennick 16]

So....he's better or worse than Scott Keith?

 

I still to this day have no idea how he garnered any  following at all let alone made any money in writing. 

[Niners Fan in CT 15,342]

 

So....he's better or worse than Scott Keith?

 

I still to this day have no idea how he garnered any  following at all let alone made any money in writing. 

 

 

"Where did you go? Syracuse? Tough break, kid.."

[Brian Fowler 15,280]

I treasure exactly one line from Scott Keith.

 

I have no idea why, but "El Gato is Spanish for Pat Tanaka" has made me laugh for well over a decade, and I still find it funny.

 

That ends any and all praise I have for him.

[Cole Miner 329]

What the hell is with their beyond-sporadic schedule with free shows nowadays, anyway?  It used to make sense: "These shows are consistently free, Those shows are members-only, same schedule every week".  Now it seems to be "These shows are free whenever we damn well feel like it, and we won't bother sharing that feeling with you very often".  Worse yet, they seem to be actively hiding the archive of free shows, as if they don't want us to be able to find the damn things unless we scroll through the ENTIRE headline backlog.  

I haven't tried listening in around a week. Prior to that though I have been able to listen to every show they do that they do live. I just have to tune in to the stream while it is being recorded. They do them at odd hours and haven't been around for them lately. So as long as nothing has changed in the week check it out if you are online at the time.

[Jingus 544]

Keith occasionally does have some really funny lines. And more often than not he can come to the same Captain Obvious conclusions that most smarks would. Combine that with establishing himself REALLY early, in IWC terms, and he basically built a following which has never entirely faded away.

There's an RSS feed of the free shows.

Thanks, but it just takes me to a page with a bunch of random programming code-text and nothing that actually works.

[Ryan 6,052]

What browser are you using? Chrome seems to hate it. Works fine in Firefox.

[Bix 47]

Keith occasionally does have some really funny lines. And more often than not he can come to the same Captain Obvious conclusions that most smarks would. Combine that with establishing himself REALLY early, in IWC terms, and he basically built a following which has never entirely faded away.

 

There's an RSS feed of the free shows.

Thanks, but it just takes me to a page with a bunch of random programming code-text and nothing that actually works.

 

It's a RSS feed.  You have to use a RSS reader (add it to iTunes if necessary but I believe it's already listed there, use another podcatcher, or used some other kind of RSS reader) if your browser doesn't have one built in.  This link (on Feedly) should work if you just want something web based.

[odessasteps 13,957]

Great observer.com teaser headline

Powder scare at WWE headquarters today

Not as good as the "former wwe champ and podcaster returns to raw" (paraphrasing)

[jstout 2,819]

I have a friend who announces for a bunch of the local roller derby teams. I could ask him this, but I ain't gonna, 'cause he's kind of a buttmunch about his roller derby announcing. Some people take that shit SERIOUSLY. So I'll ask here:

 

Do today's roller derby people embrace the history of the sport - even though old roller derby is a worked sport - or do they shy away from it because it's worked?

 

Meltzer doesn't care for soccer. He's like a worked sport/MMA Rain Man.

[Bustronaut 4,258]

Roller Derby people will beat the crap out of you if you even MENTION it was a worked sport.