Meta News Verification Service

May 13, 2003 5:02 AM

I thought that link about the internet enabled loo smelled funny. It turned out to be one of those many internet enabled hoaxes. People's general gullibility (including my own) makes me wonder about the viability of a Meta-news service like the proposed "MoJo."
If professional journalists have problems getting their facts straight, what chance do a buncha amateurs?
posted by jpburns to MetaFilter-Related at 5:02 AM (12 comments total)

... uh, have?

(I need a copyeditor)
posted by jpburns at 5:09 AM on May 13, 2003

I'd say collaborative journalism would be better at avoiding being taken in, since you have more drones to do fact-checking instead of one reporter not wanting to let the facts get in the way of a good story. (not that this was a good story.. but who am I to judge?)
posted by Space Coyote at 5:53 AM on May 13, 2003

Take in? Gullible? The information came directly from Microsoft and it's marketing agency. How can journalists be blamed when they asked Microsoft directly and they confirmed the story. Hello? Microsoft confirmed the story?
posted by y6y6y6 at 6:06 AM on May 13, 2003

microsoft has in the past also confirmed the release of the LazyBoy Explorer, an internet recliner which i have never seen in any store. they have also claimed from time to time to create working software, however, this we beleive to be disinformation designed to discourage other software firms, since functional microsoft software has rarely been spotted in the wild.
posted by quonsar at 6:45 AM on May 13, 2003

quonsar, why do you hate America Microsoft so much?
posted by yhbc at 6:48 AM on May 13, 2003

i'm a filthy liberal. i support underaged inter-species cross-pollinating barnyard sex between consenting atheists, i'm in favor of post-natal abortion, government-funded national toenail care, and hate anybody who has money or is successful. why?
posted by quonsar at 7:38 AM on May 13, 2003

it's obvious that all these people that reported on the iLoo had nothing to go on.
posted by blue_beetle at 11:14 AM on May 13, 2003

*ta-da-bump!*
posted by quonsar at 11:23 AM on May 13, 2003

... hate anybody who has money or is successful.
You are among friends here, then.
posted by dg at 3:35 PM on May 13, 2003

Not a hoax after all.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:21 PM on May 13, 2003

Wait....... How do we know if they're telling the truth this time? I think they're just yanking our chain again. Someone has a bet about how many times they can reverse themselves.
posted by y6y6y6 at 9:14 PM on May 13, 2003

More drama.
posted by ginz at 9:47 AM on May 14, 2003