# Which news execs should resign over the doll hostage incident? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 5, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534 "2005-02-05T16:35:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/1 "2005-02-05T16:35:17Z")
Given that CBS fired and forced resignations for being gulled by a planted nesw story, which Fox and CNN execs should be forced to resign over being gulled by the Muslim terrorist group that claimed to have kidnapped an American serviceman, running stories and photos from the Muslim terrorist group’s website, and only later discovering that the photos clearly showed an action figure being threatened with a tiny plastic gun. To me this shows a level of credibility and stupidity that is far beyond anything Rather’s team did. So, who gets fired? I’m all agog? And when will that Novak guy get fired? Just think of me as Madame LaFarge … ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/2 "2005-02-05T17:03:25Z")
I don’t see any reason for anyone to quit. How will that help anything? Mistakes _will_ happen. If someone was grossly not doing his/her job correctly, then perhaps a firing is in order. If it was just a simple mistake, then whatever. Learn and move on. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/3 "2005-02-05T18:12:35Z")
Has anyone yet figured out whether: - a (fanatical) Muslim group put it on their web site? - a (fanatical) Muslim group was hacked by some kids who put it on their web site? - some kids put up a _phony_ (fanatical) Muslim web site? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/4 "2005-02-05T18:32:49Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I don’t see any reason for anyone to quit. How will that help anything? Mistakes _will_ happen. If someone was grossly not doing his/her job correctly, then perhaps a firing is in order. If it was just a simple mistake, then whatever. Learn and move on. I have to disagree. Rather was driven out for not checking his facts and putting out an untrue report. This was despite a long long career and a relatively good reputation. If the yardstick of complete accuracy and “due diligence” applies to him, it applies to ALL. If not, then I suppose there is some truth in any and all claims that the “Pursuit Of Truth” destruction of Rather’s distinguished career was just more partisan garbage. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/5 "2005-02-05T18:47:33Z")
Isn’t the idea behind reporting news first confirm, then report? I follow this rule on my websites, where I report drug deaths. About half I have been told about by family members don’t appear on my sites. My guess is almost all of these reports are true. However, I don’t report such absent direct confirmation with the coroner. Proof first, news report later. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/6 "2005-02-05T18:50:20Z")
None of them should be fired. They should just have their pictures and names released publicly so we can all get a chuckle over who fell for the kidnapped doll. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/7 "2005-02-05T19:55:24Z")
I’m all for a round of public humiliations and firings. After all, it’s no more than they generally ask for (in one manner or another) when reporting some sort of government fuck up. Just my $.02, YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/8 "2005-02-05T20:22:54Z")
Why? I wasn’t able to _immediately_ determine from the grainy photo that it was absolutely, postively a doll until the manuf of the items said "Yes it’s ours. Quite frankly the gun poking in from the side looked more fake than the doll. Having said this, I do sort of suspect (possibly incorrectly) that the relatively high up, older decision making news executives that would vet this are somewhat isolated from everday life, and all the little play objects like solider dolls and such, that would be immediately recognizable to many younger people or parents with school age children, and thus would probably be easy to fool with a variety of different stunts. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/9 "2005-02-05T21:34:19Z")
My immediate thought after reading the title of the thread was, “Which news bloggers should resign over the fake Kerry-has-a-mistress incident?” Methinks some folks are getting a tad overeager to throw out traditional journalists. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/10 "2005-02-05T21:58:02Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Has anyone yet figured out whether: > > - a (fanatical) Muslim group put it on their web site? > - a (fanatical) Muslim group was hacked by some kids who put it on their web site? > - some kids put up a _phony_ (fanatical) Muslim web site? Doesn’t really matter who pulled the wool over their eyes. The wool was pulled, but good. They were dumber than my dick. But hey, they might not be liberals, so let’s not fire 'em. Wouldn’t be proper. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/11 "2005-02-05T22:00:33Z")
My thoughts exactly, Evil. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/12 "2005-02-05T22:03:21Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > But hey, they might not be liberals, so let’s not fire 'em. Wouldn’t be proper. Ah, what the hell…fire 'em anyway. If there are any conservatives among them, it wouldn’t amount to more than two or three out of a hundred. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/13 "2005-02-05T22:03:35Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > My immediate thought after reading the title of the thread was, “Which news bloggers should resign over the fake Kerry-has-a-mistress incident?” > > Methinks some folks are getting a tad overeager to throw out traditional journalists. I just think if you’re gonna have standards, they ought to be applied equally to all. The only oxen I see getting gored nowadays are Democratic/liberal/moderate oxen. Conservative “journalists” can apparently call the opposition traitors, expose cover CIA agents in their columns, etc. and not suffer ANY setbacks because of it. I’m not saying the journalists in question over the GI D’oh! incident were partisans of any stripe, or that they fell for it because they were partisans. Just that if you’re going to fire Rather for credulous reporting, then there are some OTHER people who need to be fired over the G.I. D’oh! incident. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/14 "2005-02-05T22:05:13Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > Ah, what the hell…fire 'em anyway. If there are any conservatives among them, it wouldn’t amount to more than two or three out of a hundred. > > 😃 Would that you were right. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/15 "2005-02-05T22:11:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Doesn’t really matter who pulled the wool over their eyes. The wool was pulled, but good. They were dumber than my dick. But hey, they might not be liberals, so let’s not fire 'em. Wouldn’t be proper. Actually, I only asked the question because I was curious if anyone had figured out the answer, yet. _How_ it was staged or _who_ staged it has no bearing on the future careers of network guys, but I am curious as to what actually happened. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/16 "2005-02-05T23:06:47Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Actually, I only asked the question because I was curious if anyone had figured out the answer, yet. _How_ it was staged or _who_ staged it has no bearing on the future careers of network guys, but I am curious as to what actually happened. It’s a _doll_. Propped up on a photoshopped background. That’s about it. See here [Alex Jones' Endgame](http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2005/040205perspective.htm) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/17 "2005-02-05T23:13:19Z")
Rather and the others were forced out not because of the fake memo, but because they defended it for 12 days, despite overwhelming evidence that the memo was a fake. News of captured American soldiers is going to break quickly. Who knows, this may have brought the hoax to light more quickly, as the commanders said, “What? Captured? Quick, count heads!” and the toymakers said, “Hmmm. That looks a lot like the Commander Cody doll. Better investigate.” ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/18 "2005-02-06T00:03:52Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Rather and the others were forced out not because of the fake memo, but because they defended it for 12 days, despite overwhelming evidence that the memo was a fake. > > News of captured American soldiers is going to break quickly. Who knows, this may have brought the hoax to light more quickly, as the commanders said, “What? Captured? Quick, count heads!” and the toymakers said, “Hmmm. That looks a lot like the Commander Cody doll. Better investigate.” Right. The hoax was caught quickly enough that the first time I got a look at it WAS on the report that some news orgs had been hoaxed. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/19 "2005-02-06T00:18:54Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s a doll. Propped up on a photoshopped background. That’s about it. I think I noticed that. However, the story broke that the image was discovered on the website of some Islamist group. The questions I had were - did some silly Islamists actually put up a picture of a doll so that they would upset the American public? - did some kids crack an Islamist site to make the site look foolish? - did some kids create a bogus site that pretended to be Islamist to play a prank? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534/20 "2005-02-06T05:52:25Z")
Does anyone have a link to the original article? That would make the discussion a little easier. > [@SteveG1](#): > > If the yardstick of complete accuracy and “due diligence” applies to him, it applies to ALL. CNN and FOX are not CBS. Why should one company base its firing policy on some other company’s policy? > [@Evil Captor](#): > > Just that if you’re going to fire Rather for credulous reporting, then there are some OTHER people who need to be fired over the G.I. D’oh! incident. Why? How does this make the world a better place? It has to be “fair”? Maybe Rather got screwed. This is all irrelevant though, because as **ivylass** mentioned, we’re dealing with rather different situations. Even good journalists make mistakes sometimes. It happens. Yes, there should be mechanisms in place to discourage sloppiness, but I don’t see how screaming “Off with their heads!” whenever there is a little screw up is a good thing. A good journalist will acknoweldge his/her error and move on. A bad journalist will throw a tantrum for nearly two weeks. If the responsible party is a bad journalist, then a career change is in order. No one has established that the responsible party just made a simple error or is in fact a bad journalist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-news-execs-should-resign-over-the-doll-hostage-incident/288534.md?page=2)