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Reader reaction to Reuters news

April 8th, 2009

Hippo-crites?

Posted by: Robert Basler

On April 7th, 2009, a video on the Lifestyle page of Reuters.com was titled “Zoo Welcomes Baby Hippo”. But the video clearly showed a Rhinoceros. How can anyone mistake a Rhino for a Hippo? Please make the necessary corrections.

Zaheen
We pulled that one down and corrected it, but not before readers noticed; GBU Editor

April 6th, 2009

Earth Hour?

Posted by: Robert Basler

World switches off to save planet in “Earth Hour”

BILLION PEOPLE TAKE PART

Australia first held Earth Hour in 2007 and it went global in 2008, attracting 50 million people, organisers say. WWF, which started the event, is hoping one billion people from nearly 90 countries will take part.

Your subhead says one billion people participated? At the time this was posted the entire world hadn’t even gotten to “earth hour.” Did you just make this number up? Why not report the news truthfully and stop pushing an agenda?
Tom
Don’t your journalists know about who, what, when, where and why? The story I read never said WHEN Earth Hour was!
Amazed
We got our share of criticism over this one in the blogosphere. Yes, every version of the story should have made the time element of the event clear, and no, that subhead should not baldly have said that a billion people were taking part: GBU Editor

The Eiffel Tower is pictured during Earth Hour in Paris March 28, 2009. More than 80 countries have signed up for Earth Hour on Saturday in which homes, office towers and landmarks will turn off their lights from 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

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March 30th, 2009

A tall mountain, without any Redoubt

Posted by: Robert Basler

I just watched a video with voice-over about the eruption of Mt. Redoubt in Alaska.

In the video, the reporter mentions “the over 100,000 foot volcano”.

According to Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia, the actual elevation of this mountain is 10,197 feet.

But really, it isn’t necessary to look this up to know that there is no mountain on earth which even comes close to an elevation of 100,000 feet. It is disconcerting that the reporter would make such a basic mistake and that no one would catch it.

John

A number of readers pointed out that this would be a very, very, very tall mountain. We fixed the voice-over: GBU Editor

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March 19th, 2009

They joined…

Posted by: Robert Basler

China wants importers to cover some emission costs

China, like the United States, did not join the 17-year-old Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants linked to climate change problems.

There is a significant factual error in this article. China has signed and ratified the Kyoto treaty, along with much of the world, the United States has not.

J.L.

Yes. We corrected: GBU Editor

An airplane flies near a gas flare from a factory at Keihin industrial zone in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, in a 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

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March 4th, 2009

After while, crocodile!

Posted by: Robert Basler

Florida tests using magnets to repel crocodiles

MIAMI (Reuters) - Florida wildlife managers have launched an experiment to see if they can keep crocodiles from returning to residential neighborhoods by temporarily taping magnets to their heads to disrupt their “homing” ability.

Unless crocodiles have migrated to this country without the government knowing, the creatures in your article should be alligators.

A.J.B.

A number of readers disputed this, but our story was correct,  Clearly, alligators are far more plentiful than crocodiles in Florida, but the experiment we wrote about was with crocs, and we believe the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission knows the difference.

You may wish to visit Everglades National Park, where you can see both animals, and the rangers will be happy to point out which are which: GBU Editor

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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February 24th, 2009

To legume it may concern…

Posted by: Robert Basler

British study points to peanut allergy treatment

Scientists say peanut allergies are on the rise worldwide, but nobody knows why. There is no cure and people with the condition must avoid even the tiniest amount of food containing the nut.

Previous attempts to gradually build people’s immunity to nuts failed after producing serious side effects, possibly because the trials involved injections rather than the more gentle doses the Cambridge team used, the researchers said.

This article keeps referring to peanuts as nuts. Peanuts are NOT nuts. They are more of a type of bean and are a member of the legume family, along with peas, lentils, and chickpeas.

Catherine

Several readers pointed this out to us, and of course they have a very good point. Still, when you’re sitting at the bar and the peanut bowl is empty, you probably say  “Please bring me some more nuts,” not “Please bring me some more legumes.” GBU Editor

A vendor sells peanuts at the Voi market, south of Hanoi, in a 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Kham

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January 8th, 2009

Sickened by pet food?

Posted by: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Editor

Salmonella outbreak sickens 388 across US- CDC

Salmonella-contaminated dry pet food sickened at least 79 people, including many young children, in October and November.

Your story says pet food sickened people. Is this for real? Or is it a blooper? May I be first to declare it!

M.E.

Several readers noticed this. Yes, it’s for real. People handled the contaminated food, and got salmonella: GBU Editor

Veterinarian expert Svetlana Holoshnya of St.Petersburg’s region
laboratory holds up a test-tube with Salmonella bacteria obtained from
U.S. poultry March 12, 2002. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk

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December 19th, 2008

He wasn’t the President…

Posted by: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Editor

UN climate talks progress on aid for poor nations

POZNAN, Poland, Dec 12 (Reuters) - U.N. climate talks made progress on Friday towards launching a fund to help poor nations adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as floods, droughts or rising sea levels, after two weeks of deadlock.

Former U.S. President Al Gore won the biggest applause of the two-week conference with a speech predicting a far more active U.S. climate policy under President-elect Barack Obama after President George. W Bush.

Al Gore is not a former U.S president. He served for eight years as vice-president under Bill Clinton.

Joe V.

Not surprisingly, a number of readers noticed this one. We corrected: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Kacper Pempel

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November 25th, 2008

Portable water?

Posted by: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly Editor

Astronauts work on space station water recycler

“We want to get this system running as soon as possible so we can process urine and verify that we have good portable water coming out the other side,” said station flight engineer Sandra Magnus during an in-flight interview.

Should portable not be potable? As in… drinkable?

James W.

Of course. We corrected: GBU Editor

Following a space-to-Earth news conference on November 21, 2008 members of the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour crew posed for a group portrait on the orbital outpost. Astronaut Donald Pettit appears at photo center. Just below Pettit is astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshin-Piper. Clockwise from her position are astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Steve Bowen, Eric Boe, Chris Ferguson and Michael Fincke, along with cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov, and astronauts Sandra Magnus and Gregory Chamitoff in this photo released by NASA November 22, 2008. REUTERS/NASA

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November 14th, 2008

Wine reference causes ferment…

Posted by: Robert Basler

Green Living: Going raw sparks life change — and a movie

Norwood said eating raw did not have to be dull. Wine is distilled not fermented so is raw and you can get raw chocolate.

You may wish to revise this sentence, as wine is most certainly fermented.

Matthew P.

Yes. Several readers pointed this out. We corrected: GBU Editor

REUTERS photo by Bobby Yip

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