The Chant of the Barbie Dolls

Take this very recent example, as a case in point, of how it would seem as if it's easy to dupe poor, unsuspecting, trusting, naive journalists and their editors:

I came across this on the Irish Independent's online site:

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/frustrated-ryanair-passenger-eats-euro10000-winning-scratchcard-2084291.html

A quick google search revealed it has been picked up all over the place:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=ryanair+passenger+eats+winning+scratch+card&meta=&aq=f&oq=

I viewed a few of the articles: they are pretty much verbatim copies of each other. The BBC did at least have the decency to edit out the line saying that the passenger "should have availed of our range of tasty snacks" instead of eating his lottery ticket.

I haven't found any articles that appear to wonder whether or not this MAY be a publicity stunt. I mean it MAY have happened - some guy on a flight MAY have actually eaten, or appeared to eat, a scratch card that he claimed was a winner in front of people, and the crew MAY have confirmed it was a winning ticket.......

One or two comments on articles have suggested it was a publicity stunt with a hired actor.

But come on? Really? Doesn't this SOUND like it MIGHT just be a publicity stunt? I mean donating 10k to charity is a fine thing, but in return for this kind of free advertising? Isn't it a little obvious? I mean even if it is absolutely and genuinely true, who cares?

On the other hand, on the plus side, I did find the article useful as a) I didn't know Ryanair fly to Krakow, and b) they have a range of tasty snacks available on board that cost less than EUR10,000? Wow, who knew?

A google search for "Richard Gray" seems to indicate he may write for the Telegraph, as, or all things, a science correspondent, would you believe:

http://www.journalisted.com/richard-gray

http://blogs.journalism.co.uk/editors/tag/richard-gray/

I realise this isn't an earth shattering political revelation or anything, but aren't journalists supposed to be world weary cynics who've seen it all? Isn't this a bit blatant? Don't editorial filters shut this kind of thing out?

I think what this shows is that "yes, it really is THIS easy to manipulate the media".

Whenever a story fits the "dominant media narrative" (in these cases, pleasingly: 'Chavez is a loony' or 'Ryanair passengers are loony chavs') it appears as if it's surprisingly easy to get it widely publicized, irrespective of whether it's true or not, or whether there's any real evidence produced for it.

I'm not one of those men who, to paraphrase Jane Austen, seeks to
recommend himself to members of the opposite sex by denigrating his own,
but let's face it: men, on the whole, are vulgar, unhygienic pigs. Take
for example basic toilet training. From my personal, lifelong experience
in the (proper) usage of men's conveniences, I've found that the
incidence of rigorous hand washing is sadly low. And I'm not just
talking about those of us in for quick shake of the lamb's tail either -
I mean when there's heavy duty action as well. It's horrifyingly common to
see men emerge from cubicles and exiting, strutting proudly without so
much as a nod towards the sink. I'm not even going to discuss the diets
of most men, which, on the basis of the acoustic fireworks detonating
from cubicle stalls, resembling not so much a natural activity but more
of a sustained mortar shell attack on a gas canister factory, seem to
comprise one fourth gun powder, one fourth semtex and one half vindaloo.

Anyhow, another vulgar habit many men have is spread-eagling themselves
when they sit down on the tube as if they're about to give birth to a
fully grown rhinoceros. I was the victim of this the other day on a
Victoria line tube. A flabby, clammy calf and thigh were thrust wide and
summarily pressed against my own, quite parallel knees. Now, even those
of us sporting the most tightly packed of lunch boxes don't need our
knees at such an obtuse angle. Rather than giving ground to this
encroachment, I decided it was time to take a stand and beat back the
aggressor. I gently but firmly applied pressure back. Slowly but surely
in a silent war of pressed thigh, I beat back the invader to his own
territory. Interestingly, the tremendous amount of jiggling that the
Victoria line does between Kings Cross and Highbury and Islington helped
quite a bit in regaining my lebensraum. It was only afterwards that it
occurred to me that pressing my thigh up against a strange man on the
tube could potentially be misconstrued. So blokes, if you find yourself
on a tube and you think someone is pressing up against your sweaty
calves and thigh, don't take it as an advance (or a threat) - just
readjust the angle of your knees please. And please don't offer to shake
hands.