When you log-on to your favorite South Florida news website, you expect just that – real news. A tipster was surfing NBC6.net this Saturday, and clicked on the “Top Video” section on the home page. The first video there was labeled: “Breaking News: NBC 6’s Shaneeva Yassin On Emergency Landing At Ft. Lauderdale Airport.” The video is here:
“We have breaking news just coming into the NBC6 newsroom. Right now, a plane is about to make an emergency landing at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, after pilots reported a fire on-board the plane. The US Airways A319 was on its way to Ft. Lauderdale from Charlotte, when the crew first smelled smoke, and they say, they spotted a fire in the cabin about 20 minutes ago. Right now, the plane is on it’s final approach. Emergency crews are waiting on the ground for the plane to land. Now, the plane is carrying 120 passengers. Our helicopter is on route, and we will bring you live pictures of this emergency landing… as it happens.”
Sounds serious, right? Here’s the problem…
…It never happened. There were several reports from Shaneeva Yassin, who used to do WTVJ’s Internet programming. Reports posted in the “Top Video” section varied. One even warned of an active mall shooting, alerting people who may be inside the mall to “remain inside.” These are all for her resume tape, and somehow, all made their way online to the homepage of NBC6.net as top news story videos. The plane landing was fake and done for her tape, as was the mall shooting. It never happened. So you may ask, how does this happen? It’s possible that thousands of people logged onto NBC6.net, watched the videos, and thought they were real. To the untrained eye, these reports look fairly real. I’ve spoken with multiple NBC6 insiders, and the only possibility that they can come up with as of why this happened, was the hire of a new technical team. Most of the NBCMiami.com team is in place, and that’s really the only explanation we can think of. Lack of experience.Now, to WTVJ’s credit, they did remove the videos from the homepage – two days after they were posted. Horrible, if you ask me.
It’s bad enough the content made it up on the site. But for the ten zillionth time, interns: DO NOT MAKE UP STUFF FOR YOUR RESUME TAPE. There’s enough ACTUAL NEWS to report on, just go report on it! You are auditioning for a job where the ability to gather facts and information are paramount – at least they used to be. Why would anyone want to hire you if you’re already making stuff up?!
I guess NBC can’t afford professional staffing to run the website, so now an O & O is little more than a local branch of the Columbia School of Broadcasting. As for making up news, journalism is not creative writing, it is writing creatively. You are supposed to take the facts and make the story compelling on its own merits. But I guess with a hack like Yvette Miley running the show, we should not be surprised. I miss the old days–you proved yourself in the smaller markets, and got moved up to a major metro station when you were almost ready for network. The local news operations in TV and newsprint haven’t yet discovered that they are writing their own obituaries.
Almost forgot…”smelt” is a kind of fish or a method of processing metal. You meant “smelled.” I bet you don’t know the difference between “should have” and “should of” either. If you see the contraction, “should’ve,” I would hope you’d get it.
Wasn’t me. It was the software i used to transcribe the video. 🙂
FYI: The video died when they flipped the switch to NBCMiami.com
This was just a mistake, cut her some slack .. They obviously were going through some new management changes and it accidentily got posted, not the worst thing in the world.
I believe this story was first broke on Newsblues.
I love how this web site steals a frame grab off Ch6’s copyrighted web site and then puts there URL watermark on it.
What’s the matter SFLTV, you don’t want anyone to steal the image you stole?
SFLTV might want to check it’s own disclaimer.
DISCLAIMER
Copyrights
All multimedia files and their content, logos, music and slogans are copyright by their respective owners. SFLTV does not claim ownership, creation or any sort of involvement in the creative works featured on this site unless specifically noted.
And YOU might want to check your IQ. The image does not limit the copyright holder’s ability to profit from the original source, nor will it dilute the importance or recognition of the screen capture in connection with its organization. The image enhances the article in which it’s displayed, as it provides an immediate relevance to the reader than the textual description alone. Use of the screen capture visually identifies the station’s programming and ownership. Copyright 101, used on all websites.
The water mark doesn’t claim ownership. We put it there so that once the videos were taken off of the main page, we would have proof that it was still there. Can you be arrested for being stupid? I have to write my congressman.
What happened to the news worthy posts on this site, not the exaggerated gossip columns and comments? Talk about people talking about someone or a network when it was clear what happened … a mistake … that was corrected!
I, and others in the past, have and are asking, Alex, why are you using this blog to express your “personal” displeasure? And I know what he’ll say … as he always does: “I’m simply incorporating my own personal views (that by the way, do not represent sfltv’s) with the facts.” :: Roll of the eyes ::
It’ s just funny and childish how people just blew it out of proportion, including the admin, who made people think they were reading the National Enquirer, making a big deal out of nothing. Here’s why I think so: Apparently it wasn’t the “FIRST video there,” as your story claimed, but was actually at the very bottom, along with the other weeks and months old videos that no one would’ve usually thought were very relevant anymore (check out the location of the scroll down tab is in the video section in “sfltv’s image” above. It’s almost at the bottom of the over two dozen videos on the site.) And the videos were apparently removed off the site before your big Monday post from what I saw after being on the site. Talk about trying to get more clicks!
From what I heard (from my credible source), the mall shooting was a real story but recorded earlier. The other one was a breaking news practice run, not meant for a reveal and not part of an actual resume tape. I think when it’s some type of an error that was corrected then I could see how it was not the big deal you made it out to be.
Speaking of hearing things, I also heard that the “insiders” and “friends” of the admin and SFLTV.com are never negatively talked about on this site. Convenient, if you ask me.
(And I’m not associated with WTVJ and I love(d) SFLTV.com, don’t get me wrong, but just getting tired of the sensationalized bull this website has become!)