Hackwatch is a regular feature in Private Eye exposing various and invariably unflattering examples of journalism.
Examples
*Joined-Up Editing Award
Congratulations to The Daily Telegraph, which on 26 February 2007 ran a long article about the evils of "the casino culture" - a harrowing account of the wretched, debt-ridden existence that most punters have in the U.S. and that the UK is about to replicate. Shortly before the piece appeared, subscribers to the Telegraph online service were bombared with special offers from "Ritz Casino online", a casino which is owned by David and Frederick Barclay, proprietors of the The Daily Telegraph.
*The Observer Magazine, Barbara Ellen - "If I hear one more paper refer to Carol Caplin as 'a former topless model...". The Observer, page 7, "Carol Caplin, a former topless model."
Examples
*Joined-Up Editing Award
Congratulations to The Daily Telegraph, which on 26 February 2007 ran a long article about the evils of "the casino culture" - a harrowing account of the wretched, debt-ridden existence that most punters have in the U.S. and that the UK is about to replicate. Shortly before the piece appeared, subscribers to the Telegraph online service were bombared with special offers from "Ritz Casino online", a casino which is owned by David and Frederick Barclay, proprietors of the The Daily Telegraph.
*The Observer Magazine, Barbara Ellen - "If I hear one more paper refer to Carol Caplin as 'a former topless model...". The Observer, page 7, "Carol Caplin, a former topless model."
The Spin Starts Here ("TSSH") is a defunct collective/group blog written by a number of anonymous Australian authors who claim to move in political, media, and journalism circles. It now functions as a message board.
History
Commenced in 2002, the collective/group blog was setup with the intent of knocking down the Tall Poppies within Australian society and culture. Operated by "Caz" and "The Hack" (not their real names), the site claims nearly two thousand regular members and a group of twenty current writers.
The site has taken on a number of sacred cows during its lifespan, of particular note being a campaign against Delta Goodrem where it was fictiously alleged that she had taken out a civil suit against Kylie Minogue for infringing upon Goodrem's marketing strategy (Minogue had infringed on her marketing strategy). This story was accidentally picked up by Sydney-based Newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald who reported it as fact.
They have also tangled with Marieke Hardy and her involvement with the TV show Last Man Standing, written for the Seven Network and screened in 2005
Important Events
*In 2005, TSSH was inducted into the Pandora Archive by the National Library of Australia for being "..of lasting cultural value".
*On 1 April 2007 Caz and The Hack announced that they were leaving the site, and became a collaborative community-centered site, run by Téa Brennan, who designs and maintains the website of singer Lisa Loeb.
*On 25 January 2008, due to hacking, by Ernie Dingo , and password authorisation issues, the forum was removed from the site. The site is now no longer in operation.
History
Commenced in 2002, the collective/group blog was setup with the intent of knocking down the Tall Poppies within Australian society and culture. Operated by "Caz" and "The Hack" (not their real names), the site claims nearly two thousand regular members and a group of twenty current writers.
The site has taken on a number of sacred cows during its lifespan, of particular note being a campaign against Delta Goodrem where it was fictiously alleged that she had taken out a civil suit against Kylie Minogue for infringing upon Goodrem's marketing strategy (Minogue had infringed on her marketing strategy). This story was accidentally picked up by Sydney-based Newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald who reported it as fact.
They have also tangled with Marieke Hardy and her involvement with the TV show Last Man Standing, written for the Seven Network and screened in 2005
Important Events
*In 2005, TSSH was inducted into the Pandora Archive by the National Library of Australia for being "..of lasting cultural value".
*On 1 April 2007 Caz and The Hack announced that they were leaving the site, and became a collaborative community-centered site, run by Téa Brennan, who designs and maintains the website of singer Lisa Loeb.
*On 25 January 2008, due to hacking, by Ernie Dingo , and password authorisation issues, the forum was removed from the site. The site is now no longer in operation.
Ouze Merham is a fictitious character, made out to be a general in the Israeli Defense Forces, who allegedly interviewed Ariel Sharon in 1956. The interview, first appeared on Muslim websites in mid-2001 during the al-Aqsa Intifada, turned out to have been a hoax. Sharon, who was Prime Minister of Israel when the interview appeared in public, never made such an interview and the Israeli army has no record of a general by the name Ouze Merham.
The hoax quotation is frequently used as anti-Israel propaganda. It was a winner of the 'Annual Islamophobia Awards' held by Islamic Human Rights Commission on May 31, 2003.
The alleged quote
In the quote, Sharon allegedly said:
"I don’t know something called International Principles. I vow that I’ll burn every Palestinian child (that) will be born in this area. The Palestinian women and child is more dangerous than the man, because the Palestinian child’s existence infers that generations will go on, but the man causes limited danger. I vow that if I was just an Israeli civilian and I met a Palestinian I would burn him and I would make him suffer before killing him. With one hit I've killed 750 Palestinians (in Rafah in 1956). I wanted to encourage my soldiers by raping Arabic girls as the Palestinian woman is a slave for Jews, and we do whatever we want to her and nobody tells us what we shall do but we tell others what they shall do."
A hoax
Some evidence of the quote's falsehood:
* There is no record of any Israeli general named "Ouze Merham" existing, nor any record of Sharon giving such an interview in 1956. It is also unclear why an Israeli general would interview Sharon (who, at the time, was only a major), and then publish the interview.
Islamic Human Rights Commission award
The Islamic Human Rights Commission announced Sharon as the "winner" of the "Most Islamophobic International Politician of the Year’," during its "Annual Islamophobia Awards" ceremony, for the "Ouze Merham" interview. The host told the "Palestinian freedom fighter" who accepted the award on Sharon's behalf to "give this to Sharon personally".
Other Media Usage
Student columnist Mariam Sobh used the quote in her December 11, 2003 Daily Illini column, but later apologized.
The hoax quotation is frequently used as anti-Israel propaganda. It was a winner of the 'Annual Islamophobia Awards' held by Islamic Human Rights Commission on May 31, 2003.
The alleged quote
In the quote, Sharon allegedly said:
"I don’t know something called International Principles. I vow that I’ll burn every Palestinian child (that) will be born in this area. The Palestinian women and child is more dangerous than the man, because the Palestinian child’s existence infers that generations will go on, but the man causes limited danger. I vow that if I was just an Israeli civilian and I met a Palestinian I would burn him and I would make him suffer before killing him. With one hit I've killed 750 Palestinians (in Rafah in 1956). I wanted to encourage my soldiers by raping Arabic girls as the Palestinian woman is a slave for Jews, and we do whatever we want to her and nobody tells us what we shall do but we tell others what they shall do."
A hoax
Some evidence of the quote's falsehood:
* There is no record of any Israeli general named "Ouze Merham" existing, nor any record of Sharon giving such an interview in 1956. It is also unclear why an Israeli general would interview Sharon (who, at the time, was only a major), and then publish the interview.
Islamic Human Rights Commission award
The Islamic Human Rights Commission announced Sharon as the "winner" of the "Most Islamophobic International Politician of the Year’," during its "Annual Islamophobia Awards" ceremony, for the "Ouze Merham" interview. The host told the "Palestinian freedom fighter" who accepted the award on Sharon's behalf to "give this to Sharon personally".
Other Media Usage
Student columnist Mariam Sobh used the quote in her December 11, 2003 Daily Illini column, but later apologized.
Laser Sunday/Laser Day
A somewhat unknown holiday, Laser Sunday (second Sunday in August) started in 2007 to celebrate the birth of the laser by Theodore Maiman. It is celebrated with laser shows, laser tag events and (planned for 2008) the first use of the Neutron Laser. Believed to originate in Washington, Laser Sunday (or Laser Day) is quite unorganized, and the significance of the date is unknown.
A somewhat unknown holiday, Laser Sunday (second Sunday in August) started in 2007 to celebrate the birth of the laser by Theodore Maiman. It is celebrated with laser shows, laser tag events and (planned for 2008) the first use of the Neutron Laser. Believed to originate in Washington, Laser Sunday (or Laser Day) is quite unorganized, and the significance of the date is unknown.