Sky news, back to RAF Fairford. Bint in studio,

"They have switched their engines on, but sometimes they switch them on two hours before take-off, to make sure they are fully warmed up".... I know the B52 airframe is old, but it is not steam-powered!

And the next day, "Let' see whether this aeroplane is about to take off".... said aircraft had no lights on, not even red beacons, nobody in it, was stationary and clearly parked up!

"How many engines have you heard switched on this morning?" The -52 has 8 each, luv......

Yesterday's Daily Telegraph. Big picture of crew standing on a steam catapult, two F18s just behind. Caption: "A Tomahawk cruise missile being launched...." and continues, "The American guided missile carrier was firing from the Red Sea"! My mother would be able to tell that the photo was of a busy flight deck!

Usual gripe - no journos seem to know the difference between the F and the GR Tornados, or their roles. To call either of them a "fighter" is a misnomer, as well.

:mad: Col North interviewed a senior US Marine. Inevitable and justifiable sadness about the loss of the Sea Knight, but it was all about the bravery of the US Marine crew with the 8 Royal Marines mentioned in the last 10 seconds as an afterthought. I know that Fox is a US network, but still....

Seems it is not just the journos making gaffes on camera...Fox TV featured an American soldier who seemed to have forgotten his lines during an interview deep in bandit country.

The soldier had apparently been riding on a fast armoured vehicle in a convoy when it came under fire. The conversation went something like this.

"I hear you had a lucky escape soldier", said the journo.
"Yes sir, sir" said the squaddie.
"How close was the explosion?"
"Can't say exactly sir"
"But you told me earlier that it lifted your vehicle off the ground and threw it about" says journo crossly.
"Oh, yes sir, sir", says the squaddie, grinning while his mates in the background are falling about laughing.

Interviewer moves on swiftly to show the unit commander slumped asleep on the side of another armoured vehicle.

Draw your own conclusions.

News of the world shows photo of US Marines Cobra firing chain gun with the caption:

"Puma strafes iraqi positions at Umm Qasr"

CNN
 

"The B-52? Oh yes, that was used to drop the Atom bomb on Hiroshima wasn't it?" The expert, keeping a straight face - "Ah no, that was a different aircraft..."

I must be getting old... The lady was pretty anyway.

Sorry - Danny nailed that one earlier.

And to prove they don't learn from their mistakes..........

Dreamot Yhingyman on the BBC watching the B52s launch

'So it's another daylight raid on Baghdad then'

Very sorry to hear about Mr Lloyd of ITN, but, judging by the story in today's Mail on Sunday he and his team were taking a hell of a risk in order to get the copy.

Embedded seems a lot safer place to be

Fox News

News team discussing the shooting down of the Tornado

News Anchorman

"Lets call in an expert, Major can you tell us something about the British Royal Air Force TORENADO. how many crew?"

Major

"Three"

Arkroyal
 

Terry was trying to bring an independant slant to reporting the truth and not "imbeded censorship" and as it's beginning to look like another blue on blue which, if not a cover up, should be interesting.

In one of the papers:

Photo of C-17 being loaded at the rear with cargo with caption:

"B-52 Being loaded with Cruise Missiles!"

So what they gonna do, open the doors and let the sh!t out?

Vizsla

Once again, I regret Terry Lloyd's loss

It was not, if the MoS report is accurate, strictly 'blue on blue'. Indeed the fire came from American forces, but directed at Iraqi forces who had come upon the journalists, and by some reports, were attempting to surrender to them.

It would seem that tragically, the choice to avoid censorship cost very dearly. I doubt there is much to cover up.

Having just seen, briefly before being pulled, Al-Jaseerah (SP?) pictures of obviously wounded US pows, I wonder if we really need this level of live reporting.

It costs lives and, had those pow's loved ones been watching, unnecessary strife. How long before someone gets a grandstand view of their son or husband being killed live on TV?

Great one on about lunch time,media loon in flack jacket with mic, crouching down.
"A fire fight broke out here between allied and Iraqies forces here about four hours ago,we dont know what started it"
Could have been they are at war mate.
;)

ITV Anchor: "The aircraft was a Tornado, believed to be carrying a pilot and a navigator"

Well, I suppose you could say that.......

Visla,

I saw the interview with Daniel Demoustier (Terry Lloyd's producer) in hospital after the incident which may have claimed the lives of the rest of the crew. At no stage did he mention anything at all about friendly fire or even sighting friendly troops. He only spoke about the Iraqis who were overtaking and then the side of the vehicle was hit. I don't know where the Mail on Sunday got their story, although they claim one of their reporters rescued DD, but I would think that if coalition troops had just engaged the enemy they would check on the results before proceeding and would have noticed that someone (DD) needed first aid.

MSNBC Sunday

Smart Anchor - Sec Rumsfeld let me show you this video of the Iraqi defence minister giving a briefing the other day, during which there was a loud explosion.

Cut to video, two benny hill looking generals in the scene. One reading the script, the other pointing to the dads army poster with military symbols on it.

Sound effect - kaboomo

Sec Rumsfeld - We missed

Smart Anchor - Pardon?

Sec Rumsfeld - We obviously missed

Smart Anchor - Yes but what about .....

A lovely glint in Rumsfelds eye at his own humour. I rather enjoyed it too.

The worst thing is that with my cynicism, I expect that this level of live reporting is just the tip of the iceberg. By the time of GW3 (coming to a region near you in 2015) all of it will be sponsored by Microsoft and Coca-Cola, each soldier will have a small, helmet mounted camera and digital viewers (everyone) will be able to choose which soldier(s) to follow. 'If your relative is in the conflict, tune in live to MSN broadcasting and see him/her killed stone dead....live.':eek: :(

BBC News24: Shot of B52 at Fairford.

Bint in studio: "And here we have pictures of Bahgdad. Everything appears to be calm and quiet."

:rolleyes:

Generally, reporters saying something is "totally destroyed".

Asking friends and family of war victims "How do you feel?"

I predict the best war coverage (accuracy, balance, fairness, if not exhaustive detail), will be found in the Economist magazine, as I find with many other international issues.

One of the talking heads described the C130 as being crewed by a single person. One bloody busy man I suspect.

Not a gaffe as such but an interesting choice of phrase ;

Alastair Stewart, early hours on ITV referring to the two Iraqi generals who surrended at the concealed chemical plant ;

'So we have some brass who are singing like canaries ?'

The stupid bint on BBC News 24 on Saturday night (22 Mar) that constantly kept referring to the B52's at RAF FAIRFIELD!



I am also getting fed up of journo's always reporting aircraft as being 'lined up on the runway' when they are parked. Wouldn't leave much of it left for take-offs and landings :rolleyes:

Finally, getting sick of our journo's reporting what the Iraqi journo's and authorities say, as being fact. Yesterday on Sky was a prime example. The guy in Baghdad was constantly reporting that 2 American 'pilots' (please guys, not all aircrew are pilots!) HAD ejected and HAD been captured, despite coalition reports that all aircraft had been accounted for, no footage of the 'pilots', no sign of the parachutes on the ground or in the river and no footage of the aircrafts wreckage. But some Iraqi had told him it was true, so it must be!

MadMark!!! :mad:

Last night on the beeb I think - "RAF Sir Bedevere". Didn't realise the Air Force did ships. Methinks the RFA might like it back!