Developing story: to be stealth updated
I have previously noted that the world's most trusted international news broadcaster
™ is not adverse to stealth editing
its articles after they've been published online. An ethical news outlet would make changes clear to the reader, or find another way to update its articles in light of new information. At the very least they would include a last updated
timestamp. But the BBC eschews that transparency nonsense.
Breaking news of a shooting attack upon Shinzo Abe, Japan's former prime minister, gives me an opportunity to follow the editorial rigour exercised by the BBC's staff first hand, and from the outset. Note that this initial announcement concludes with an advisory footnote: This is a developing story and will be updated.
Any and all updates to this blog entry will refer to this same URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62089486.
A few more details, and a hastily grabbed stock photo, fill out an update on what is still flagged with a footnote as a developing story to be updated. Anyone just happening across this page now would be forgiven for thinking that this was the original version, as posted. There are no indications otherwise, apart from that cryptic footnote: it could mean that the article may be updated in future, not that it has been already. But we know better, don't we kids? (wink)
This version adds an interesting, seemingly contradictory couple of snippets on the attack.
Mr Abe was shot twice, with the second shot hitting him in the back, causing him to fall to the ground. Reports say his attacker has since been arrested.
BBC News droid, BBC News
Yet…
The first shot appears to have missed but the second shot hit Mr Abe in the back. He immediately fell to the ground bleeding. Security then detained the attacker who made no attempt to run.
BBC News droid, BBC News
So, Mr Abe was not shot twice. Two shots were fired, but he was hit only once. Tagged accordingly.
The droid is unmasked! Yvette Tan is now named as the reporter for this story, ably abetted by the BBC's Japan correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. This version no longer carries the advisory of a developing story that's to be updated. So it's got to be the final one—or the only one, if you're new here—right?
We'll see.
The BBC's article was last updated 39 minutes ago, at least according to this screenshot. The casual reader could be forgiven for thinking that's when it was first posted though.
My last update was an hour ago, and that showed an ostensibly identical article that had been revised 40 minutes prior. Yet this is no longer noted as a developing story to be updated.
Among the stealth changes is one to the abovementioned snippets, which have now been removed, and replaced with the following:
It is unclear if both shots hit him, or if a bullet hit him on the neck and travelled elsewhere.
Yvette Tan, BBC News
Now, let's be quite clear, when reporting ongoing developments, new information can clarify or even invalidate earlier reports. Such is the nature of news and current affairs.
There's nothing wrong in updating reports with new information: but there are ways of doing so transparently. Stealth editing is wrong. Worse, it's deceitful.
In contrast, The Washington Post recently censured one of its urinalists, Taylor Lorenz, for a stealth edit. She should apply to the world's most trusted international news broadcaster
™ for a job, because they don't seem to give a shit.
Final update from me, but probably not from Yvette. This was 32 minutes ago, and Mr Abe is in a grave condition.
I hope he pulls through. At least we'll know where to find out: the same bloody URL where it all began.*
* Actually, even the BBC's slack-jawed editor might go so far as creating a new page, should the worst come to the worst.
Final final update from me, because this has turned out as I both feared and expected: feared for Mr Abe; and expected of the BBC's editorial staff. BBC News will no doubt create new pages for the tributes and analysis but, true to form, this original page has been further stealth updated to announce Shinzo Abe's death from his wounds.
Eight hours have passed since the news first broke, not only on BBC News, but on this very page. The current account includes many significant changes over the preceeding ones, and the initial breaking report in particular. Among these changes is far more information on the assailant and assault, as well as official reporting of the wounds that Mr Abe sustained.
During a news conference at Nara Medical University Hospital, doctors said Mr Abe had sustained two bullet wounds to his neck, about 5cm (1inch) [sic] apart, and also suffered damage to his heart.
Yvette Tan and Matt Murphy, BBC News
So, there you have it, from inception to…end? Many changes were made as the news developed, and not one of them was acknowledged by the BBC's reporting and editorial staff. We really shouldn't have to resort to the Wayback Machine to understand how a story unfolded, and how different people might have different takes simply from the time that they accessed the same page. It's almost as if the world's most trusted international news broadcaster
™ really isn't so trustworthy after all.
For the benefit of anyone unfamilar with metric/imperial conversions, 5cm is equivalent to 2″, not 1″.
Okay, so I was wrong. Again. This is my final update. I'm never returning to this article.
The headline was ineptly edited six hours ago, in acknowledgement of Abe succumbing to his injuries, and in keeping with the BBC's disdain for possessive forms, either national adjectives or the humble apostrophe.*
The story itself now seems to be done, and done. Future readers will be blissfully unaware of the speculation and misinformation that preceded it.
And that's just the way things are. You can rely on your world's most trusted international news broadcaster
™. (SMH)
* Japan's ex-leader
or, less so, Japanese ex-leader
.