Peter says:  AP article says: Nationwide, more than a quarter-million hives 
were found empty in March.  And he asks where they get their numbers?
 
Who knows where the press gets its numbers.  
 
Jerry wrote: Reporters nowadays think fact checking consists of getting the
correct spelling of the names of people they often misquote.

John B. wrote: If it's copyrighted, it must be a work of fiction?

My reading of the AP article quoted by Peter,
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=5191107, is different. In
the opening paragraph, it is stated that "an ailment has killed off tens of
thousands of honeybee colonies in 24 states." The rest of the article then
proceeds to both quote and, it seems, paraphrase James Tew, and my reading
of the rest of the article was that the rest of the information was
attributable to Tew, including the statement (although not clearly
attributed) "Nationwide, more than a quarter-million hives were found empty
in March after bees abandoned them." 

The author is stating two facts that contradict each other and is guilty of
ambiguous writing which does not clearly indicate where the facts came from.
But for list members to condemn all journalists is like condemning all
beekeepers for using bad management procedures. I know one immigrant
beekeeper who has very poor English skills. Most of his bee management
practices are sound. However, he uses apistan strips every year and leaves
them in all winter and while honey supers are on his hives and has developed
extremely resistant varroa mites. He has done this because he cannot read
English well enough to understand how to properly use the product. Should we
just assume then, that all beekeepers are idiots and don't follow package
directions?

Additionally, "fact checking" is just that. Go to ANOTHER, DIFFERENT source
to confirm the facts you have gathered from one source.  

Come on guys...there are good journalists and bad ones, just as there are
good beekeepers and bad ones. Yes, they make mistakes. Usually when their
mistakes are pointed out, responsible journalists will provide either a
correction or retraction.

Janet A. Katz
Chester, NJ
[log in to unmask] 

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