CNN’s coverage of the F-18 crash in San Diego on Monday, December 08 was a prime example of sloppy journalism. It may seem like a small thing to call an F-18 an “Air Force aircraft” as opposed to a Marine aircraft, but the error in fact is large enough to warrant an on-air correction. Believe it or not, folks, there IS a difference. It’s roughly the same thing as saying you drive a Ford Mustang when you really own a Yugo. Both have four wheels, a set of brakes and a windshield, but there’s a massive difference between one and othe other.
How easy is it to make such a mistake? As easy as making the assumption that since it’s an airplane, the Air Force must be in charge of it. Never mind that the Navy and Marine Corps both operate fighter jets, and the Army has helicopters.
Why am I obsessing over these nitpicky details? Because when you make an error like this, you look like an IDIOT. Would you report that a patient had open-heart surgery when they really had a lung procedure? Seems pretty obvious, doesn’t it? But do you know the difference between asbestosis and pleural mesothelioma? If you don’t, you’d better study your subject before writing authoritatively about either one.
Again, seems obvious, doesn’t it? Too bad the gafee on CNN was made by none other than Wolf Blitzer–a guy who spent enough combat reporting time in Iraq in the early days of his career to know better. But he trusted somebody writing his teleprompter copy–or tried to speak off the cuff–and burned himself doing it.
The worst thing about such gaffes is that they are often very preventable. In this specific example, Blitzer could have simply said a “U.S. military F-18 crashed” or “An F-18 fighter jet crashed”. But no, he had to go for broke and say “A U.S. Air Force F-18”.
The moral of this story is this–if Wolf Blitzer can blow it, you can too. The difference? Blitzer shrugs and vows to do better next time–he has a steady gig. As a freelancer, can you really afford to make the same mistake? You might not get a second chance with the editor you’re currently working with. In our present economy, who can risk that?