One e mail prank(link at the end of the post) = 10 "investigative reports"= 100 stories
Rumours = News... Unconfirmed /baseless reports dished out as "News"
Infallible Indian journalists have been spooked by a delightful Da Vinci Code style hoax played on them. see how convincing the "news" is with supporting graphics!
(sad part: none of them published clarification!- exception being Kannada prabha/ The Hindu )
read more on this hoax...http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/for-indian-journos-april-1-comes-10-months-early/
See how they made fun of cops based on this "news" http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Cops_stunned_over_Nazi_mans_capture/articleshow/3178643.cms
On Sunday, almost every newspaper reported the arrest of Johann Bach, an 88-year-old Nazi war criminal, in the jungles of Khanapur, close to Goa, on Saturday.
A classified advertisement inserted by the “Waffen SS” fugitive to sell an 18th century piano was supposed to have led Perus Narkp detectives to the “senior adjutant” who reportedly had a role in the “extermination” of 12,000 Jews at the Marsha Tikash Whanaab concentration camp in East Berlin.
Bangalore based newspapers went to town with the news:
# “Hitler’s stormtrooper held in Karnataka,” headlined Deccan Herald.
# “World War II criminal arrested?” asked The Hindu
# “Cops stunned over Nazi man’s arrest,” said The Times of India
# “Antique piano ad leads police to Nazi colonel near Belgaum,” said the New Indian Express.
On Monday, the up-country papers went a step further.
# “Traced to Goa, Nazi war criminal tried to enter Karnataka, arrested on way and flown to Berlin,” said The Indian Express, Delhi
# “Goa piano ‘thief’ found to be Nazi war fugitive,” said The Telegraph, Calcutta, with a helpful graphic (above) of the flight of the Nazi criminal.
Wanted by Interpol, octagenarian Bach, it was reported, had escaped the Nuremberg trials and evaded justice for over half a century. On the German government’s “Most wanted list” since the end of WW II, he had spent time in Argentina, Bulgaria, Yemen and Canada.
Apparently, the Israeli media had reported his sighting in Calungute, Goa. But V.S. Acharya, Karnataka’s home minister, denied any knowledge. Hemant Nimbalkar, Belgaum superintendent of police, said he was unaware of the incident.
But the papers said Bach had been picked up by detectives of Perus Narkp who are part of the German chancellor’s “Core” team in collaboration with Indian intelligence.
Anil Budur Lulla of The Telegraph “exclusively” reported that “Berlin also had information from Tel Aviv that an old German had bragged about overseeing the genocide of Jews to an Israeli tourist couple in Goa during a rave party a few months ago.”
Deccan Herald quoted a press released issued by “Perus Narkp”. Times of India said the press note was circulated by email.
The Telegraph, quoting “sources”, said that “after further investigations in Goa, proceedings would begin to take Bach to Germany, with whom India signed an extradition treaty in 2004.” Deccan Herald said he would “be facing trial at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.”
And on and on it went.
Well, it turns out, it was all a super prank, obviously played by someone with some taste in western classical music.
Rumours = News... Unconfirmed /baseless reports dished out as "News"Infallible Indian journalists have been spooked by a delightful Da Vinci Code style hoax played on them. see how convincing the "news" is with supporting graphics!
(sad part: none of them published clarification!- exception being Kannada prabha/ The Hindu )
read more on this hoax...http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/06/30/for-indian-journos-april-1-comes-10-months-early/
See how they made fun of cops based on this "news" http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/Cops_stunned_over_Nazi_mans_capture/articleshow/3178643.cms
On Sunday, almost every newspaper reported the arrest of Johann Bach, an 88-year-old Nazi war criminal, in the jungles of Khanapur, close to Goa, on Saturday.
A classified advertisement inserted by the “Waffen SS” fugitive to sell an 18th century piano was supposed to have led Perus Narkp detectives to the “senior adjutant” who reportedly had a role in the “extermination” of 12,000 Jews at the Marsha Tikash Whanaab concentration camp in East Berlin.
Bangalore based newspapers went to town with the news:
# “Hitler’s stormtrooper held in Karnataka,” headlined Deccan Herald.
# “World War II criminal arrested?” asked The Hindu
# “Cops stunned over Nazi man’s arrest,” said The Times of India
# “Antique piano ad leads police to Nazi colonel near Belgaum,” said the New Indian Express.
On Monday, the up-country papers went a step further.
# “Traced to Goa, Nazi war criminal tried to enter Karnataka, arrested on way and flown to Berlin,” said The Indian Express, Delhi
# “Goa piano ‘thief’ found to be Nazi war fugitive,” said The Telegraph, Calcutta, with a helpful graphic (above) of the flight of the Nazi criminal.
Wanted by Interpol, octagenarian Bach, it was reported, had escaped the Nuremberg trials and evaded justice for over half a century. On the German government’s “Most wanted list” since the end of WW II, he had spent time in Argentina, Bulgaria, Yemen and Canada.
Apparently, the Israeli media had reported his sighting in Calungute, Goa. But V.S. Acharya, Karnataka’s home minister, denied any knowledge. Hemant Nimbalkar, Belgaum superintendent of police, said he was unaware of the incident.
But the papers said Bach had been picked up by detectives of Perus Narkp who are part of the German chancellor’s “Core” team in collaboration with Indian intelligence.
Anil Budur Lulla of The Telegraph “exclusively” reported that “Berlin also had information from Tel Aviv that an old German had bragged about overseeing the genocide of Jews to an Israeli tourist couple in Goa during a rave party a few months ago.”
Deccan Herald quoted a press released issued by “Perus Narkp”. Times of India said the press note was circulated by email.
The Telegraph, quoting “sources”, said that “after further investigations in Goa, proceedings would begin to take Bach to Germany, with whom India signed an extradition treaty in 2004.” Deccan Herald said he would “be facing trial at the International Court of Justice at The Hague.”
And on and on it went.
Well, it turns out, it was all a super prank, obviously played by someone with some taste in western classical music.
Analysis on : http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2008/06/30/indian-newspapers-fall-for-baroque-nazi-war-criminal-hoax/
Stories that are too good to check , in The Hindu http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/01/stories/2008070152221100.htm
See the text of origial email sent to media: (based on this text, creative writers spun stories in various newspapers) http://goadourada.blogspot.com/2008/06/attn-german-special-police-arrest-nazi.html
ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾರಾಂಶ : http://www.gulfkannadiga.com/news-10106.html
2 comments:
So was Karnataka Additional DGP Intelligence Shankar Bidari was taken for a ride by the media? How can he be so irresponsible to believe unsubstantiated reports?
Or is Shankar Bidri just publicity hungry? If he can't even do basic fact checking how can one trust officers like Bidari who are in important position in Intelligence Department??
See Indian Express report:
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Nazi-war-criminal-arrested-near-Goa--airlifted-to-Berlin/329280/
Though local police and intelligence agencies in Karnataka said they were “unaware” of the operation, Karnataka Additional DGP for Intelligence, Shankar Bidari, said his office had received information of the arrest on Saturday morning. He also said the alleged war criminal had been moved to Germany.
Real eye opener! The mantra is not to trust any sensational news!
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