Thursday, May 27, 2010

Fact-checking the Freeman

If you've visited the Freeman's website today, you might have noticed this new little box to the right.

That's right. We want you to help us (I'm pointing at you right now, look behind you).

Still, I can't help but feel that if there was a conversation about this new feature between a fictitious and snarky Freeman reader and an equally snarky and fictitious (maybe) Freeman editor, it would probably go like this:

READER: What? Don't you people get paid to do this?


EDITOR: Yes. But we want you to help us be better, because 45,000 people are better than seven and a half editors (the half editor is only legs). And, WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'YOU PEOPLE'?

READER: But who checks the fact-checkers?

EDITOR: We do. But we are trying to crowd-source with our readers to improve the Freeman's news coverage - and to figure out what "crowd-sourcing" means.

READER: You are just trying to pass your work to us, aren't you?

EDITOR: No. But we are trying to enhance and improve upon the coverage you demand every day. We're not perfect and we know we make mistakezzzzz. We're human, after all and ... THIS PROGRAM HAS PERFORMED AN ILLEGAL OPERATION AND WILL BE SHUT DOWN. THIS PROGRAM HAS PERFORMED AN ILLEGAL OPERATION AND WILL BE SHUT DOWN. THIS PROGRAM HAS PERFORMED AN ILLEGAL OPERATION AND WILL BE SHUT DOWN....