CBC Gets Two Stories About George Lucas Totally Mixed Up

from the mashup! dept

Tue, Feb 9th 2010 1:03pm — Mike Masnick

Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but we keep hearing how it's the professional press that actually checks fact, and it's the blogs that rush out stories that are factually weak. And yet... there seem to be plenty of examples of the "professionals" going to press with stories that clearly weren't fact checked or researched. Robert Ring points us to an article in the CBC supposedly about a new film coming from George Lucas. The only problem is that it seems to take two totally separate George Lucas films, and thinks they're the same exact film, making for quite the odd story. You see, Lucas has been working for quite some time on a film called Red Tails, all about the Tuskegee Airmen, which he wrote and executive produced (but didn't direct). That film is in post-production and should be out in the nearish future. Just recently, stories came out about a totally unrelated, and totally different project that Lucas was involved in -- a computer animated musical about fairies. Yeah, don't ask.

These are clearly two separate films... unless you're a reporter for the CBC apparently:

George Lucas is tackling his first musical, a film about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African-American pilots.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Lucas is working on the movie Red Tails at his Skywalker Ranch in California.

Plot details for the computer-animated film are not being released, but it is known that fairies play a role.

While we're big supporters of mashups and remix culture, this isn't exactly what we meant...

The article continues to bounce back and forth over the details of the two movies, as if they were the same thing. Perhaps this is why the CBC put in place a terms of service that required sites to get permission before quoting any CBC articles...

Update: Despite the article being up for over a week without a correction, within hours of this post, they changed the article around. Luckily... we've got screenshot:

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: fact checking, george lucas, reporting, tuskeegee airmen
Companies: cbc

29 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Ima Fish (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:08pm

I noticed the story was closed to comments. Maybe if they had kept the comments open a little longer someone could have pointed out their error. But why should a mighty journalist care what mere readers think. We're just peons.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jjmsan (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:18pm

Blockbusters
I think Lucas keeps having problems because if he is involved with anything other than a blockbuster it is viewed as proof he is past his prime. Just making money doesn't count anymore.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dark Helmet (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:26pm

Is it me...
...or does the idea of the Tuskegee Airmen zipping around the skies and shooting blonde haired, blue eyed fairy Nazis out of the air sound like a blockbuster in the works?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ima Fish (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:26pm

I'd guess that a musical/animated version of the story of the Tuskegee Airmen cast as fairies would still be about 10 times better than Howard the Duck.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Nick Mc, 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:29pm

Tuskegee Fairies
This points out that we really do need a good, professional mainstream press to keep us aware and informed. Just like Rupert says. Maybe not the CBC as they're basically just Canadian Gov't beaurocrats.
Otherwise I'd never have known that fairies could fly planes.

(sarc)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
jjmsan (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:30pm

Another Movie
How about a version of Hitchcock's Birds only with Fairies?
"They're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore."
[ link to this | view in thread ]
:Lobo Santo (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:34pm

Re: Is it me...
I'd pay to see that. Especially if it's rated R.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:35pm

I wouldn't put it past Lucas....
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dark Helmet (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 1:46pm

Re: Tuskegee Fairies
"I'd never have known that fairies could fly planes."

Seriously? You didn't already know that? They have their own association and everything....

www.ngpa.org
[ link to this | view in thread ]
ProphetBeal, 9 Feb 2010 @ 2:05pm

Re:
"I'd guess that a musical/animated version of the story of the Tuskegee Airmen cast as fairies would still be about 10 times better than Howard the Duck."
Blasphemy!! Howard the Duck was an amazing piece of cinema the likes of which the world has yet to see again.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Tom Landry (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 2:11pm

C'mon, tell me it would be great to see a big black Tuskegee airman land after an epic air battle and climb out of his plane wearing a tutu holding a wand while having a cigar clenched between his teeth.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Yakko Warner, 9 Feb 2010 @ 2:12pm

Re: Re:
"Howard the Duck was [...] cinema the likes of which the world has yet to see again."

And for that, we're all thankful.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Alan Gerow (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 2:16pm

Re:
What did Howard the Duck ever do to you?!? He's just tryin' to get home while makin' his way in this world the only way he knows how ... by being Howard.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2010 @ 2:40pm

Actually, an animated movie about the Tuskegee Airmen that includes fairies... now that's a movie I'd pay to go and see.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
mrharrysan (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 2:47pm

Hilarious!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
PRMan, 9 Feb 2010 @ 3:01pm

Re: Do not...
Do not underestimate the power of the Dark Side...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dark Helmet (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 3:09pm

Re: Re: Do not...
"Do not underestimate the power of the Schwartz..."

FTFY

You see, there's two sides to every Schwartz. Some get the upside, I've got the downside....
[ link to this | view in thread ]
The Anti-Mike (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 3:17pm

...and to think that Mike doesn't appreciate a mashup.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Hephaestus (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 4:07pm

Re: Re: Tuskegee Fairies
"www.ngpa.org"

Dude to funny !!!

Thats almost as funny as watching a picture of the Queen of england burn in the Village (NYC) and saying thats not the sort of flaming queen I would expect to see around here.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
TW Burger (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 4:25pm

Damn It! That was Entertainment Gold
They fixed it and I forgot to take a screen shot.

The funniest production of the CBC in years and they delete it!

They did acknowledge the mistake in a note.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mike Masnick (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 5:08pm

Re: Damn It! That was Entertainment Gold
They fixed it and I forgot to take a screen shot.

Don't worry. I had one. Now added to the post.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
TW Burger (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 5:42pm

Re: Re: Damn It! That was Entertainment Gold
Thanks!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Marcus Carab (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 5:48pm

Re:
hehehehe.... Mike makes that joke in the post. Even your ambivalent comedic statements betray inattention.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
mike d (profile), 9 Feb 2010 @ 7:03pm

Good Example?
Is this really the best example of the professional press making a mistake? I feel like TAM saying this; while a bit comical, this is not the smoking gun that proves that the CBC fails at fact checking.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mike Masnick (profile), 10 Feb 2010 @ 2:31am

Re: Good Example?
Is this really the best example of the professional press making a mistake?

Nope. But it's funny. :)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Marcus Carab (profile), 10 Feb 2010 @ 7:03am

Re: Good Example?
In journalism school, we learned fact checking, and they made a *big* deal of it. As in, teaching us technique and notation and how to confirm every single fact so much as mentioned in a piece. We had tests where we had to turn in an article with basically every sentence double-sourced. We were told repeatedly that "this is how it's done in the industry - newspapers and magazines take facts more seriously than anything"

Then we get out into the industry and discover that fact-checking is an afterthought at many publications, if they do it at all.

So I guess this isn't the worst example, no - but in a way the simplicity and stupidity of this example are what make it so good: if they can't get a brief report on a Kevin Smith movie right, how can they be trusted on any complicated issue with gray areas and conflicting statements? News outlets are supposed to be the arbiters of fact in those situations...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 10 Feb 2010 @ 8:07am

A musical about African-American fighter pilots? What, was Lucas a fan (or 'the' fan) of "Cop Rock?"
[ link to this | view in thread ]
mike d (profile), 10 Feb 2010 @ 9:05am

Re: Re: Good Example?
Were you trying to ironic? This topic focuses on George Lucas only. Kevin Smith is totally different subject.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Marcus Carab (profile), 10 Feb 2010 @ 11:11am

Re: Re: Re: Good Example?
Hahaha nope, that's me confusing two posts - though I wish I was being ironic. Thanks for catching me.

In any case I do know which STORY I'm talking about, I just got sloppy in precisely the way this article did. It's a pretty fantastic demonstration at my own expense, really.

Of course, the real point is that I just typed quickly and pressed Submit, and these are exactly the sort of errors that happen when you do that. Had I been publishing this on a national news website, I would have at the very least read it over. News organizations try to claim they are incapable of such mistakes, and yet they make them all the time.
[ link to this | view in thread ]