Comments on: Unidentified?

Unidentified?

null terminated — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:39:45 -0800

The Dec. 13th cover of the Lewiston Tribune [pdf] features an "unidentified thief" under a picture of a familiar looking window decorator [via waxy via vsl]

According to a followup article [registration required], "The two pictures, running one above the other, led to Millhouse's arrest Thursday".

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:47:07 -0800

Kids, the lesson is to not to give your windows holiday spirit.

By: null terminated

null terminated — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:48:24 -0800

Same article, no registration required

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:49:07 -0800

Hi-larious.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:51:28 -0800

"I didn't do what the media has put out there," Millhouse said. "I'm not just a fat guy that walks around Zip Trip eating beef sticks and drinking coffee." But he did admit taking the wallet.

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:56:56 -0800

If you ask me, that Dean Furgeson fellow in the bottom right ought to be at least brought in for questioning.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:56:57 -0800

Sure, but at Whole Foods they would have just given him the wallet.

By: ericb

ericb — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:03:04 -0800

smackfu -- that indeed is the "money quote" for the article.

By: Brocktoon

Brocktoon — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:11:52 -0800

Wow, when did Iowa get hot tub technology? I'll be damned.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:15:12 -0800

After consulting his lawyer, Millhouse said "I am not a crook".

By: stagewhisper

stagewhisper — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:15:34 -0800

That's amazing. I guess whoever did the page layout just figured Lewiston artists like to dress all "wood choppin' gangsta" or something.

By: tristeza

tristeza — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:18:28 -0800

That made my day.

By: TBoneMcCool

TBoneMcCool — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:30:52 -0800

Wow, when did Iowa get hot tub technology? I'll be damned. That would have been funnier if you'd gotten the state right.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:45:44 -0800

"Our editors (Wednesday) night noticed the similarities in the two photos," said Paul Emerson, Tribune managing editor. "We are not crime-stoppers here. It is just a weird coincidence. If it did solve a crime, I'm glad it happened. I have seen nothing like this in my 26 years as Tribune managing editor." Ya' know, after 26 years, I'm thinking the Tribune needs a new managing editor. Which is more newsworthy: * "Area Newspaper Editor Notices Weird Coincidence and Does Nothing" * "Eagle-Eyed Area Newspaper Editor Saves Christmas, Helps Nab Criminal."

By: Brocktoon

Brocktoon — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:50:13 -0800

Wow, when did Idaho get hot tub technology? I'll be damned.

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:06:23 -0800

That is the opposite of meh, pure awesome.

By: TBoneMcCool

TBoneMcCool — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:19:31 -0800

Wow, when did Idaho get hot tub technology? I'll be damned. Much better.

By: John Kenneth Fisher

John Kenneth Fisher — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:08:58 -0800

Ya' know, after 26 years, I'm thinking the Tribune needs a new managing editor. Are you kidding? They knew EXACTLY what they were doing, and did it in a way guaranteed to make the perp obvious, hype the paper, and leave them all giggling for at least a week. Brilliant.

By: adipocere

adipocere — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:20:07 -0800

So that is how it ends up in Chapterhouse.

By: bugmuncher

bugmuncher — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:57:20 -0800

Which is more newsworthy: * "Area Newspaper Editor Notices Weird Coincidence and Does Nothing" * "Eagle-Eyed Area Newspaper Editor Saves Christmas, Helps Nab Criminal." In keeping with my tradition of posting to threads about journalism, since it's my profession: some newspapers might not have contacted the police about the similarities. My newspaper has a rule about reporting the news, not influencing it. So when they demolished the press tower at the local racetrack, all the other media got to take whacks with a sledgehammer except for me. Moreover, my newspaper does not comply with law enforcement requests for unpublished images. The rationale is that by becoming an extension of law enforcement, we risk the safety and independence of our employees. So, many journalists would think about these points over and over again, until it dawns on them that they have a good idea of how to identify a suspect in a crime. I think that's why they didn't call the police until after the paper went to bed at 3 a.m.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 03:50:34 -0800

I'm Michael Millhouse, and I'm here to ask you a question: is a man not entitled to the grasp of his own reach? No, says the judge in the courthouse. It belongs to the victim. No, says the woman with short memory. It belongs to my negligence. No, says the media on television. It belongs to to the cameras. I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose - RESOLVE.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 13:16:18 -0800

Some newspapers might not have contacted the police about the similarities. I was a journalist myself for several large newspapers. So I hear you about the ethics of not influencing the news in general. But putting on the reality goggles for a second, it just doesn't wash. I'm calling plain-jane incompetence and ass-covering on this one, not adherence to some higher ethical standard. The Spokesman-Review is an a.m. paper. That means front-page layout for color images is largely complete about 6 p.m. for a midnight deadline. Working backward, the photos are submitted for possible usage at about 4 p.m. In the case of the hanging-lights main photo, there should be several for the photographer, photo editor and layout editor to choose from. At the very least, the city desk editor and executive editor should be reviewing front-page layout every day at various points in this process. So this is at least five people, not to mention various production folks and copy editors, reviewing this over approximately an eight-hour period. If they do notice it and decide to make changes, they have plenty of options to choose from. Choose another photo. Re-work the modular layout. Re-cast the story. So they either just miss it, or they're choosing the layout that makes them look stupid. This is why newspapers are dying. This is why I left 10 years ago. Moreover, if this is a case where they had to run it, because they had painted themselves into a corner, layout-wise ("Wow, look at that. Fuck, now we don't have time to change it."), that's an entirely different kind of incompetence.

By: stagewhisper

stagewhisper — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 13:56:28 -0800

Cool Papa Bell is right.