A little MSM fact-checking...
Midland got a mention this morning on Fox & Friends when the hosts discussed this report about an attempted purchase at a local Wal-Mart of a large number of disposable cell phones, and the investigation into possible ties between the would-be buyers and a terrorist cell in "the Metroplex" (which we all recognize as the Dallas-Fort Worth area).
Steve Doocy, one of the hosts, mentioned in passing that Midland/Odessa also "has a Metroplex" [sic], a comment which triggered my OCD and prompted me to fire off an email pointing out that we referred to ourselves as "the Petroplex" in recognition of our status within the oil and gas industry. The text of my short email:
I was, of course, motivated by the selfless desire to have strict accuracy in media reports, although if Fox News wished to display the Gazette's URL and describe it and its proprietor in glowing terms of adulation, well, that would be cool, too.
While the latter didn't happen (as far as I know; I had to run Abbye to the vet's office for a blood test), I did receive the following reply to my email within eight minutes after sending mine:
Didn't know about the Petrol-plex. [sic]
Steve Doocy
I can't decide whether Doocy needs additional correction or if he used that spelling intentionally so that I'd know that he knew the root reference of the term "Petroplex." What the heck; it's Friday...I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
But we're watching, boy-o...the bloggers are watching, and no detail is too arcane or insignificant to escape our eagle eyes.
Update: My wife just informed me that Fox did indeed correct its usage of "Metroplex" in relation to Midland/Odessa. Unfortunately, they corrected it to "Petrolplex" (as in Doocy's email) instead of "Petroplex." Given everything else going on in the world, that's close enough. I did what I could.
Sharp eye Eric!
You're right.
One letter won't make that much of a difference, unless the speaker is Someone Important and they refer to the "internetS".
Then they never hear the end of it.
Posted by: Mr. Freen at January 13, 2006 10:02 AMIf you really wanted to have fun with Mr. Doocy, try explaining to him why Music City Mall is in Odessa.
Posted by: John at January 13, 2006 12:37 PMHeh. John, I can't explain what I don't understand. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at January 13, 2006 01:00 PMSo when do we get to see you on Fox & Friends as one of their contributors? :)
Posted by: Stephen Shores at January 13, 2006 01:47 PMStephen, I just need to mobilize my fan base.
Oh, and develop a fan base.
Posted by: Eric at January 13, 2006 01:50 PMEric, normally, I'd be the LAST person to come rushing to the defense of Fox News, but ...
I've looked at some of the documentation of last month's incident - prepared by local authorities - and it refers to "suspected terrorsit cells within the Metroplex." And their use of the word was correct, since they were referring to Dallas-Fort Worth, not Midland-Odessa.
I did not actually see or hear the Fox report, but, judging by your original post, they may have had it correct in the first place.
Posted by: Jeff at January 13, 2006 02:03 PMEric, I just re-read my last post and found a couple of glaring errors. I have now taken my med's and I'm feeling much better ... so please disregard any silliness I may have posted earlier ...
Posted by: Jeff at January 13, 2006 02:06 PMActually, that first post attributed to me wasn't really from me, but from one of Karl Rove's misinformation hit squads, out to discredit me!
Posted by: Jeff at January 13, 2006 02:07 PMJeff, that's a pain, isn't it; those guys are after me all the time. ;-)
Posted by: Eric at January 13, 2006 02:10 PMEric:
Apparently you didn't get the memo. The Metroplex recently annexed the Midland-Odessa area.
Posted by: John Peter Smith at January 13, 2006 02:54 PMOh, goodie...maybe we'll finally get that Cracker Barrel everyone keeps talking about!
Posted by: Eric at January 13, 2006 03:15 PMCracker Barrel?
Puhlease. I know good and well that every single West Texas town has at least one decent cafe. You know, the kind where they bake their own biscuits and the waitress brings you iced tea without you even asking for it, calls you "honey" and you don't think anything about it. Cracker Barrel is nothing but a cheap, suburban imitation of those types of places.
Posted by: John Peter Smith at January 14, 2006 12:04 PMOh, did I say "oh goodie"? I meant, "oh, drat."
Posted by: Eric at January 14, 2006 12:09 PMIf they can actually make a Starbucks and a McAllister's Deli work on the south side of Midland, then yea, the Cracker Barrel people will probably come calling in a year or two, if not for the locals, than for the thru traffic on Interstate 20.
Posted by: John at January 14, 2006 10:02 PMAbout the publisher
Random Abbye photos...
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Recording History
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Redefining a Bust
Thank you...
Farewell to Abbye
New studies put salt cedar in more favorable light
Fleeting Expletives & Old-Fashioned Delicacies
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Psychedelic Geriatric
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Posted by: jen at January 13, 2006 09:23 AM