One last point. The piece Paul quoted from NPR's Scott Simon says,

> This week it was reported that Mark Bingham, a San Francisco public
> relations executive, may well have been one of the passengers who so
> bravely resisted the hijackers of American Airlines flight 77. That
> flight crashed in an unpopulated field outside Pittsburgh instead of
> another national monument.
>
> Mr. Bingham was 31. He played on a local gay rugby team and hoped to
> compete in next year's gay games in Sydney, Australia.

Mr. Simon implies that Mr. Bingham may, as a result of his actions, be a
hero. He even asks, "who you would rather sit next to" on a hijacked flight,
the "Righteous Reverends...Or the gay rugby player who lays down his life to
save others?" Assuming the transcript is accurate, the facts as presented
invalidate that question, because if Mr. Bingham was on American flight 77,
we'll never know if he is any kind of hero because *that* flight crashed
into the Pentagon! It was United flight 93 which was downed in PA,
presumably due to a passenger revolt against the hijackers. Given that, all
we know for sure about Mr. Bingham is that he was another victim on that
awful day.

Now, I could understand this error, under the circumstances, if it wasn't
being used to try to make sociological points. But I'm tired of reporters
twisting the facts to promote their pet causes. Scott Simon is no slouch;
he's a seasoned reporter and commentator. I have a hard time believing he
just got confused about the flight numbers. And it's too bad, because as
hurtful as the original comments were to some, this kind of response just
fans the flames, increases division, and hurts his own credibility as a
reporter. And even if it was an honest mistake (for I have no way of
knowing), I still think reporters and pundits have an absolute duty to get
their facts straight *before* they air their views in public.

I expect posturing from politicians; it's how they get elected. Scott Simon
should know better. I think reporters, particularly those providing news
analysis, should be held to a higher standard by their employers as well as
the listening public.

Patrick - insert standard disclaimers here, i.e. speaking only for myself,
etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick Santucci
HP e3000 Systems Administrator
Computer Operations Team Lead
Cornerstone Brands, Inc.

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