'Sum Ting Wong’: Intern blamed for leaking fake names of Asiana pilots

[goofyintoronto]

Really? You think most ppl can differentiate between the two? Its just like me assuming everyone should be able to differentiate between a Croatian & Serbian last name. LOLOL! Good luck with that!

Anyone with half a brain would also find it odd that a Korean airline would have 4 pilots with Chinese sounding names.

I wouldnt know either!

It's something they did though.


I wouldn't know the difference between a 'Chinese' sounding name and a 'Korean' sounding name.

 

[FireDancer]

I think it is funny. This is one of those "learn to laugh at yourself" things. No one was actually hurt.

As for the news station, I like the showing that the newsreaders are fools. First, what was the second source of the names? News agencies should always have at least two sources. Confirming with your only source, the NTSB in this case, shouldn't be enough. Also, even if you were given the names the moment you started reading them someone with intelligence and the ability to think quickly would have addressed it. In that situation I would have gotten through maybe one or two and then went something like "wait a minute, this can't possibly be right. How did this manage to get all the way to my screen" right there on the air in the moment. I wouldn't have just blindly read the names and then ignored the (Asian) elephant in the room.

It is most definitely not newsworthy. Having a laugh at the airline's expense did not ruin their reputation because no intelligent person thought those names were real for a minute. Well, no one outside of that station that is. Actual damage would mean people decided they wouldn't fly that airline because of the falsely reported names. Show of hands of anyone who thinks for one second that is the case.

OK, lets say someone at the station did think "hey, these don't sound right". Then someone calls the NTSB and says "are these really the names of the pilots?" The answer they get (from the NTSB) is "yes".

So, the station HAS confirmation from a reliable source. Are they supposed to think "this source is wrong"?

I think the mistake, as I said above, was confirming it with the same source who gave it to you. They should have confirmed it with a non-NTSB second source. They, and all media, need to stop worrying about speed and start worrying about accuracy. I'd rather have accurate information a few days later than garbage information now.

 

[DopeyDame]

Really? You think most ppl can differentiate between the two? Its just like me assuming everyone should be able to differentiate between a Croatian & Serbian last name. LOLOL! Good luck with that!


I wouldnt know either!

I would say it's a lot more like being able to differentiate between a French last name and a English last name. You'd be confused if Pepe LePeu were the pilot for the Royal Air Force.
Especially in the San Francisco Bay area, with a very high concentration of people from Asia, I would expect most people to know that Wong is a Chinese name. And really... some of the other names are about as "real" as Seamore Butts.

 

[sam_gordon]

I think the mistake, as I said above, was confirming it with the same source who gave it to you. They should have confirmed it with a non-NTSB second source. They, and all media, need to stop worrying about speed and start worrying about accuracy. I'd rather have accurate information a few days latter than garbage information now.

I was under the assumption (and you know what happens then) the station got the names from someone (non-NTSB), then called the NTSB to confirm.

 

[bellanotte10]

I was under the assumption (and you know what happens then) the station got the names from someone (non-NTSB), then called the NTSB to confirm.

That's what I believed as well. My thoughts was the intern probably thought it was hilarious that they were calling to confirm such ridiculous sounding names they just said yes. But that's only what I thought.

 

[LSmith]

Anyone with half a brain would also find it odd that a Korean airline would have 4 pilots with Chinese sounding names.

Actually, anyone who is not ignorant on Chinese and Korean last (and first) names knows that they are, in many cases, the exact same.

 

[Dan Murfman]

That's what I believed as well. My thoughts was the intern probably thought it was hilarious that they were calling to confirm such ridiculous sounding names they just said yes. But that's only what I thought.

This is exactly what I thought when I heard the NTSB confirmed the names. He was like yeah sure those are the names.