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21 Oct 2010 16:55

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World: … and this is why you don’t bring crocodiles on airplanes.

  • stupidA passenger on an airplane in the Democratic Republic of Congo hid a crocodile in a duffel bag, with the intent of selling it.
  • horrific The crocodile got loose, scared passengers, and directly led to the plane’s crash. Twenty people died in the accident. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2010 11:13

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World: The DR Congo oil tanker explosion looks pretty freaking scary

Despite early word that UN peacekeepers died in the incident, the organization says no UN members were involved. The current count: 230 dead, 190 injured. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jul 2010 11:37

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U.S.: Snaps: The Democratic Republic of Congo oil blast, underplayed?

  • We needed a new feature, and we think we have a pretty good one. Basically, we’re going to take a big story and see how it’s being covered on the front page of major news sites. Is it getting underplayed? Overplayed? This time around, We’re tackling the horrific oil tanker blast in Congo, which is new enough that a lot of people haven’t heard about it (it broke in the middle of the night in the U.S.). Otherwise, it’s a slow news day. On the downside, though, the story has no art, which might hurt its play. Let’s compare:
  • BBC: Top of the pageAs might be expected, considering the nature of the very deadly incident, BBC gave it top-of-the-front-page treatment.
  • CNN: Secondary lead storyWhile it was CNN’s top news story for a while (and worthy of an alert), it was replaced by a story about slain cops.

 

  • New York Times: BuriedThe New York Times, on the other hand, didn’t even bother to give it display play, instead putting it in their wire-stories-only slot.
  • Google News: right at the topGoogle News, which chooses its stories by computer algorithms, gave it much nicer coverage, just above Serena Williams.

 

  • MSNBC: Huge headlineMSNBC.com made the story their main news item with a huge headline, while giving Serena Williams art play off to the side.
  • Fox News: BuriedFox News buried the story even further than the New York Times did, preferring instead to lead with Joe Biden’s visit to Iraq.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jul 2010 10:23

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World: In the Congo, an awful tragedy involving an oil tanker and a cigarette

  • It started with a tipped-over oil tanker in the democratic republic of congo. As is common in the region, people tried to collect the spilled fuel from the tanker (around the tiny town of Sange, in South Kivu province), which can lead to explosions. And some dude was smoking a cigarette. And, worse, the explosion happened near a bar. During a World Cup game. … *shudder*. The result? Unspeakably awful. We’re talking bodies burned beyond recognition. Some quick numbers:
  • 230+ number of people killed in the blast
  • 190+ number of people injured by the tanker
  • no there aren’t photos of the incident yet source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2010 12:04

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World: Mass killings in the Democratic Republic of Congo under-reported

  • 321+ were reported killed
    in the December
    attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army
  • 180+ were abducted by Congo rebels, 80 of them children, Human Rights Watch says
  • yes the UN knew about the attacks, but says communication lines are weak source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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