It's OK to Whip People Into a Frenzy, Even if You Have No Clue What You Are Talking About

Published on 2011-04-20 15:44:00

Was it just me, or was anybody else pissed off that certain "journalists" were matter-of-factly stating that online poker players in the United States wouldn't be getting their money back after "Black Friday"?

Earlier today, a deal was announced between the US government and Pokerstars/Full Tilt Poker that will allow for US players at both sites to get their money back. There are still some issues that need to be hammered out, but the wheels are now in motion and US players will be getting all of their money back. Neither side wants to prevent US players from getting their money back.

This deal was announced three business days after "Black Friday", which means that both sides likely started discussing an agreement either Friday or Monday. In other words, the two sides started working on an agreement almost IMMEDIATELY after the indictments were handed down.

The reason that I bring this up is because certain members of the media were pronouncing that US players WOULD NOT be getting their money back.

As far as I know, journalists are supposed to be reporting facts without throwing in their own liberal doses of speculation. I know that whipping people up into an even greater frenzy will bring in more viewers, but come on.

Let's take Adam Shapiro of Fox Business for an example:






Approximately 2:40 into the video, Shapiro is asked if US players will be getting their money back. Here is Shapiro's exact quote:

"No. They're not going to get their money back."

WTF?

Shapiro clearly has no clue what he was talking about, as negotiations between the US and FTP/PS were likely ongoing as he was doing his spot. How about saying, "I'm not sure"?

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I don't know, maybe it's just me, but hearing these types of comments over the last couple of days really bugged me. Shapiro wasn't the only "journalist" or "reporter" that speculated that US players wouldn't be getting their money back - many people were guilty of blurring the lines between fact and opinion over the past few days.


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Filed Under: Random Poker News