17-04-2003 10:25									#1
	CNN inadvertantly makes public premature obituaries Tired of ads?

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/cnnobit1.html

quote: APRIL 16--While all news organizations prepare obituaries in advance of the deaths of famous individuals, the folks at CNN inadvertently gave the Internet-surfing public a chance to preview how the network's web site would note the demise of Vice President **** Cheney, Ronald Reagan, and a few other prominent figures. Until earlier this afternoon, a CNN server housed mock-ups of web pages announcing the yet-to-happen deaths. The CNN pages, which were discovered by the intrepid folks at fark.com, were yanked about 20 minutes after being exposed (though TSG was able to grab a few of the pages for posterity's sake). The premature obituaries, housed in a publicly accessible area of the CNN server and searchable via Google, were apparently the work of Peter Rentz, a senior multimedia designer at CNN. The mock-ups are virtually identical to the obituary design currently used by CNN when a notable person dies (click here to see how CNN covered the Queen Mother's March 2002 death). In fact, elements of the Queen Mum's obit template can be seen in the below Cheney design. In addition to Cheney and Reagan, CNN also prepped online farewells to Fidel Castro, Bob Hope, Pope John Paul II, and Nelson Mandela.

Whoops...

	17-04-2003 12:23									#2
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This is great.
Is there any link to the original pages?

	17-04-2003 12:34									#3
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Wow, I had no idea that D!ck Cheney was once Queen Consort! I'm glad for this little slip up, as it tells me some things about our VP that I wouldn't have known until he was dead.

	17-04-2003 13:01									#4
	Remove this text

that's nothing! He was UK's favorite grandmother!!

	17-04-2003 14:20									#5
	Put an end to popups!

wow I certainly have lost track of current events when I forgot that our nation's favourite granny had a sex change

	17-04-2003 15:40									#6
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Hey! How can **** Cheney, Fidel Castro, Bob Hope, Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela ALL be the UK's favorite grandmother?! Can't you Brits make up your minds?

	17-04-2003 15:56									#8
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If he died in 2001....

	17-04-2003 16:03									#9
	Put an end to popups!

Dammit, the nuns didn't teach me any of this stuff in Sunday school!

Last edited by JohnT on 17-04-2003 at 18:05

	17-04-2003 16:04									#10
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quote: Originally posted by Osweld If he died in 2001....

That means that Dubya really has been in charge.

	17-04-2003 16:18									#11
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It seems that Castro is UK's favourite grandmother as well!

	17-04-2003 18:07									#12
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You know, I'm beginning to wonder just how true this is...

Nelson Mandela's face, Reagans quote and introductory passage, and the life of the Queen mother all on one obit?

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/cnnobit6.html

I'm beginning to smell a rat...

	17-04-2003 18:20									#13
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I mean, the thing is this quote:

"While all news organizations prepare obituaries in advance of the deaths of famous individuals... Until earlier this afternoon, a CNN server housed mock-ups of web pages announcing the yet-to-happen deaths."

Well, these aren't mockups. These aren't "previously prepared" obits, or they would actually have been complete. These are the same obituary with the Queens mother info on them, with wrong quotes attributed, etc. The only one that is "complete" is Reagans.... but isn't it CNN's policy to have titles capitalized (like "President", "Prime Minister" and the like)?

	18-04-2003 02:39									#14
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Wow.

Even the Pope is the Queen's consort. She must really get around.

	18-04-2003 13:38									#15
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Speaking as a journalist, I can assure all of you that we have obituaries prepared for *everyone,* including YOU, dear reader. You see, all journalists are a part of ... well, let's just say we have a gift. Yeah, that's it. A gift.

Your obituary, dear reader, is ready to be published at a date and time of *our* choosing.

We already know who's going to after they die.

We also know who's going to after they die.

Gatekeeper

	18-04-2003 13:57									#16
	Suffering from ads?

Where am i going?

	18-04-2003 20:32									#17
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

I don't know, but, when you get there, tell the uberdork in charge that I'm going to kick its scrawny posterior into a bloody pulp as soon as I join you.

	19-04-2003 02:32									#18
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quote: Originally posted by MarkG Where am i going?

I don't know, since I'm a journalist based in the United States. You might want to ask Paiktis. He's a Greek-based journalist and should have access to your obituary, Markos.

But do you *really* want to know?

Gatekeeper

	19-04-2003 02:40									#19
	Remove this text

Sorry Markos.

There's an embargo on that story.

But you may want to watch Final Destination 2... Just in case...




Just j/k.


Thy future is unwritten or better, written by you

	19-04-2003 03:02									#20
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Has anyone else noticed that Cheney's first name was cut by the cuss filter

	19-04-2003 03:32									#21
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quote: Originally posted by skywalker Has anyone else noticed that Cheney's first name was cut by the cuss filter

Try **** van ****.

ACK!