European Railroad Discussion > Alstom testing automatic freight train in Europe

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42782287

This story has been doing the rounds of social media over here, ridiculing the BBC for using a picture from Mexico.

86235 Wrote:
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> This story has been doing the rounds of social
> media over here, ridiculing the BBC for using a
> picture from Mexico.

The photo looks like it's credited to Alstom, in which case it's hardly the BBC's fault.

Yes, but the BBC used it before about a story relevant to Mexico. I think the picture researcher was just lazy.

And, I think the BBC like any reputable news organisation should check what it is they're using to illustrate a story. Any european trainspotter would of course immediately tell that the locomotive is North American in some form, but you cannot expect ordinary journalists (or any other normal people) to have this particular obsession or knowledge.

Just because it is labelled as coming from Alstom does not make it appropriate or plausible, and unfortunately this is the kind of practice that gives mainstream news media a bad name. Not of course that this sort of thing happens less frequently with alternative media, but in the current climate it behoves the BBC and others to be absolutely scrupulous in their fact checking.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/18 15:24 by spflow.