Apology to the readers

sorry

OK

So yesterday I got an email from my mother with the story about the railroad gauge and Roman ruts.

I like history so I liked it.

And I reprinted it (with credit to my mom), but I did so without bothering to check if it was true.

It wasn’t.

Aaron wrote back to say that it was a web circulated urban myth.

Here’s the full report.

Sorry. I made a mistake.

I won’t to that again.

Michael Rosenblum

For more than 30 years, Michael Rosenblum has been on the cutting edge of the digital video journalism revolution. During this time, he has lead a drive for video literacy, and the complete rethinking of how television is made and controlled. His work has included: The complete transitioning of The BBC's national network (UK) to a VJ-driven model, starting in 2002. The complete conversion of The Voice of America, the United State's Government's broadcasting agency, (and the largest broadcaster in the world), from short wave radio to television broadcasting and webcasting using the VJ paradigm (1998-present). The construction of NYT Television, a New York Times Company, and the largest producer of non-fiction television in the US. Rosenblum was both the founder and President of NYT TV, (all based on this paradigm (1996-1998). The President and Founder of Video News International, a global VJ-driven newsgathering company, with more than 100 journalists around the world. (1993-1996). Other clients include Spectrum News, Verizon and CBS News.

1 Comment
  • Erik Gunn July 07, 2009

    Mike, there’s a deeper lesson here about what journalism is, at its best: Not just the dissemination of passed-on, interesting gossip, or fascinating but unprovable theories, but the systematic inquiry, investigation and verification of facts.

    (OK, I can predict that you and many others–even me–can point as high as the NY Times for examples in which our chosen profession fell far short of that ideal. OK, point taken in advance. That doesn’t change my argument.)

    It is that journalistic discipline that our craft must find ways to sustain even as we cross over from old media to new ones.

    And good on ya’ for promptly fessing up.