Re: San Diego Union Aricle

[james.g.barnes@att.net]

Joel;



In a media organization, the editor is supposed to be picking up these types 

of inaccuracies. Perhaps it is better to use the occasion to train the editor

in what to look for in the future, and let the editor deal with the reporter.



You might try sending a letter to the editor directly as an individual (i.e., 

label it NOT FOR PUBLICATION), and make the point that if they are going to 

report these type of technical stories, they might want to make a better 

attempt to understand and report the details correctly. Then use the story as 

an example and list out four or five of the points that are clearly not 

correct (i.e., "residual X-ray"); DON'T do a full point by point critique; 

nobody has the attention span to wade through something like that. You just 

want make the point that these simple descriptions were so inaccurate that 

the rest of the story was becoming unbelievable.



Don't get into the controversial or "opinion" stuff; just make the point that 

it serves nobody's interest for the basic physics and practice to be 

misreported and misrepresented through a lack of understanding. Then give him 

some basic websites that he can use for rapid reference (remember, these guys 

don't have forever to gather facts, check them, and publish; so give him 

something that can be used quickly and is relatively unbiased).





Jim Barnes

RADSAFERS,



I was dismayed when reading the front page of the San Diego Union today.

On the front page is an article "Detectors for 'dirty bombs' set of by range

of sources".  The article says "the detector sounded because someone present

had just had an X-ray that left a residue of radiation.  You can find both

the front page: http://subscribers.uniontrib.com/daily.pdf and the rest of the

article: http://www.signonsandiego.com/.  The article is SO full of

inadequacies that I'm not sure how to address it in a "letter to the editor"...



Joel Baumbaugh (baumbaug@nosc.mil)

SSC-SD.  

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