Opinion: Best of the Web Today: The Fallows Principle

Last night on Twitter, we put forth what we now christen the Fallows Principle: You can publish any falsehood you want with the disclaimer "Is it 'true'? I don't know."

The principle takes its name from James Fallows, a writer for The Atlantic, who in the wee hours of yesterday morning posted on the once-venerable magazine's website an "illustration" he had found "zooming around the Internet." It showed two TV stills, stacked one atop the other. In the first, from Comedy Central in 2003, comedian Dave Chappelle holds aloft a copy of a newspaper called "Daily Truth" with the headline "ASTEROID COMING�.�.�. Black President's Fault." (Chappelle, who is black, played the fictional black president, although as he was born in 1973, he wasn't old enough to hold that office at the time.)

The second still, ostensibly from Fox News Channel in 2013, shows anchorman Shannon Bream with a caption that reads: "Was the Russian meteor a plot by President Obama to prove that global warming is real?" Beneath the Fox photo appear the words "He knew!" referring to Chappelle.

Here's the accompanying explanatory text from Fallows:

How much of this illustration, now zooming around the Internet, is actually "true"? I don't know. But if you haven't seen it yet, enjoy.The top part, a picture of Chappelle during his TV heyday, does indeed appear to come from a Chappelle's Show episode in March, 2003. You can see it around time 0:22 of the clip below. Could the Fox News screen capture at the bottom possibly be legit? Versus photoshopped? I guess anything is possible. [Shocker update! The Fox part is a fake.]

We had seen the image before, and we immediately recognized it as a Photoshop production because the caption was in an unfamiliar font and in mixed upper- and lowercase. Perhaps that subtlety escaped Fallows because he never pollutes his mind by tuning in to Fox. But there were other telltale signs. The text of the caption is sharper than other on-screen text, namely the news-ticker chyron and the FOX NEWS and AMERICA'S ELECTION HQ logos. The latter logo is out of place in February of an odd-numbered year.

The most obvious clue of all is the credit atop the ostensible Fox shot, which reads "fb.com/ZombieRainbowUnicorn." We should warn you that the link, which goes to a Facebook page, contains material that would be unsuitable for a family newspaper. If you click on it anyway, you'll find that it is quite obviously a repository of humorous memes.

Ironically, the joke is not without a grain of truth. As NewsBusters.org reported, a female anchorman on a cable news network did propose a ludicrous linkage between the meteorite and "global warming." But it wasn't Bream or one of her fellow Foxen. It was CNN's Deb Feyerick, in a perhaps facetious question to Bill "The Science Guy" Nye.

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You can sleep till noon and still put one over on Fallows.

OK, so Jim Fallows is gullible. So are lots of other lefties, including, as Twitchy.com notes, President Obama's erstwhile "green jobs czar," Van Jones. And people of all political persuasions have been known to believe outlandish claims that comport with their own prejudices.

For an example of the Fallows Principle on the right, let's turn to a Feb.�7 report by Ben Shapiro of Breitbart.com:

On Thursday, Senate sources told Breitbart News exclusively that they have been informed that one of the reasons that President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has not turned over requested documents on his sources of foreign funding is that one of the names listed is a group purportedly called "Friends of Hamas."

Shapiro called a White House spokesman, Eric Schultz, seeking comment. Schultz hung up after hearing the question and did not answer subsequent calls. The story ran under the headline: "Secret Hagel Donor?: White House Spox Ducks Question on 'Friends of Hamas.'�"

This, too, turned out to be a joke, as Dan Friedman, a reporter for New York's Daily News, explains in an op-ed piece today:

On Feb.�6, I called a Republican aide on Capitol Hill with a question: Did Hagel's Senate critics know of controversial groups that he had addressed?Hagel was in hot water for alleged hostility to Israel. So, I asked my source, had Hagel given a speech to, say, the "Junior League of Hezbollah, in France"? And: What about "Friends of Hamas"?The names were so over-the-top, so linked to terrorism in the Middle East, that it was clear I was talking hypothetically and hyperbolically. No one could take seriously the idea that organizations with those names existed--let alone that a former senator would speak to them.Or so I thought.The aide promised to get back to me. I followed up with an e-mail, as a reminder: "Did he get $25K speaking fee from Friends of Hamas?" I asked.The source never responded, and I moved on.

Salon's Alex Seitz-Wald calls the kerfuffle "A New Low for Breitbart":

It's unclear whether the Senate source presented the information as a fact to Shapiro, misrepresenting Friedman's facetious question, or if Shapiro turned it from a question to a fact, but either way, there was plenty of ethical lapses [sic] somewhere along the way.Amazingly, Shapiro--who is the editor of Breitbart.com--stands by the report, explaining, "The story as reported is correct. Whether the information I was given by the source is correct I am not sure," he said. His story has no correction or update indicating that it is false.

We're with Seitz-Wald in faulting Shapiro and the site for failing to correct or update the story. (In that respect Fallows, by contrast, behaved creditably.) This seems to be a recurring problem at Breitbart.com, which, as we noted last month, also failed to correct an earlier false report that private guards at Washington's Sidwell Friends School carried firearms on campus.

It's not clear, however, that Shapiro and his source did anything unethical in the course of reporting the story. Like Fallows, they appear merely to have fallen for a rather outlandish joke. Shapiro followed the Fallows Principle in nodding to the outlandishness of the claim: The word "purportedly" served the same function for him that the question about whether the illustration "is actually 'true'�" did for Fallows.

The difference is that whereas the Fox joke could easily be confirmed as a joke merely by checking out the Zombie Rainbow page that was its source, the "Friends of Hamas" joke came from a reporter for a major newspaper--that is, somebody whose job involves trading on his own reputation for credibility.

It doesn't seem to occur to Seitz-Ward that it was Friedman who, by fabricating information, committed the greatest ethical lapse in the "Friends of Hamas" incident. It doesn't seem to occur to Friedman either. "I am, it seems, the creator of the Friends of Hamas myth," he writes. "Doing my job, I erred in counting on confidentiality and the understanding that my example was farcical--and by assuming no one would print an unchecked rumor."

Astonishingly, Friedman blames his source for passing on bum information: "Since the source knew we spoke under a standard that my questions weren't for sharing, that's a problem." (Friedman's source denies being Shapiro's source, but acknowledges "the chance of having mentioned it to others"--presumably meaning Capitol Hill colleagues, one of whom then relayed it to Shapiro.)

Friedman commits a category error in assuming that his source is obliged to keep his question confidential. The ethical rules governing confidentiality of sources are rules of journalistic ethics, which is to say that they govern the behavior of journalists, not sources. Friedman's accusation is the equivalent of a doctor's claiming a patient has violated medical ethics by discussing his diagnosis and treatment with a third party.

It seems to us that Friedman's source, Shapiro's source and Shapiro all made an error of judgment in relaying the claim about "Friends of Hamas" without stopping and checking out whether such an unlikely group actually existed. Each of them, however, heard the claim from somebody seemingly authoritative and credible--first Friedman, then Senate aides who were involved in the investigation. That can't be said in Fallows's defense.

When You Kerry Nuff to Send the Very Best Remember when John Kerry* was running for president against George W. Bush and his supporters kept touting his superior intellect, especially by comparison with the inarticulate incumbent? Kerry is now secretary of state, and look how he expresses himself in the official Foggy Bottom Twitter feed:

#SecKerry: We must make the investments necessary to safeguard an environment not ravaged by hallmarks of a dramatically changing climate.

The whole sentence is awkward, but "ravaged by hallmarks" is a distinctly Kerryesque squirm of phrase.

* The haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat who by the way served in Vietnam.

Is This Racist? NPR reports on a new federal cost-cutting move:

Every month, the government sends out about 5 million checks to Americans who receive federal benefits. On March 1, the Treasury Department is making those paper checks a thing of the past.Since May 2011, all new Social Security recipients are required to get direct deposit of their benefits. Some 93 percent of all recipients now do.But there are still holdouts, so the Treasury Department started a campaign and a website, Go Direct, in an effort to convince the remaining 7 percent.The department is prodding people to switch for one big reason: cost. Treasury spokesman Walt Henderson says the government will save $1 billion over 10 years by not having to print paper checks.

This sounds eminently sensible, but is it also racist? Last August, NPR carried an interview with Kristal Zook, a journalism professor who "recently penned a piece for the August issue of Essence Magazine called 'Destroying Your Vote.'�" Zook repeated the frequent claim that voter ID laws are racist:

There's a concern, because it echoes the kinds of efforts at disenfranchisement that have taken place for so long in this country, from the poll tax to literacy tests, all the way up until 1965 when we had the first real reform, these measures were in place to keep people out of the voter box.

Later, hostess Michel Martin, addressing a question to voter ID proponent Abigail Thernstrom, observed: "The conversations around this issue often move in a racial direction. But the other group that people say these requirements burden most heavily are the elderly."

You can't have direct deposit without a bank account, and you can't open a bank account without ID. So why isn't the Treasury racist for trying to force the elderly to use direct deposit? The answer, of course, is that the objections to voter ID are bogus to begin with.

Metaphor Alert "While it included some reasonably expressed generalities, President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech was also a mix of black swan obliviousness and invisible gorilla syndrome, with some goulash for the gullible thrown in as well."--Jay Ambrose syndicated column, Feb.�20

Fox Butterfield, Is That You? "Despite Controversy, Hagel's Archives Sealed Shut"--headline, TheWeeklyStandard.com, Feb.�20

We Blame George W. Bush "Thigh Fat May Be to Blame for Older Adults Who Slow Down"--headline, National Institute on Aging press release, Feb.�18

We Blame Global Warming "Video: McCain Town Hall on Immigration in Arizona Gets Hot"--headline, HotAir.com, Feb.�20

The Secretary of State Walks Into a Bar�.�.�. "McGuigan Says Kerry Face Long Wait to Lift Sam"--headline, Irish Examiner, Feb.�19

Shortest Books Ever Written "Chuck Hagel, Strategic Thinker"--headline, NationalJournal.com, Feb.�19

'Now, What Did We Do With Those Kids�.�.�.?' "Abortion-Rights PAC Staffers Behind Push for Gun-Control 'Million Kid March' on DC"--headline, PJMedia.com, Feb.�19

To Serve Man "Abortion Group Hires Obama-Linked Consulting Firm to Grill Pro-Lifers at Home"--headline, DailyCaller.com, Feb.�20

So Much for the War on Drugs

• "[Cardinal Timothy] Dolan was asked about rumors that he would be named the first American pope when the College of Cardinals convenes next month to select Pope Benedict's successor. 'I'd say those are only from people smoking marijuana,' Dolan said."--New York Post, Feb.�18
• "Buzz Growing Around Cardinal O'Malley as Possible Pope"--headline, Boston Herald, Feb.�19

Life Imitates 'The Office' "Office Coffee Cups Harbor Nasty Germs"--headline, WTOP-FM website (Washington), Feb.�20

Split Ends? "Harry Styles, Taylor Swift Breakup: One Direction Star Says He's 'Okay,' Speaks Out About Split"--headline, Puffington Host, Feb.�19

Sex Machines

• "Drunk Man 'Tried to Have Sex With an Ambulance'�"--headline, Daily Telegraph (London), Feb.�14
• "Saturn Gets Kinky"--headline, Slate.com, Feb.�20

The Twins Dodge a Bullet

• "No Easy Solutions for Minnesota as Asian Carp Close In"--headline, Twin Cities Daily Planet, Feb.�15
• "Red Sox Acquire Carp From Mariners"--headline, Associated Press, Feb.�20

She Was Afraid She'd Die Before Her Time "It's Never Too Late to Quit! Birthday Girl Clara Finally Gives Up Smoking at the Age of 102-After Puffing on 60,000 Cigarettes"--headline, Daily Mail (London), Feb.�18

The Victim Survived, but the Doctors Couldn't Save His Fracas "Cops: Cortlandt Man Stabbed in Fracas Over Girlfriend"--headline, Journal News (White Plains, N.Y.), Feb.�18

Questions Nobody Is Asking

• "Why Do Slugs Huddle?"--headline, Guardian website (London), Feb.�20
• "Why Did Mindy McCready Shoot Her Dog?"--headline, omg.yahoo.com, Feb.�19
• "The 2014 SS: Chevrolet Answers a Question, but Was Anybody Asking?"--headline, New York Times website, Feb.�18

Answers to Questions Nobody Is Asking

• "What Former Rep. David Dreier Is Up To Next"--headline, NationalJournal.com, Feb.�20
• "Man Tells AP: 'I Wanted to Let You Know' My Husband and I 'Use These Terms'�"--headline, BuzzFeed.com, Feb.�19

Look Out Below! "Pickle Company Agrees to Drop 'Midget'�"--headline, United Press International, Feb.�19

News of the Tautological "Survivalist/Conspiracy Theorist Says His Views Have Made Him a Target"--headline, Philadelphia Daily News, Feb.�20

News You Can Use

• "10 Health Reasons Women Should Have Sex"--headline, Omaha World-Herald, Feb.�19
• "Biden: 'Buy a Shotgun. Buy a Shotgun.'�"--headline, TheHill.com, Feb.�19

Bottom Stories of the Day

• "Chicago Not Interested in 2024 Olympic Bid"--headline, Chicago Tribune, Feb.�19
• "Nigerians Criticise Kim Kardashian's Visit"--headline, AllAfrica.com, Feb.�20

Le Retour "The CEO of a U.S. tyre company has delivered a crushing summary of how some outsiders view France's work ethic in a letter saying he would have to be stupid to take over a factory whose staff only put in three hours work a day," Reuters reports (using the funny British way of spelling tire):

Titan International's Maurice "Morry" Taylor, who goes by "The Grizz" for his bear-like no-nonsense style, told France's left-wing industry minister in a letter published by Paris media that he had no interest in buying a doomed plant."The French workforce gets paid high wages but works only three hours. They get one hour for breaks and lunch, talk for three and work for three," Taylor wrote on February 8 in the letter in English addressed to the minister, Arnaud Montebourg."I told this to the French union workers to their faces. They told me that's the French way!" Taylor added in the letter, which was posted by business daily Les Echos on its website on Wednesday and which the ministry confirmed was genuine."How stupid do you think we are?" he asked at one point.

Montebourg wrote what Reuters called "a scathing response":

"Can I remind you that Titan, the business you run, is 20 times smaller than Michelin, the French (tyre) technology leader with international influence, and 35 times less profitable," Montebourg wrote, in a two-page letter in French."This just shows the extent to which Titan could have learned and gained, enormously, from a presence in France."Montebourg's letter, a copy of which was sent to Reuters, said Taylor's comments, "as extremist as they are insulting", illustrated his ignorance of France.

Later it occurred to Montebourg that he shoulda said: "Oui? Well, la jerk boutique called. Zey're running outta vous!"

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(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Eric Jensen, Jeryl Bier, John Overton, Hillel Markowitz, Randy Smith, Arlene Ross, Bruce Goldman, John Sanders, John Williamson, Steven Thompson, Mark Finkelstein, Dave Mason, Jeff McKee, David Hoffman, Dave Ceely, Charles Vorbach, Mordecai Bobrowsky, Gerald Massodi, Kyle Kyllan, Ethel Fenig, Michele Schiesser, David Hallstrom, Dave Mason, Irene DeBlasio, Keith Kemper, Daniel Foty and David Shimkin. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)