Comments on: Maine Mutant Takes Down Website

By: Jeremy_Wells

Jeremy_Wells — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 22:06:32 +0000

Thanks for explaining that process Loren. As a former journalist I understand how Mr. LaFlamme feels. Everyone loves to shoot the messenger (especially when they are disappointed at mundane explanations or angry at the inability to explain away).

Journalist are just the messengers. It’s the people that click on the links and pick up the papers who decide if a story of this type is “newsworthy” or not (the same one’s who then complain about “sensationalistic journalism”)

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 10:13:15 +0000

Newspaper articles for local papers are written close to the data flowing into the news organization. They generally are filled with relatively complete information and details.

Wire service stories are edited, condensed, reformed snippets of the original material into a short text that may be further shortened by other media. By the time a wire service story is published, it usually has evolved into material that has changed emphasis due to shifts in certain details and quotations.

However, in both cases, the people who write the body of the articles (locally or in wire stories) are not the same individuals who create the headlines. Headline writing is done by a separate body of media workers who have in mind the “marketing” and “flash summary” of the piece written, not necessarily any conveying of total factual content.

As a cryptozoologist, I understand that and take it into account in analyzing any cryptid report that may become a media focus. Cryptid avvounts become part of popular culture through many avenues, and being sensationalized by a catchy headline (as opposed to the articles themselves) does occur.

Nevertheless, it still is part of the “making fantastic” process that Heuvelmans talks about with regard to what happens in cryptozoology, before something is discovered and moves into zoology.

By: LaFlamme

LaFlamme — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 06:21:30 +0000

Point taken, Kelly. I guess I was just trying to defend my own role in it, not the media as a whole.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 06:17:43 +0000

LaFlamme-before you accuse anyone of being a “parrot” why don’t you consider some of the media sources where some of us may have read this non-story. The Drudge Report headline reads: “Hybrid Mutant Found Dead in Maine”. The AP wrote the story. The headline is sensational regardless of the content. The anecdotes contained in these kinds of items volunteered (or misquoted) by innocent and unknowing witnesses perpetuate and sometimes propagate urban and rural myth…I believe we simply do not need that in cryptozoology.

By: stevedrum

stevedrum — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 23:41:49 +0000

Is it possible it could be part Siberian Husky? they have blue eyes.

By: harleyb

harleyb — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 22:22:17 +0000

There is so many diffrent breed’s of dogs these day’s who knows what kind of animal that is.

By: LaFlamme

LaFlamme — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 18:32:35 +0000

Crazy, all of it. I wrote about the find in Turner because I believed people in that area would be interested. Plus, it was a way to question the role of Inland Fisheries. I didn’t forsee the subsequent media storm and all the ugliness. I wrote more about the dark side of things here:
http://marklaflamme.wordpress.com/2006/08/19/news-hound/

By: inspired

inspired — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 17:45:09 +0000

OK! We know it is a dog. We know that that when many people look at it, and many people are ready to go back to church. LET’S BREED ONE!
It would seem to me that some smart local business owner would sponsor a dog show with a prize going to the dog that most held the look and spirit of the hype around this dog. I would love to be one of the judges for such a show. The dog would need to have blue eyes that bulge out like this one, short snout, short pointed ears, short gray/blue fir, and bushy long straight tail, fangs that stick out past the gums, nasty long dew claw, and be trained to snarl and attack for display. Come on all you guys that are sure you know what this breed is! Let’s see you show up with one! Look how many people have pit-bulls just because they like to own a dog that intimidates many people.
I think the eyes color and shape are going to be the hard part to find.
We could start if off with a picture contest here, or a video contest posting on utube.com or something.

Hollywood would likely use such a dog for a movie if you could breed one.

By: crypto_randz

crypto_randz — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 15:10:31 +0000

Interesting, i really dont know about this, so what is haunting the woods over there is still alive? WOW this is a tough one, well the screams at night is a mystery whatever they sound like must be very menacing. Than the fact is the dead carcass is a dog perhaps. Hopefully we will get more informatin on this story.

By: Ranatemporaria

Ranatemporaria — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 10:22:51 +0000

Yes Mnyames is right all these stories break in a similar small scale way, i just cant fathom out what makes some of these storiies so popular with those in the media who seem to want to sensationalize things, whilst other stories are ignored.