Every now and then NewsTrust member need to see poor journalism, and this is an example of it. Why is this so subpar? Let us count the ways: 1. The report is based on a news release by New York Department of Consumer Affairs. See: http://media-newswire.com/release_1106371.html 2. The third paragraph states that bad scales "could mean big penalties for you." That's contradicted a few pargraphs later. 3. The reporter apparently googled to see who else may have written about airport scales and learned the South Florida Sun-Sentinel did a real piece of journalism in 2008. See: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flzbaggagescales1026sboct26,0,2856273.story 4. The reporter believes the Sentinel reported its scales story "last month," failing to read the date of Oct. 26, 2008. 5. The reporter doesn't bother to change the phrasing of the source story: ABC NEWS: A South Florida Sun-Sentinel analysis last month of nearly 2,000 South Florida airport scale inspections found that more than one in four resulted in failures from 2005 to mid-2008. Palm Beach International Airport had the worst record for weight-related failures, 12 percent, while Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Miami International had 4 percent. Sun-Sentinel: A Sun Sentinel analysis of nearly 2,000 South Florida airport scale inspections found that more than one in four resulted in failures from 2005 to mid-2008, many for technical reasons but some because they couldn't weigh accurately. Palm Beach International Airport had the worst record for weight-related failures, 12 percent, while Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Miami International had 4 percent. 6. The reporter does the same select, copy and paste trick with the next googled story: ABC NEWS: Last year, the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures, responding to a complaint by a US Airways passenger, did a surprise inspection of the airlines' scales at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport. A team of inspectors tagged 31 of the 72 scales with infractions, but all but three were minor and none was to the airline's advantage. Arizona Republic: The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures, responding to a recent complaint by a US Airways passenger, did a surprise inspection of the airlines' scales at Sky Harbor International Airport on Friday. A team of inspectors tagged 31 of the 72 scales with infractions, but all but three were minor and none was to the airline's advantage. 7. The reporter does much of the same thing in the next paragraph: ABC News: Southwest, which has a large presence in Phoenix, shut down three of its 26 scales because they received the most serious violation from the inspectors. The problem: The scales did not start at zero. In Southwest's case, they started before zero, so any error would be in the customer's favor. Arizona Republic: Southwest, which has nearly 200 daily flights from Phoenix, had to shut down three of its 26 scales because they received red tags, the most serious violation, from the inspectors. The problem: The scales did not start at zero. In Southwest's case, they started before zero, so any error would be in the customer's favor. 8. Rather than interview a real source, the reporter turns to an ABCNews.com columnist for a quote. (I wonder whether it was via e-mail.) 9. Finally, we get some journalism, although we don't get an answer, when a throw-away paragraph states that the Air Transport Association isn't going to comment (as if this were a real investigative report). 10. The reporter continues his imaginary investigative report--for the record, now he is doing a boring "round-up" story--calling PR spokesperson responses "statements."