Has Fact Checking Gone Out Of Style?

Blake Shelton had a nice rant this week. It was a business story in a trade publication that was wrong. An inside baseball story about a talent agency signing him and George Strait. Blake took to Twitter to ask, "When did fact checking go out of style? My god (Blake didn't capitalize god FYI), one phone call would tell them this isn't true." And went on to tell his 20.6 million followers to be careful what you believe on the internet.

Must have been the week for journalism complaints. I went to Twitter to complain about the lack of attribution. A well-known songwriter died and there was a rush to get the story out. Be first is great but being RIGHT is better. The reporter was correct, and I thought so when I read it but no attribution. Did he see the dead person? If not, you need to say according to who. Quoting someone saying it on Twitter is not a source. You could say, "Social media reports are all over that so-and-so died but we ae having trouble confirming the death with a family member, co-workers, police, etc."

Waiting is hard, getting beat is hard, but being WRONG -- as a major network was on a few death stories in recent years -- is horrible ... a retraction is done and that really hurts.

The Internet and mainstream journalism are filled with fake news. Morning radio shows can be when a non-journalist starts mining these fake news websites and morning tip sheets. Hollywood Life, In Touch, The Sun, World News Daily ... even US Weekly have been wrong on more than a few occasions. We are all wrong sometimes, even the big boys, but the Internet and the race to be first instead of right is a growing problem.

Tanya and Glen Campbell, Tammy Wynette's kidnapping and later health issues, Carrie Underwood's facial injury, of course Blake and Miranda's marriage and divorce, Blake and Gwen, Garth and Trisha, you could make quite a list of Country stars making the tabloid covers. Keith and Nicole, for sure. It's a murky train somedays. Much is harmless but some just plain nasty.

Loretta Lynn's upcoming birthday party April 1st should be an historic gathering. Just last week a huge Willie Nelson salute at the same Bridgestone Arena. Isn't it great that all the generations of Country music are honoring its living legends?

The Grammys and CBS are doing a Motown At 60 special soon. Country should take a page from their book and honor things like Acuff-Rose or Columbia Records or WSM Radio even ... What a show you could put together. The Opry is overdue for a national salute.

And every year about this time people ask, Why not a Super Bowl Country Halftime? It has been done, but no one that I've seen broke down the NFL ratings info on it. Happened in Atlanta on Jan. 30th, 1994 in Georgia Dome ... Dallas beat Buffalo. Performers: Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna and The Judds, with a bunch of stars singing with them.

Shania did one, too, with No Doubt and Mr Sting .... 2003 San Diego. Who in 2020 (the next one) could pull it off?

Garth, of course, but why would he want to? It's an interesting game to play and the NFL wracks their collective brains every year. Maroon 5 ... Hmmmmmmm...