The ABC website yesterday ran a story about Ryanair charging for use of the toilets in the air. It seems they got it from the Daily Mail which added the news that Ryanair would take out two of the three toilets to add more seats.
The New York Daily News also picked up the story as did the SMH today. No other London paper mentioned it.
The story first surfaced a year ago when Michael O’Leary floated it. He was joking.
The story is nonsense. I can understand the Daily Mail and the Daily News running it but the ABC and SMH should have known better. Journalists once had a nose for a hoax. Now I suspect that is replaced by the “too good to check” rule.
I reckon this is what happened: The April in-flight magazine of Ryanair decided an April Fool’s hoax would be fun and certain elements of the MSM fell for it.
Who was it that said we need MSM because news is checked and verified before publication, unlike blogs?
If I am wrong, I will withdraw. Do you think ABC and SMH will do the same if I am correct?
[I have modified the title of this post slightly as it was attracting a spam storm. Sinc]
[restored title. Sinc]
