@stevenportnoy ARE YOU SERIOUS? Have you filed a report or a link I can RT?
— Matt Simansky (@ActionNewsMatt) July 13, 2013
@ActionNewsMatt ferreal. I'll forward NTSB email.
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) July 13, 2013
How could KTVU get something so wrong? The San Francisco TV station was the joke of the Internet today when it fell for a prank and broadcast the “names” of the four pilots on Asiana Air Flight 214. You’d think names like “Captain Sum Ting Wong” and “Wi Tu Lo” would have raised a red flag or two, but the station insisted it had verified the names with the National Transportation Safety Board.
It turns out that might be true. ABC News’ Steven Portnoy is reporting that an NTSB summer intern is responsible for confirming the obviously fake names.
Oh, for goodness sake. @NTSB intern confirmed fake pilot names. RT @jonstank: @MickiMaynard pic.twitter.com/4bjopQvAsw
— Micheline Maynard (@MickiMaynard) July 13, 2013
Worst intern ever. RT @NTSB: NTSB summer intern erroneously confirms Asiana Flight 214 crewmember names. http://t.co/mhwJ0ICfWe
— Maybe: Fred Benenson (@fredbenenson) July 13, 2013
Dog ate homework RT @NTSB: NTSB summer intern erroneously confirms Asiana Flight 214 crewmember names. Read more http://t.co/GJT0urxdIo”
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) July 13, 2013
Recommended
KTVU’s news anchor apologized this evening for the gaffe.
KTVU anchor Frank Somerville just apologized on air for the Asiana pilot hoax. "We made a mistake…we offer our sincerest apology."
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) July 13, 2013
Matthew Keyes noted that a KTVU producer managed to sum up the entire affair earlier today in just one (since-deleted) tweet.
KTVU producer Brad Belstock, @ProducerBB, summed up the station's Asiana gaffe perfectly on Twitter – pic.twitter.com/WrQCBhesVI
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) July 12, 2013
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