September 10, 2008

Horse 914 - Making up Stuff



I had intended to write a piece on the failed Sydney Metro Link and how there wasn't enough money in kick for the project, so I checked out the website to do some ferreting:
http://www.sydlink.com.au/site/page.cfm
Fair enough, the website was still up despite the whole project being dropped on its ear.

Then I found this:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/commuting--endurance-sport/2008/09/10/1220857606769.html
Nathan Rees was making no promises as he made his first bells-and-whistles tour of Sydney's troubled train system this morning.
He listened closely to a dozen commuters, mostly students, as they detailed their experience of getting in to Sydney from his local station, Wentworthville.

I have a few problems here:
1. Nathan Rees did not catch the train this morning.
2. Today is not September 11 but September 10.
3. This does not appear in today's newspaper.



Does this mean to say that the Herald has published an article inline before the event has actually happened? Does the Sydney Morning Herald have access to time-travel? Have they published an event based on a press release rather than actual journalism (because if they don't have access to time-travel, then they could not possibly have sent anyone to Wentworthville Station this morning)?

Admittedly I am not surprised by the axing of the project:
http://jamisonprawn.net/2008/09/a-tops-day-for-nsw/#comments
Rob:
You think they can fix the roads/trains/buses by the time I get back? I love not having to worry about transport over here, it’s awesome :) I don’t think once have I seen a ‘peak hour’.
Rollo:
Considering that the railway line to Castle Hill promised by the Dibbs government in 1891 still hasn’t been built, don’t hold your breath waiting.

This still does not however excuse the Sydney Morning Herald for publishing news before its happened... do the words "making it up" mean anything?

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