Journalism's Rules Blown Up In "Exploding" Droid 2 Story

Pictures tell 1,000 words but how many of those are lies? Claims of injuries caused by defective mobile devices are not new. Some have shown to be legitimate and others were bogus like this one from the prehistoric era in mobile – 2007. http://bit.ly/fOzkk3 As you likely know by now, a Texas man got TV time to allege that his Droid 2 exploded and caused significant damage to his ear. In this era of immediate “journalism”, headlines across the world read like this one from Alley Insider – “Droid Phone Explodes, Destroys Man's Ear In Bloody Mess”. The Texas television station was as guilty with a rush to judgment. Has the word allegedly been blown up, too? In a high profile “Moment of Trust”, Motorola said it would contact the supposed victim and begin an investigation. Is it possible that the incident happened as the man claims? My mobile device expertise is all about benefits, not components. So maybe yes, maybe no. Having spent 12 years as a journalist, I heard all sorts of stories, including tall tales. During those years, boxing promoter Bob Arum said, “Yesterday I was lying. Today, I’m telling the truth.” The Droid 2 either exploded or it didn’t. Expect this story to have legs – as well as a bloody ear.