In which I mention Rita Moreno of Arte and Frank Black in the same post

Sit down, everyone, while I share a little truth with you.

Many blogs and many news organizations publish stories that merely consist of company press releases, or stories from other sources.

Yes, I know you're shocked.

Frankly I do the same thing myself, but when I do this, I try to add some original content. For example, my recent story on the death of Mindy McCready included personal observations going back to the 1990s, as well as links to material that I had written in the past. Similarly, I consulted multiple sources when writing about the Crash at Crush.

But what happens if someone adds original content, and the content itself is flawed? (Remember what happened when Gregory Smith quoted Mark Traphagen?)

Time for the really big disclosure.

[I AM ABOUT TO LINK TO A STORY THAT QUOTES FROM A PRESS RELEASE RELEASED BY MY EMPLOYER. MY EMPLOYER PROVIDES ME WITH A NUMBER OF BENEFITS, INCLUDING A SALARY, A REALLY LARGE CUBICLE, AND OCCASIONAL CHOCOLATE. READERS SHOULD THEREFORE BE CAUTIONED THAT MY OBJECTIVITY IN TALKING ABOUT THIS PRESS RELEASE MAY BE SEVERELY COMPROMISED.]

OK, so we issued a press release, and a number of news sources picked it up. One particular news source, however, chose to add a very puzzling introductory sentence to the original press release.

The Los Angeles district of Orange County will be supplied with MorphoBIS Biometric Identification System in its crime labe for real-time identification of crime suspects

"The Los Angeles district of Orange County?" This is the reverse of what usually happens around here, most notably with the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" and the "LA/Ontario International Airport." In ract, a few of you may recall that I parodied the whole "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" name when it originally came out.

Angels Owner Announces Official Name Change

01/03/2005 11:07 AM ET

ANAHEIM -- Angels Baseball Monday announced the team owner has changed his official name to Rita Moreno of Arte. This change is effective January 3, 2005.

The inclusion of Rita reflects the original celebrity name recognized by the Hollywood elite in December 1960 and again returns Moreno as Hollywood's representative in the Greater Los Angeles territory that Major League Baseball expects the team to serve.

The Los Angeles region, which is comprised of Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties, is the second largest media market in the country. This name change will strengthen Mr. Moreno's long-term economic health by enhancing the marketability through this metropolitan area and beyond.

To emphasize the name change, Rita Moreno of Arte will appear on Broadway as the female lead in a stage production of "The King and I," produced by former Angels owner Disney.

Despite my best efforts, the name "Rita Moreno of Arte" never caught on, which is why I'm trying again.

Of course, when you talk about the "Los Angeles district of Orange County," you have to ask which "Los Angeles" is being referenced. As Frank Black reminds us, you can't be sure.



P.S. Love that hovercraft.

P.P.S. What is a crime labe, anyway?