What on earth!

The Times of India admits that sensationalism got it in the neck this time :

India's media-on-steroids may well owe a mea culpa for falling all over a story without taking even the elementary step of e-mailing or phoning NASA or looking up its extensive website, to confirm its authenticity.

Forget e-mailing/phoning NASA. The President is nearer home isn't he - and the time zone is same too.

Added to the sloppiness, TOI apparently could not resist taking a pot shot at the Hindustan Times:

...It first appeared in The Tribune on February 8. It was picked up by the Hindustan Times on February 11, followed by other newspapers

However, seeing that it appeared prominently on the front page of the Times of India too, one would expect it to take a bit of the blame. But no. Who knows, readers may have forgotten that TOI did carry the news on Friday, 18 February and may even applaud themselves on their good sense in opting for it instead of all those other unreliable sources. But in fairness to TOI, this seems a popular ploy. No one else is admitting that 'they' were wrong either. It's always a hazy 'it was widely reported', 'nearly all of Indian media' etc...

No marks to BBC, NDTV, Hindustan Times, Times Of India for carrying the news. Also, the BBC and Times of India websites seem to have been attacked by a very selective link-eating monster.

Full marks to the Deccan Herald, The Hindu for not carrying it.

Now, there is a guy who surfaces repeatedly during IT.com who has apparently rejected offers from Microsoft and Network Solutions at the tender age of sixteen. What's the scoop on him?