Just the Facts, Ma’am!

According to the news, Niagara Falls PC candidate George Lepp had a picture of his privates posted to his twitter account. My first impression upon reading the stories are disbelief followed by an inability to stop giggling.

Some days I love the media.

The Accidental Tourist

The Toronto Sun first stated the photo was “accidentally” taken while the blackberry was in camera mode inside Lepp’s front pocket.

Sakach said the device was operating on camera mode in his front pant pocket when it went missing. He added that Lepp suspects it was taken as he was jostled by protesters outside the Dixon Rd. convention centre where the Tories met for the party’s weekend convention.
~ The Toronto Sun

The humour comes when you consider exactly how someone could “accidentally” take a picture of their genitals from their front pocket.

In order to accomplish this masterful, yet physically awkward feat, the person would have to:

1. Have a big enough hole in their front pocket to allow for the camera portion of the blackberry to fall exactly into an open space
2. Be going commando
3. Reach into their pocket and pull the camera back far enough to take the photo, and
4. Be far enough away from everyone and anyone so as not to look awkward standing with their hand in their pocket while yanking their pants a foot away from their crotch area and muffling the audible click of the camera and the brightness of the flash.

Now consider the photo itself: a man naked from the waist down showing a close up of his penis and crossed legs.

Perhaps I’m missing a major disconnection in logic here, but wouldn’t it be a bit difficult to “accidentally” capture this particular composition of naked parts and legs if the camera is in someone’s front pocket? Especially when you take into account the fact that the man was still supposed to be wearing his pants at the time this occurred?

That’s what I thought.

Yet apparently our media representatives thought the facts solid enough to run with the story.

Of course this prompted OTHER newspapers to pick up on the sordid tale, but they did so by quoting the original newspaper as a valid source. I guess stealing from the competition counts as valid research these days.

Because Twitter Says So

I would also like to give a big online ‘high five’ to the Canadian media giants for once again going crazy at the mention of something happening to someone on Twitter. A mere hint of a person doing anything remotely inappropriate on the social networking ap sends the media into a frenzy of badly researched articles and incorrect facts just so they can slap the word “Twitter” on the front page.

The following headlines appeared in some of our top newspapers, including the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail:

• Lewd picture on Twitter not of Tory candidate, aide says
• PC candidate’s privates appear on Twitter
• Ontario Tories deny candidate sent porn Tweet

Where it began

For me, the real story is the fact that a PC candidate had an unlocked blackberry. After all, as every college student will tell you – never leave your phone unlocked because you never know which one of your dimwitted friends is going to take a picture of their privates and post it to your twitter account.

Perhaps this is a lesson which needs to be passed on to our political candidates.

Next time use a password.

~