The MECA story, A place for speculation Options

[Stu]

Well, it's no huge surprise is it? Once the media bloodhounds get a whiff of a story-scented scrap of cloth that's it...

You can't keep things like this under wraps, not in this modern world when there's pseudo-glory to be gained by gathering and then revealing info before everyone else.

Whatever will be, will be. Steady on chaps. Don't panic. Remember you're UMSF...

[centsworth_II]

...when they have a press conference I want them to be able to describe the state of their work with the appropriate caveats...

If the MECA results merit their own press conference, great. Then that is what they should have... in due course.

PS: I do feel your pain.

[belleraphon1]

For myself, I was just surprised by Craig Covault's question. The more so because man is a professional. Been doing this space reporting for a long time. I respect him. But I have to agree with our esteemed smug elitist Doug. You do not embarrass your sources in public.

DO look forward to whatever MECA has found..... more grist for the mill.

Craig ....Proud to be a UMSF contributor

[jmknapp]

Well, it's no huge surprise is it? Once the media bloodhounds get a whiff of a story-scented scrap of cloth that's it...

Doing a quick check, the search terms "mars" and "science advisor" only bring up two relevant articles on Google News, one the AW&ST article, and one regurgitation of same on worldnetdaily. Searching for "mars" and "white house" picks up the slashdot post. That's about it for Google News.

In the general blogosphere, technorati shows only a few references. Searching on "mars" and "covault" brings up the "Breaking Mars Story: Noise From The BBS Crowd" snark from nasawatch--also a random blog entry with no comments.

In short, fears of the unwashed masses appear to be greatly exaggerated--rather, the problem is that most people aren't even aware what Phoenix is, other than the city, & could only be enlightened by exposure to the fact that intriguing chemical analyses are being done by a spacecraft of that name on Mars.

[dvandorn]

I dunno... a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I got a journalism degree in college, and actually worked in newspapers for a couple of years (until I discovered I could make *tons* more money in technical writing).

I have something of a clue of how these things work. And I'd bet y'all any money the sequence went something like this:

Craig Covault is sitting around his office and gets a call from a friend who monitors the White House beat (likely for some other news organization). Let's face it, Covault isn't a White House correspondent.

Covault's friend says, "Hey, I just got word that your Mars lander guys came and gave a special presentation to the President. What the <bleep> is happening over on your side of the street, Craig?"

Covault guardedly replies, "Nothing they've told *me*."

Whereupon friend correspondent says, "Well, they have to have *something* hot, or they wouldn't be briefing the White House."

Now, if you're Craig Covault at that moment, maybe having nursed some private concerns over the very, very little information that has been released from the first TEGA run and from the WCL runs, just how are you going to feel? Maybe just a little, well... blindsided?

I can't blame the man for reacting the way he did. If the above scenario is correct, Covault got his skinny from a political reporter, while his own contacts in the Phoenix team and in the space industry in general had not only not given him any hints of this, it might just feel to him like his contacts have been deliberately withholding information from him. (Please note, I am *not* particularly suggesting that is the case, or that it would be un-called-for even if true -- I'm only suggesting that this scenario may have made Covault *feel* like that.)

If it were me, and especially if private questions along the same lines had been stonewalled, then heck, yes, I'll ask the question at a press conference. If I'm feeling like my contacts don't respect me, then I'm more motivated to remind them that respect is a two-way street.

Again, speaking from the point of view of someone who has worked the reporter's side of the street, and knows a little bit about the somewhat lunatic dynamic between a beat reporter and his/her contacts.

-the other Doug

[andrea]

Nasawatch.com comments on the phoenix twitter: "Heard about the recent news reports implying I may have found Martian life. Those reports are incorrect".

While I disagree about his comment re: this forum, I think that Keith Cowing is right that NASA PAO is sleeping on this. The confusion between finding life and "potential for life" will be lost to the public IMHO unless cleared up by NASA.

[CosmicRocker]

Hehe! It's so much fun to speculate about things like this. IMmostHO, interested members here should bite their tongues, and refrain from further public comments until the "official news" is released by the relevant scientists. To be honest, we have no idea with regard to what they may have discovered, unless someone of us is a very lucky insider.

"lost to the public..." I wouldn't discount the public as lost.

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Well the twitter page seem to refute ALL of this story. No Whitehouse briefing has ever taken place.

[djellison]

Reports claiming there was a White House briefing are also untrue and incorrect.

Heard about the recent news reports implying I may have found Martian life. Those reports are incorrect

Curiouser and curiouser.

[marsbug]

I go away for one week to move house and everyone thinks they've discovered life on mars.. tut tut tut
Seriously, I'm going to wait for an official announcement before I let myself think anything.

[nprev]

Curiouser and curiouser.

I'm tellin' ya...it's all hype, and not hype constructed or clearly wanted by the Phoenix team or NASA. There's a bad odor about.

[Stu]

Oh, definitely hype, but hype of a mysterious, shiny new-found nugget of Interesting Science. There is a story here. Almost certainly not anything that's going to force a paradigm-shift, or going to prompt a White House lawn press announcement, but hopefully something that will confidently tap another piece of the 1 million piece jigsaw of martian history into place.

[nprev]

I completely agree. It's going to be interesting, regardless.

[jmjawors]

Has anyone seen any of these news reports implying the discovery of Martian life that "Phoenix" is talking about? It's irrelevant, I know, but I'm just curious about what she's talking about. I haven't seen anything like that.

[Stu]

I think it's just the same story but spun a little wilder, that's all. Some commentators are adding 2 and 2 and getting 5, others are rounding it up to 10 and moving at Warp Factor Whacko towards the announcement of Phoenix having found critters on Mars.