It centers on a celebrity reporter Jim Acosta of CNN. He has his looks going for him but not much else. The past couple of years have been pretty difficult owing to his Resistance antics with Trump. Trump seems to enjoy having him around almost as a court jester whom he can abuse to everyone else's amusement.
This past week, Acosta has been visiting the border with Mexico attempting to make the case that there is no crisis there. It has not been an especially successful week for him with much derision being dumped on him for false or misleading representations.
But this one is a little out of the ordinary.
I try not to get autobiographical, but I lived 5 minutes from that RV park (Chimney Park).
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) January 11, 2019
I'm an expert on the area. Let me tell you why there's no fence. https://t.co/Q8jFrypINW
Click to follow the thread.
Techno fog is an ordinary citizen sharing local insight to place a national reporter's statements into context. In the space of a decade, we have created a technological infrastructure where we can have a near real time fact-based conversation in which everyone can participate.
In this instance, Techno Fog uses a digital clip of Acosta's original reporting to allow Acosta to make his case in his own words.
Basically Acosta is arguing that there is no need for a wall and is using this particular location as an example that an American community can be secure and peaceful with no wall at all.
Techno fog confirms that there is no wall and that it is peaceful but for very specific reasons which in themselves undermine Acosta's argument.
Techno Fog then uses Google Map satellite images to show locations and placements of relevant features.
He uses Google maps satellite pictures to show that the Mexican side of the border is virtually empty. There is no one there.
Not only is it empty, it is flat. It is hard to approach the border without being seen.
Techno Fog points out that the Rio Grande at that location is deep and swift, making it difficult to ford.
He adds the local knowledge that there are multiple encampments of US Customs and Border Patrol, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Texas Department of Public Safety within ten minutes of Acosta's location. So not only are there security camps, but there are many CBP, ICE, and DPS agents resident in nearby RVs and apartments.
He also points out that Acosta's position is within ten minutes of the Anzalduas International Bridge. As a consequence of the bridge, the Rio surface is heavily patrolled by boats and the air by fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
Acosta was standing 25 yards from a CBP boat ramp from which they patrol the Rio Grande. He was standing within 50 yards of a CBP observation post.
The outcome of all this is that Jim Acosta is made to appear to be either a blatant deceiver or someone who is so oblivious to and ignorant of his surroundings that he should never be trusted to report on anything.
All from an anonymous (but verified) local individual with no journalistic training and armed only with a computer (or smartphone) and some local knowledges. At this moment there are nearly 25,000 likes and retweets.
Some of the technological developments in the past fifteen years which have enabled a local person to nationally correct a celebrity journalist in near real time using visually indisputable evidence that shows precise distances and travel times. It strikes me as truly awe-inspiring.
The internet
The smart phone with camera
Satellite imagery
Google mapping
Google Street views
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