American newspaper mistakes Thailand for Taiwan

[webfact]

American newspaper mistakes Thailand for Taiwan
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- The San Jose Mercury News, one of the most important newspapers in California, was left with egg on its face after it printed a headline declaring that the Bangkok bombing happened in Taiwan.

“Taiwan hunts for shrine bomber” reads the headline, which will probably lead to the firing of a copy editor.
Because Asia is so far away, apparently some Westerners still confuse Thailand and Taiwan… and this in the age of Google.

The wire story from the AP was written by Thai reporters one of whom took to Facebook to defend herself, saying that it was the newspaper changed the headline.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/08/21/american-newspaper-mistakes-thailand-taiwan

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-08-21

[Jingthing]

That's pretty bad.

I might expect that in Kansas but San Jose is a major city and also hosts a very large (mostly Vietnamese) Asian American population.

[zaphod reborn]

The Merc is a major newspaper, second biggest on the west coast. That's just awful, because you can see Bangkok in the byline and Thai is mentioned several times in the article. The Merc's editing team changed the headline from Thailand to Taiwan, as the story was written by Thai AP stringers. You would expect a little more from that part of the US, having a large Asian population, and being geographically closer to Asia than the rest of the country.

Edited August 21, 2015 by zaphod reborn

[aircut]

that's really the intellectual level coconut can handle. probably an innocent mistake due to spellchecker

[khwaibah]

Big deal. Most American thanks New Mexico is a foreign country and you need a passport to visit.

[Jimlove]

A Little embarassing for that newspaper but contrary to what many thais might think, a lot of people around the World have no idea and dont care where Thailand is or what it is ... Eventually I dont think these people might miss out

[HooHaa]

that's really the intellectual level coconut can handle. probably an innocent mistake due to spellchecker

i couldnt even begin to count the number of times an american has asked me if bangkok is the capital of taiwan. this isn't a one off.

[ColdSingha]

"American newspaper mistakes Thailand for Taiwan"

Taiwan will be distraught

[impulse]

But aren't they the same?

And no, khwaibah, you don't need a passport to visit New Mexico. But you do need to get your vaccinations in order.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

Americans also use to mix up Sweden and Switzerland.

[TDCNINJA]

Big deal. Most American thanks New Mexico is a foreign country and you need a passport to visit.

Most Americans know when and when not to use the plural form of 'Americans,' and the difference between 'thanks,' 'thinks' and 'think.'

Edited August 21, 2015 by TDCNINJA

[impulse]

Americans also use to mix up Sweden and Switzerland.

Whaddaymean, "use to"?

[Songhua]

Americans also use to mix up Sweden and Switzerland.

Those Scandinavian countries are all the same.

[EnglishJohn]

Big deal. Most American thanks New Mexico is a foreign country and you need a passport to visit.

Most Americans know the difference between 'thanks' and 'thinks.'

Maybe he's talking about Americans from the deep South.

[impulse]

Big deal. Most American thanks New Mexico is a foreign country and you need a passport to visit.

Most Americans know the difference between 'thanks' and 'thinks.'

Don't be so harsh. That's the legitimate phonetic spelling for a Texas accent... And Mississippi, I thank. (But I'm not so sure about Mississippi)

Edited August 21, 2015 by impulse

[than]

The Americans have never had a good education on geography

[daoyai]

The Merc is a major newspaper, second biggest on the west coast. That's just awful, because you can see Bangkok in the byline and Thai is mentioned several times in the article. The Merc's editing team changed the headline from Thailand to Taiwan, as the story was written by Thai AP stringers. You would expect a little more from that part of the US, having a large Asian population, and being geographically closer to Asia than the rest of the country.

Everyone makes mistakes such as stating the west coast of the U.S. as being "geographicly closer to asia than the rest of the country" actually, that would be Hawai'i or if you count territories, Guam.

[Jingthing]

You guys are wrong. This really is an unusually bad mistake for a major US newspaper. While it's true the American masses are weak on geography, editors of major newspapers are not the masses.

Edited August 21, 2015 by Jingthing

[phoenixdoglover]

We expect Americans, what with all the "exceptionalism" to be better than average with geography. Alas, this is not the case.

There is a famous "New Yorker" magazine cover, depicting the geographic perspective of a resident of NYC.

I knew some pretty nice folks from NYC who had this same perspective.

[Linky]

Americans also use to mix up Sweden and Switzerland.

And Austria/australia

[Jingthing]

When I first moved to California I met some locals and told them I was from back east. (How Californians generally refer to the US east coast.) One guy replied. I've been back east. Nevada.

[daveAustin]

Big deal. Posit a large swathe of Thais (inclusive of the educated) don't even know where the U.S. is let alone San Jose, or might be mistaken that the paper is a Costa Rican one lol.

[fiddlehead]

Taiwan for Thailand

Iowa for Idaho,

Austria for Australia.

I expect it anymore.
Just showing their ignorance.

My sister in law once asked me how do I get here in Thailand from New York? Drive?

But you are correct and most Thai's do not know much geography either.

Another good reason to travel. Then you learn.

My wife has now been to 20 US states, and 61 Thai provinces.
She has taught herself to read a map.
How many Thais can do that?

[fstarbkk]

A sad symptom of the relentless cost-cutting in publishing, especially in the declining print media.

In the heyday of professional journalism, every piece of news copy had to be read by multiple, highly experienced (and highly paid) copy editors, after a scrupulous fact-checking protocol. These days are long gone and most publishers are lucky to afford one copy check by sometimes marginally qualified hacks.

[Nick167]

My GoD! What an insult to Taiwan and the Taiwanese. They should sue.

[taony]

We expect Americans, what with all the "exceptionalism" to be better than average with geography. Alas, this is not the case.

There is a famous "New Yorker" magazine cover, depicting the geographic perspective of a resident of NYC.

I knew some pretty nice folks from NYC who had this same perspective.

Oh man, hahaha, brings back memories. Me too. Do you know how many people I know used to have that poster hanging on their wall?

[mikemac]

A Little embarassing for that newspaper but contrary to what many thais might think, a lot of people around the World have no idea and dont care where Thailand is or what it is ... Eventually I dont think these people might miss out

Unfortunately you managed to find it !

I don't think this newspaper should cop flak over the misprint. I doubt there would be too many newspapers around the world who have not done the same.

For example -

https://www.google.com/search?q=newspaper+misprints&biw=1025&bih=440&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCK24hKiBuscCFacopgodXU0BTg#imgrc=_

I was in Hanoi years ago and I met an elderly couple from New York who were traveling the world. The husband introduced me to the wife and told her I was from Australia and the lady asked me why I was not speaking German. (she thought Austria and Australia were the same place) I thought it was funny.

[Nice Boyd]

The Americans have never had a good education on geography

according-to-americans.jpg

only 40% Have Passports, idk how many times I say Thailand, They say Taiwan I'm a Yank but many are Naive on Travel

[silverhawk_usa]

I wasn't quite believing this, but here is what is posted on their website:

"SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT (publ. 8/20/2015, pg. A4) A headline incorrectly referenced Taiwan instead of Thailand. Police in Thailand are looking for the chief suspect in Monday's deadly bombing of Bangkok's Erawan Shrine.

[Nice Boyd]

If U say San Francisco or California, Clueless, but they know Hollywood and LA