Wikipedia:Otto Middleton (or why newspapers are dubious sources)
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Otto Middleton is supposedly a black
Life
Otto and his sister Ella were born into a litter of eight puppies, bred by Christian Hepburne Scott, a breeder and "sort of monthly nurse" to the dogs.[1] The names of the other siblings are unknown.[1]
According to Royal dogwatching experts, Otto became the then Kate Middleton's dog, and his sister Ella also came into the possession of the Middleton family.[2]
Media reports indicated that Otto was originally given to Catherine as a Christmas present in 2007.
Earring scandal
Allegations
On 7 March 2010, the
- "When Prince William bought Kate Middleton a pair of pearl earrings for her 28th birthday, he carefully tracked down the finest and most expensive pair he could find. But now he may be wishing he had not gone to so much trouble – after the precious antiques were eaten by Kate's dog. Otto, her beloved black cocker spaniel, chewed up the jewellery so badly that they were rendered unwearable – much to her consternation."[4]
The same day, The Daily Telegraph reported that Middleton, who had "adored" the jewellery, had flown into a panic on discovering tooth marks on a tube of hand cream by her bedside. The paper quoted a friend who testified:
- "It seems that Otto had got into her room and eaten the earrings. He was sitting on the end of the bed looking pleased with himself and licking his paws. Kate was really upset and embarrassed. But when she told William he burst out laughing and said she would have to wait for them to come out the other end."[4]
The newspaper also reported that Middleton subsequently monitored Otto's faeces, waiting for the earrings to emerge.
Later reports elsewhere indicated that the earrings were valued at $28,000,[7] and the Prince found them through a private dealer he'd personally tracked down.[8]
Refutation
On March 8, Richard Palmer, Royal correspondent for the Daily Express, tweeted:
- "Kate Middleton doesn't have a dog apparently so is puzzled by claims it ate a pearl earring from Prince William." [9]
The same day, the blog Tabloid Watch claimed that Clarence House had denied the story to them,[10] although other sources suggested that Royal spokesmen refused to be drawn stating:
- "Kate Middleton is a private individual. We don't comment on private individuals".[11]
On March 9, the
The Daily Mail later removed the story from their website, stating:
- "We put the story to the Clarence House press office before publication and they didn’t give us any indication it was untrue. We have since been told there were inaccuracies in the story and as a courtesy we have removed it from our website."[12]
The Guardian criticised Clarence House for its refusal to deny the initial story, saying, they "could have easily nipped the story in the bud by steering the paper away from publishing. Would it have killed CH to be a teensy bit helpful on this one?"[12]
However, even after the Telegraph's exposé, newspapers were still reporting the initial story as true. On March 10, Ann Widdecombe writing in the Daily Express stated that the Prince was not upset by consumption of his gift but "found the whole episode hilarious".[13]
A year later (April 25 2011), web journalists were still citing the story of Otto and the earrings as factual.[14][15] On 12 May 2011, the British public relations website PR fire, stated that on the eve of Kate Middleton's wedding, "pet experts believe her black Cocker Spaniel, Otto, will also be getting the jitters as he picks up on his mistress's own nerve".[16]
Lupo (a follow up)
A story, published in the Telegraph in February 2012, stated that the Duchess of Cambridge had recently received a Cocker Spaniel puppy.[17] A later story indicated that the dog was called Lupo, and was bred from Ella, the dog belonging to the Duchess's parents. The article also referred to the earlier dog story, stating "one of Ella's brothers, Otto, was said to have eaten a pair of earrings belonging to the Duchess which were bought by Prince William before they were engaged" - but gave no indication that the story was, in fact, false. [18]
- In the stepped-up competition for readers, digital news sites are increasingly blurring the line between fact and fiction, and saying that it is all part of doing business in the rough-and-tumble world of online journalism ... editors at these sites acknowledge frankly that there are trade-offs in balancing authenticity with the need to act quickly in a hyperconnected age.[19]
In other words, news sources today tend to sacrifice accuracy for the need to publish quickly, especially if a news story is becoming viral. They thus feed on each other, passing the same content around, hoping you see the story on their site first. Just because a story may be verified from "multiple reliable sources" does not necessarily mean it is accurate.
See also
- Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office (cat, not a dog)
- Pippa Middleton (certainly not a dog)
- Shaggy dog story (not really that shaggy)
- Greyfriars Bobby (a true story of a real dog)
- Seriously, the relevant Wikipedia policies and guidelines
- Reliable sources § Breaking news
- Notability (events) § Breaking news
- Verifiability does not guarantee inclusion
- Avoid gossip and feedback loops
- Neutral point of view § Good research
- Wikipedia is not a newspaper
References
- ^ a b c Walker, Tim (12 Mar 2010). "The curious incident of Kate Middleton's dog". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Royal Dogs Of The Ages". Global Animal.org.
- ^ a b "Pedigree chums for Wills and Kate". Daily Mail. 10 January 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Harrison, David (7 Mar 2010). "Kate Middleton's spaniel in the doghouse after eating birthday present from Prince William". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^
"Kate Middleton's Dog Ate Her Birthday Gift, Left Her A 'Present'". Huffington Post. 3 March 2008.
- ^ a b Furse, Jane (March 8, 2010). "Kate Middleton, girlfriend of Prince William, had to search through dog's poo after pearls swallowed". New York Daily News.
- ^ a b Moylan, Brian (March 9, 2010). "Why George Clooney Was Mean At The Oscars, And Other Mysteries". The Defamer.
- ^ Celeste, Rigel (Mar 11, 2010). "Kate Middleton's Dog Swallows Expensive Gift from Prince William". Luxist.
- ^ @RoyalReporter Richard Palmer (8 Mar 2010). "Kate Middleton doesn't hav ..." Twitter.
- ^ MacGuffin (8 March 2010). "Not front pages news (cont.) or how an imaginary dog can't eat an earring".
- ^ "Palace tight-lipped over earrings eaten by Kate Middleton's dog". Earth Times. 9 Mar 2010.
- ^ a b c Brook, Stephen (16 March 2010). "Kate Middleton, the Mail on Sunday, a dog with a pearl earring and a right royal mess". The Guardian.
- ^ Widdecombe, Ann (March 10, 2010). "William's a pearl among princes". Daily Express.
- ^ Spillman, Susan (April 25, 2011). "William and Kate's Royal Romance: Is It Puppy Love?". Encino Patch.
- ^ Giuseppe, Rufus (28 April 2011). "Lucky for Kate and Prince William, royal wedding goes to the dawgs". theday.com.
- ^ Higgins, Danielle (12 May 2011). "Royal Bride's Dog Otto Will Be Stressed Too!". PRfire.co.uk.
- ^ Orr, James (February 1, 2012). "Cocker Spaniel puppy for Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William". The Telegraph.
- ^ Rayner, Gordon (February 21, 2012). "Duchess of Cambridge reveals new puppy is named Lupo". The Telegraph.
- ^ Somaiya, Ravi; Kaufman, Leslie (9 December 2013). "If a Story Is Viral, Truth May Be Taking a Beating". The New York Times.