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CBS sweetening Tesla engine...?


Jay Rose

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How did we miss this one?

 

CBS Admits to Audio Error in 60 Minutes Tesla Segment

 

...CBS on Tuesday said a segment in a 60 Minutes episode that aired Sunday contained an "audio error" that made it appear as if an ultra-quiet Tesla electric vehicle (EV) was making loud engine noises....

 

( PC mag and lots of other sources:  www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2455831,00.asp )

 

Apparently, either the pix editor or the story producer added a heavy engine sound, with gear shifting, just based on the filename and without thinking about it...

 

but that's not what bothers me. Screwing up audio often seems like it's part of their job description.

 

What gets me is that nobody is saying "We goofed by sweetening a news story". When I started in this biz, you weren't supposed to fake the news. At least, not without a prominent disclaimer or noting that it's a "re-creation".

 

 

 

(Yes, I know the PC Mag story originally moved on 4/1. But I don't think the story was an April Fool's gag.)

 

(Flames about "60 Minutes always lies about everything, those liberal bastards", or about any other specific outlet, belong in a different forum. I'm talking about the philosophy of news gathering.)

 

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They've been faking the news forever. It's what they teach in school these days. Have you ever noticed the middle east war footage accompanied with the perfectly recorded muslim chanting in a peaceful reverb-laden hallway??

With that said, I'm still surprised this slipped by me. Even on the British channels, they sweeten the sound of the Tesla (or they have amazing lavaliers tx's on the underbody).

Tesla's creep me out because I can usually locate things based on how they sound, but with a Tesla, you can turn around and all of a sudden it's two feet away from running you over. 

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Tesla's creep me out because I can usually locate things based on how they sound, but with a Tesla, you can turn around and all of a sudden it's two feet away from running you over.

 

I did a couple of quickie films last year, to warn police and EMTs about that when an electric car is in an accident. Unless they remove the key AND chock the wheels, there's a chance one of those cars will sneak up on them when they're working.

 

Some of their protocols actually include cutting the main battery wire for safety! (Two cuts, a few inches apart on the same wire, so there's no chance the pieces will short together.)

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They've been faking the news forever. It's what they teach in school these days. 

 

There used to be very strict rules by all the networks and network affiliates that you couldn't add sound effects to news stories, and you also had to key FILE FOOTAGE in any extra material not shot specifically for the story. The stupidest one to me was, there was a rule that said anytime you showed camera helicopter footage, they had to add the sound of a helicopter! NBC and KNBC did this for decades... I think they finally gave up a few years ago.

 

I'm more concerned not by the technical cheats but by the reporting cheats, where they slant certain kinds of information, leave certain details out, or emphasize the facts that justify their conclusion. Not that FOX ever does this... 

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I'm more concerned not by the technical cheats but by the reporting cheats, where they slant certain kinds of information, leave certain details out, or emphasize the facts that justify their conclusion.

But the noise of the Tesla or lack thereof is part of the story. It's a big issue with some who love a quiet car and others who are scared of not noticing it in traffic (although we learn as children to LOOK both ways before crossing a street, not listen).

Here in Europe the EU commission is even considering adding noise generators to electric cars so everyone knows they're coming.

So when they add sound fx to the Tesla car, they are totally screwing with the narrative and it does affect the reporting

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The ADA in the US is trying to force all electric cars to add noise generators so blind people can hear them coming. I was excited about the shift to a quieter automobile, our cities are too noisy! I wish there was a better solution.

well, blind people is a good point, actually. Maybe it can still be a bit quieter and more pleasant than it is now. Although, with most modern cars, the most noise seems to be generated by the tires anyway
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I'm more concerned not by the technical cheats but by the reporting cheats, where they slant certain kinds of information, leave certain details out, or emphasize the facts that justify their conclusion.

 

When Hearst Artist Frederic Remington, cabled from Cuba in 1897 that "there will be no war," William Randolph Hearst cabled back: "You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war." Last week the aging (84) Lord of San Simeon was out to prove that his hand had not lost its touch. This time it was not Spain but Russia on which Hearst had declared war — Time Magazine, Monday, Oct. 27, 1947

 

 

(The 66-year-old TIME quote was actually at the top of a quick Google search. But  having media slant the news started a lot earlier than 1897…)

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Red flag laws were laws in the United Kingdom and the United States enacted in the late 19th century, requiring drivers of early automobiles to take certain safety precautions, including waving a red flag in front of the vehicle as a warning. — Wikipedia

 

Everything old is new again...

 

---

 

 

How about giving requiring all Tesla cars to play electronic bells? Something high-pitched and melodically simple, in an annoying loop? Yeah… that'll stop kids from running out into the street…. 

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The ADA in the US is trying to force all electric cars to add noise generators so blind people can hear them coming. I was excited about the shift to a quieter automobile, our cities are too noisy! I wish there was a better solution.

 

The last thing I read was that the NHTSA had released their recommendation that all electric and hybrid cars emit a safety noise when traveling under 18.6 mph which I suppose I'm OK with.  I don't think they've been set into law yet.  I'm pretty sure the Nissan Leaf has at least a backup beeper.

 

I'm with you about the noise.  I live on a fairly busy street and dream for a day when I don't have to listen to traffic constantly as well as not having to breath exhaust fumes.  Now if I could just get the drunk bar patrons to quit yelling at each other at closing time.

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The ADA in the US is trying to force all electric cars to add noise generators so blind people can hear them coming. I was excited about the shift to a quieter automobile, our cities are too noisy! I wish there was a better solution.

I think in the future,  people will add sounds to their electric cars the way they add custom ringtones to their phones now.  I was hoping someone would come up with a quiet fluttering sound.  loud enough to be heard,  quieter than cars are now. 

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But the noise of the Tesla or lack thereof is part of the story. It's a big issue with some who love a quiet car and others who are scared of not noticing it in traffic (although we learn as children to LOOK both ways before crossing a street, not listen).

Here in Europe the EU commission is even considering adding noise generators to electric cars so everyone knows they're coming.

So when they add sound fx to the Tesla car, they are totally screwing with the narrative and it does affect the reporting

I was working on a small doc about street skateboarding, when the prius first came out. was about to cross the street,  without looking,g to follow a skateboarder,  when I sensed something was occupying space,  close to me.  prius.  it was a new reason to stop relying on hearing danger,  and remember mother's teachings. 

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You might be right Matt, i could be remembering wrong who is making the recommendations.

There are plenty of reasonably quiet cars that you can't hear if a truck or bus is near by. I'm digressing farther off topic.

Having to add an engine sfx to a tesla for a news story just shows how much modern news is really designed as entertainment as opposed to journalism. More news outlets are going this way it seems as ad revenue is disappearing.

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