“The most trusted name in news” faking transcripts

Gerry LaCavera has the title of Wildfire Mitigation Coordinator for the Florida Forestry Department and the job description, in his words, is to “provide answers to the press about fire mitigation.” First of all, we are pretty sure he made up this title, but even if he didn’t, let’s assume for a moment that he has something informative to say about the current wildfires in Florida. After all, this is his job, right?

Well, CNN “The most trusted name in news” has been reporting on the spreading fires in Florida and chose to speak with none other than Gerry LaCavera to get the facts. Below we have included both a video copy of this interview as well as the CNN transcript. First read the transcript below and then watch the video. Perhaps just for entertainment value afterwards, you can read the transcript while listening to the audio version in the background (and we’re not implying that the subject matter is entertaining, just the fact that Elmo could have done a better job of providing information after doing a couple of lines). You will find, that although Tony Harris is quoted correctly in the transcript, Gerry LaCavera’s words are entirely made up!

Here is an example: Harris starts by asking LaCavera what his job entails:

HARRIS: I’ve got to — I was just looking here at information about you. It says you are a wildfire mitigation coordinator for the Division of Forestry for the state of Florida. What exactly is your job? What do you do?

(from the transcript) LACAVERA: Well, depending on the day, I wear a lot of different hats. We have about 13 mitigation specialists throughout the state of Florida that I coordinate their activities and assist them with projects.

(from the video) LACAVERA: My job is to provide answers for the press for, uh, about fire mitigation. So whenever, uh, uh, an event would occur that a fire would need to be mitigated, that’s what I do. And so um, it doesn’t happen that often for me, so whenever a fire does break out that’s when I jump into action. That’s when my job really means something to really mitigate fires, uh, it takes a commitment, so I’m happy to be here today to help out.

LaCavera goes on to advise that the main strategy is to “just not be here” when asked about overall strategy. Clearly, he’s an idiot and this is a fact. But it is nothing new that CNN would use unqualified “experts” to try and report the news. Of greater concern is the transcript and how it was doctored. We’re not exactly sure what happened here, but it is quite probable that LaCavera’s supervisor heard the interview on CNN, perhaps decided LaCavera had a liquid lunch and decided to interject with what LaCavera should have said. Either that, or we’re left with the puzzling possibility that CNN simply made up these words. Either way, CNN was complicit in both not interviewing an expert to obtain the facts of the case AND falsifying the transcript later to make it look like there was meaningful information provided.

CNN Transcript:

HARRIS: Betty, why don’t we get the latest from the Florida Forestry Department? Gerry Lacavera is on the phone with me.
And Gerry, good to talk to you.
GERRY LACAVERA, FLORIDA FORESTRY DEPARTMENT: Good morning.
HARRIS: I’ve got to — I was just looking here at information about you. It says you are a wildfire mitigation coordinator for the Division of Forestry for the state of Florida. What exactly is your job? What do you do? LACAVERA: Well, depending on the day, I wear a lot of different hats. We have about 13 mitigation specialists throughout the state of Florida that I coordinate their activities and assist them with projects.
One of the — the basic projects that we do are providing information and training, providing information and educational programs to homeowners about how to keep their homes safer during wildfire disasters. And of course, providing public information to everyone who needs it during the wildfires that we have.
HARRIS: Gerry, so in your role now, are you helping both firefighters in terms of putting together some kind of a strategy for fight thing fire? Are you also helping homeowners in terms of identifying where the fires are? And identifying areas that maybe local officials should start some evacuations?
LACAVERA: Strategy is left up to the local people. They are on the ground, and they know what situation is. They know what the vegetation is and their surroundings. So coming up with strategies on fighting the — fighting the fires is totally up to the local level.
HARRIS: Yes.
LACAVERA: Also, local information goes out from our people and from the fire departments and emergency management. So my job is to help coordinate that and be a funnel for more of the national news releases.
HARRIS: OK. And in terms of — what is your view of what we’re watching now? I mean, this is clearly an event that’s been going on for several days now. In terms of scale and scope, where does this rank?
LACAVERA: These are — these serious fires, obviously, or we wouldn’t have so many assets that are out there working on them. We’ve got a lot of wildland-urban interface in those fire areas. In other words, areas where the homes are intermingled with vegetation.
And that causes a lot of problems, both in terms of suppression and in terms of protecting the homes.
HARRIS: Yes. What’s the hope here? Best-case scenario? We heard from Rob Marciano just a moment ago that we’re not talking about containment percentages at this point. What’s the hope in terms of ideal weather conditions? I’m sure you would love to get some rain. But if the winds would die down, that would be a huge help. Wouldn’t it?
LACAVERA: Sure. If we could get the winds lowered and the humidity to come up, we’d be in much better shape. Unfortunately, that isn’t in the weather forecast right now.
HARRIS: Yes.
LACAVERA: But hopefully, the weather forecast will be wrong, and we will have winds die down and humidity come up to help the firefighters get a better handle on it.
HARRIS: OK. Gerry Lacavera is with us with the Wildfire Mitigation Office of the Division of Forestry, state of Florida. Gerry, thanks for your time this morning.

Florida Fires on CNN