Georgia invaded? Hoax report causes panic

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Georgia invaded? Hoax report causes panic
Residents mad at TV station over broadcast of advancing Russian tanks
By Margarita Antidze

updated 4:32 p.m. CT, Sat., March. 13, 2010

TBILISI - Panic gripped Georgia on Saturday when a pro-government television station broadcast a fake report that Russian tanks had entered the capital and President Mikhail Saakashvili had been killed.

Imedi TV introduced the report as an "imitation of possible events," but the warning was lost on many viewers as mobile phone networks crashed and residents of Tbilisi rushed into the streets.

The report thrust the ex-Soviet neighbors back to August 2008, when Russia crushed an assault by U.S. ally Georgia on the rebel region of South Ossetia in a five-day war and sent tanks to within 28 miles of Tbilisi.

The Georgian Interior Ministry said the report, which did not carry a banner saying it was a hoax, caused "great panic." A cinema in Tbilisi emptied as parents called their children home, a frantic filmgoer said.

Russian Interfax news agency flashed the report on the "alleged" but unconfirmed entry of Russian tanks and death of Saakashvili, and Moscow's Echo Moskvy radio station interrupted its regular programming with the "news."






Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35853172/ns/world_news-europe/

[cliffordu]

1. Whew!!!

I thought Florida had finally gone completely berzerk.

[LiberalFighter]

2. Those senior citizens can really get riled up.

[bitchkitty]

3. LOL - I thought Alabama had snapped. n/t

[WileEcoyote]

4. That was my first thought too

For a minute I thought our friends from the peach state has REALLY turned wing nut...

[SteveM]

13. You know why the St. Johns River flows north?....

Georgia sucks.

[Dark]

19. I thought Colbert had rallied his South Carolina troops.

oh well.

[old mark]

5. Sorry - I thought Russians were invading Atlanta.

Could not understand why they wanted it....


mark

[Chulanowa]

6. Asphalt shortage

They were going to unpave the city. There'd still be plenty left over for Atlantans, though.

[old mark]

8. I thought maybe they wanted the baseball team.......The Moscow Braves....nt

[rabs]

7. Video (TV) report on the hoax from Moscow

http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-03-13/georgia-false-report-panic.html


Click on the video to the left of the page. About four minutes, in English.

[bemildred]

9. Fake Russian invasion broadcast sparks Georgian panic

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- A television station in Georgia triggered a panic when it broadcast a mock half-hour report about a Russian invasion of the country.

Emotions are still raw in many parts of Georgia after Russian tanks, troops and armored vehicles advanced into the former Soviet Republic in August 2008.

That invasion was triggered after Georgian troops attacked pro-Russian separatists in the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. In the fighting that ensued, each side offered conflicting figures on how many people died.

On Saturday night, the pro-government Imedi TV in Georgia broadcast what it called a "simulation" of what a fresh invasion would look like. And the broadcast ended with a note that the events in it were not real.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/03/14/georgia.invasion.scare/

---

Another "War of the Worlds". Dumb people are everywhere.

[GreenStormCloud]

10. I would not call them dumb for believing that.

After all, they have recently been invaded by Russia, so it isn't like it can't happen.

[bemildred]

11. How about broadcasting it? Would you think that was a dumb thing to do? nt

[GreenStormCloud]

12. Yes, that was dumb. Especially considering the tensions between them. N/T

[alcibiades_mystery]

18. The Russians repelled the georgian invasion of South Ossetia

And secured areas within Georgia to prevent further hostilities. They subsequently pulled out.

The Georgians were the invaders.

[HopeHoops]

14. Sounds like something FOX would do.

[Brother Buzz]

15. Emergency, everybody to get from street

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOZuLD1u_K4&feature=related

[alp227]

16. Fox News execs were cheering.

They said: "YES! We really can get away with trash-talking the Obama administration."

Good satire is as unreal as possible...that means alter the imagery and graphics to make it obvious it ain't real. Think Saturday Night Live.

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. Imbeciles

The people who planned the "report" are morons.

The people who panicked are imbeciles.

Oddly enough, the only people who come out looking good behind this are the Russians!

:rofl: