Malaysian Air Flight 17 shot down over Ukraine

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Reports that it was "shot down" are HIGHLY speculative at this point and seems to be based on comments from a Ukrainian government official who may or may not have any evidence to support his claim. It's clear that the plane experienced a catastrophic crash-landing.

Anything beyond that is pure speculation as of this writing.
 
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fairviewroad said:
Reports that it was "shot down" are HIGHLY speculative at this point and seems to be based on comments from a Ukrainian government official

who may or may not have any evidence to support his claim. It's clear that the plane experienced a catastrophic crash-landing.

Anything beyond that is pure speculation as of this writing.
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Catastrophic failure over a war zone with no prior anomalies? Insurgent claims of shooting down an An-26 and using the smoke of MH17 as proof just prior to reports of losing contact with MH17? Air traffic dispatchers working that area reporting on twitter that the plane was shot down? The odds are strongly in favor of it having in fact been shot down.
 
"Odds are" means it is not fact yet; therefore, the title of the thread is inappropriate. The only truth at this point is that it crashed.
 
I think Brian Williams just put it best when he said that there are a lot of puzzle pieces out there right now and the ones we have all seem to fit together this way (the plane was shot down) but we're not quite sure if it's the right answer.
 
Ditto! I'm waiting for a Reliable source to verify it like BBC or CBC! (Not American Cable Networks!)!

If it Bleeds it Leads is, sadly, the new Mantra for our News Organizations!
 
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jimhudson said:
Ditto! I'm waiting for a Reliable source to verify it like BBC or CBC! (Not American Cable Networks!)!

If it Bleeds it Leads is, sadly, the new Mantra for our News Organizations!
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Ouch Jim. As a TV news producer... that's a bit of a burn.

I was actually watching the special report from NBC News this morning (not MSNBC). I agree that in the days to come the cable networks will probably jump off the deep end with what they perceive to be their need to pack 24 hours with information on these stories... but right now is where the media does well.

For the record even the BBC is discussing the possibility that the plane was shot down:

"A Malaysian airliner carrying 295 people crashes in the east Ukraine conflict zone on a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, amid allegations of a missile attack."
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PS: I've heard the "if it bleeds, it leads" comment a million times... but I'm pretty sure you would never watch the news if my lead story was a waterskiing squirrel and the story about the deadly plane crash ran at 10 minutes past the hour.
 
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Regardless of what caused this disaster, it's worth mentioning again that apparently 295 people lost their lives. There will be a lot of grief in Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere today.
 
fairviewroad said:
Regardless of what caused this disaster, it's worth mentioning again that apparently 295 people lost their lives. There will be a lot of grief in Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur and elsewhere today.
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It's things like this that make me wish there were more things like waterskiing squirrels on the news, as Ricky mentioned. :( This is so sad, regardless of what caused it.
 
Ukrainian Security Service has released a radio intercept of rebels talking about the plane

Translation (not from me)

Bezler - "We just hit an airplane. The group "Minyora." It fell on Enakievo.

Geranin - "Airplanes? Where - airplanes?"

Bezler - "We went to find and photograph the downed plane."

Geranin - "How many minutes ago?"

Bezler - "About 30 minutes ago."

Grek - "Yes, Mayor"

Mayor - "So, these 'Chernukhinskie' hit a plane. From the Chernukhinskovo area. The Cossacks, that are at Chernukhino"

Grek - "The airplane fell from the sky in the area of the Peter-Paul Mine. The first "two-hundred." They found the first "two-hundred." It's civilian.

Mayor - "Well, what now?"

Grek - "Basically, there were civilians on board"

Mayor - "Were there a lot of people there?"

Grek - "Well @#$%, the wreckage fell all over the field"

Mayor - "Which board?"

Grek - "I'm not sure yet, I haven't been next to the beginning part yet. I just look there, where the first bodies fell. There are internal brackets, chairs, bodies"

Mayor - "Do they have any weapons at all?"

Grek - "None at all. Just civilian things. Medicine, toiletries, toilet paper..."

Mayor - "Do they have documents?"

Grek - "Yes, there's an Indian student from Thompson University."
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jimhudson said:
Ditto! I'm waiting for a Reliable source to verify it like BBC or CBC! (Not American Cable Networks!)!

If it Bleeds it Leads is, sadly, the new Mantra for our News Organizations!
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BBC, Channel News Asia, The Telegraph and even Russia Today have been discussing the likelihood that the plane was shot down. Right now everyone in the region will play the blame game until some semblance of the truth finally makes its way out.
 
Vice-President Biden just publicly stated that the plane was "shot down. Shot out of the sky." I don't think even given his history of sticking his foot in his mouth that he would say that without the requisite information and clearance to do so.
 
I have a feeling the Ukranians did it to draw us into the anti-Russian side of things. I pray to god this doesn't result in a world war.
 
No offense to the AU Members that are in the New Biz ( we have several ) but far too many squirrels water skiing stories are run as " news"!

I wish that this kind of entertainment and " news lite" culd be kept on the tabloid, talk and video clip shows that are so prevelant now days, but ratings and profits rule and the corporate owned media doesn't want good, they want it fast and cheap and me too since all the competition does it that way!!!

Watching kids and animals doing stunts on videos,chefs cooking up hot new dishes and so called celebrities going into rehab isn't News, its mindless pap for people who get their news from talk radio, the internet and from know nothings that are featured on Rupert Murdoch's Comedy and Fiction Networks!
 
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Green Maned Lion said:
I have a feeling the Ukranians did it to draw us into the anti-Russian side of things. I pray to god this doesn't result in a world war.
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My first thought, upon hearing there were Americans on-board, was, "Lusitania."
 
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tp49 said:
Vice-President Biden just publicly stated that the plane was "shot down. Shot out of the sky." I don't think even given his history of sticking his foot in his mouth that he would say that without the requisite information and clearance to do so.
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Yes, it does now appear far more likely that the plane was brought down by a missile. I don't think anyone on this thread disputed that it was a strong possibility, only that the thread title seemed a bit too definitive at the time. Nevertheless, it now seems like a reasonably accurate way to describe the event.
 
Paulus said:
caravanman said:
What are the odds that TWO Malaysian planes in a row crash...?

Ed,
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Korean Air lost 8 in a decade didn't they?
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Something like that, and they got punished severe;y by US authorities, and now they have a FAA standard procedures and are perfectly safe to fly with.

I am not sure if this one should be blamed on Malaysian Airline itself if indeed it has been shot down. Planes fly over Ukraine all the time.
 
Green Maned Lion said:
I have a feeling the Ukranians did it to draw us into the anti-Russian side of things. I pray to god this doesn't result in a world war.
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I too hope this does not result in a world war. But none of the previous cases of civilian airliners being shot down resulted in world wars.

In fact, the Soviets even killed a US Congressman on board KAL007 in 1983. If that didn't start a world war, well....but of course, every

situation is different.
 
Just seems amazingly bad luck for two such events, no fault implied, to happen to one airline.

As to world wars, there are major conflicts, many people dying all over the world, every day.

I wonder (not) who will be launching a ground offensive while eyes are on Ukraine and not the middle east...?

Ed.
 

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