CNN: There's a storm chaser traffic jam in Tornado Alley

[Jesse Risley]

May 18, 2017

(CNN)The movie "Twister," the prevalence of smartphone technology, the glorification of extreme tornado videos on the Web and TV: The reasons for the popularity explosion of storm chasing are many, and they can lead to dangerous consequences.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/18/us/storm-chaser-convergence/index.html

 

[Austin Davis]

I got a good chuckle yesterday from NWS Chat when someone said a particular storm was being shy due to all the chasers surrounding it.

The numbers increase year after year. IIRC SpotterNetwork said they had 356 +/- people reporting in during one of the chase days earlier in the week.

 

[Warren Faidley]

Fake News

 

[Cody Christofferson]

That's why I only chase locally and I stay out of everyone's way. I get just close enough to see it if a tornado were to drop, but not close enough to be a hindrance to those who need to be there. More hobbyist chasers need to practice the same technique and not try to become flying debris.

 

[Dan Robinson]

What kind of journalist doesn't consult a source on the 1st page of a Google search on the subject? This is a mainstream media phenomenon, well-known to analysts, of recycling old stories. They take talking points from previous stories, interview a few of the same subjects, and repost it without adding anything substantive.

http://stormhighway.com/storm-chaser-traffic.php

 

[S Ivanovic]

Eastern Colorado can feel lonely at times.

Sounds like the only chasing jams that are happening is the media trying to chase b.s. stories.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Stormtrack mobile app

 

[JamesCaruso]

Well-done piece Dan. Are you getting good traffic to the site? Have any media representatives reached out to you?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Dan Robinson]

They know it is there, they just choose to ignore it. Just like the Slate article referenced the Wichita Falls Times Record News hit piece about Daniel Shaw, after it had been thoroughly refuted by recordings of the actual radio transmissions AND the spotter net there was reprimanded by their leadership. This is how the media operates these days with issues big and small. There is no reasoning with them. They have a narrative they want to portray, and only when something huge smacks them in the face (like the election results did last November) are they forced to come to terms with it. Unfortunately, they didn't learn their lesson then and will continue to lose the public's trust. They are wholly untrustworthy and completely deserving of their downfall that is sure to come. I just wish there was some way to hold them accountable in the meantime.

 

[Warren Faidley]

Good luck trying to get the media to research anything, including the facts involving storm chasing. I've been trying for over 8 years to no avail. The overall perception of chasers now days are "nut jobs."

 

[Dan Robinson]

Another thing that's very telling that I don't know if anyone else noticed - that video I posted above? I released that on March 22. Notice the thumbnail in that video - the CNN article uses nearly the exact same scene from another chaser who was close to me as their lead image for the story. Think that's coincidence? Along with the fact that they ignored any opposing viewpoint and evidence?