• After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.

    I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.

    For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.

    From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.

    Sincerely, Jeff D.

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

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.
 
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.
 
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

 
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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.
 
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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."
 
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?
 
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