GROUND ZERO UPDATE - April Fools day "prank" from Art Bell
Ground Zero Reported this morning that the Art Bell Web Page was
hacked by the Beograd Hackers. Keith Rowland Art Bell's Webmaster has
now stated that it was an April Fools "prank" devised by Bell and
Himself. If this is the case, then why was it listed at
http://www.2600.com as being Legit? Ground Zero mirrored the site,
and so did 2600.com. The Art Bell site has now been changed.
After the announcement it seems a bit of a backlash has occurred.
While Art Bell feels that using a tragedy is all in fun and is
proving a point, some are not so impressed. This "prank" was not only
reported on 2600.com as legit it also found it's way to the Drudge
report, MSNBC and many other credible sources for information. This
has developed unwittingly into a gross publicity stunt and For that
Ground Zero issues an apology.
After we were made aware of the "prank" Ground Zero did some
checking. We Contacted 2600.com To let them know of what had
happened. We asked if it would be possible to track just who hacked
what and what hacked whom. We received a prompt response from
Emmanuel Goldstein. He wrote;
"There's no way to verify one way or the other since that's the
nature of a hacked site. April 1st is the best date for a bogus
hacked site but it's impossible to know whether or not it's a joke
when we report on it unless it's clearly pointed out in the text or
the source. Therefore, his saying we were "fooled" is about as
accurate as fooling someone with an unloaded gun during a stickup."
Biff Macki of 2600.com responded also:
"In cases like these it's hard to know for certain who was
responsible. The Art Bell "hack" is pretty suspicious.
It wouldn't make much sense for politically motivated hackers
or "hacktivists" to hack a website that agrees with their message,
what would be the point? The idea usually would be to hack a counter
site so that people looking for the other side's opinion, are forced
to hear yours instead. Also vast majority of hacked sites don't have
such clean formatting, or look so pretty (they're busy trying to get
into the site, not coding HTML). There are other little things like
the filenames and directory structure of the graphics which make it
look like an in-house job.
None of these things determine for certain one way or the other, but
given that it's April Fool's day, and that he's announced that it was
a joke, I'm inclined to believe him. I have sent an inquery to a
group in Kosovo who may know more about the Beograd hacker scene..
We'll see if anything comes of it.
The Bottom line is whether or not you trust Art Bell. One day he says
he is a Journalist, the next he is a mere entertainer relying on the
maturity and wisdom of his listeners. My friend and Colleague Rob
McConnell of Canada's the X-zone in statement says it best:
"If this was truly an April Fools joke - as usual it was in Art Bell
Bad Taste. Remember Hale Bopp? Remember October's disappearing act?
Remember the giant UFO off the coast of California in April 1997? If
this is in fact a joke, it seems that it is already starting to back
fire on the Father of Tabloid Journalism. Chat and Newsgroups, who
usually favour Bell's brand of sensationalistic broadcast-journalism
are pounding Bell for this now supposed joke. Now, where does that
put Y2K and all the merchandise that Bell is flogging to his
listeners? Where does the word credibility and integrity play in his
vocabulary? Certainly not on his show."
A listener Comments on the Art Bell Site:
"You sick bastard! This April fools joke has got to be one of the
most horrible ones I've seen yet! How dare you make fun of all the
suffering? My God! Posting pictures of people with legs torn off,
etc. That was not funny. You should be ashamed of yourself! You are a
horrible person! All respect I've had for you and Art is now gone.
Keith, what the hell were you thinking?"
We can only guess what he was thinking. That Maybe he has come to a
point where he is untouchable? incorrigible? He constantly points out
that he is the master of late night. With over 400 stations under his
belt. With appearances on Millennium and Larry King, its easy to
think that you have made it and that the whole world is banking on
your every word. You hear that Art? It's the sound of radios
switching off. Just a little April fools joke.
Clyde Lewis
---
From: Kim Burrafato
Right. And if anyone out there believes a word of that Bell sh*t,
then you really ARE an April Fool! The hacker net, particularly the
people at 2600, said Bell's site was definitely hacked into. Once
again, Bell &Co. are simply doing what they do best - lying to the
public. Thank goodness for media people like Jeff Rense, who actually
knows of what he speaks, and actually reads his guests' books. Bell
is nothing more than an egomaniacal "entertainer"/moron, who more
than likely is operating under someone else's shadowy dizinformatzia
agenda. Da?
"Skywatch International Inc." wrote:
from www.artbell.com...
April Fools Prank During the beginning hours of April 1st, we pulled
an April Fools Prank Hack on our own web site. Many of you were
fooled, but we're here to tell you it was indeed posted by us. The
site did not get hacked by any outside organization.
---
Date: Fri, 02 Apr 1999 11:51:47 +1000
From: vince@holon.net
To:Sightings
Subject: Art's Prank
Dear Mr Rense
I e-mailed this to Art Bell, though I thought I'd share this
commentary
with you as well.
Kind regards
Vincent M.
AUSTRALIA
______
Dear Mr Bell
Yeah, great April fool's prank. Within the context of trying to
understand the reasoning behind your April Fool's joke, I find it
intriguing to hear you say: "Though I do not agree in any way with
what the Serbs are REPORTED to be doing, it is none of our damn
business", saying that if the bombings are part of the NWO, then you
want no part of it. And yet later on, you say: "If we must act beyond
our own borders, then let us help those displaced by the madness". We
ARE involved, Mr Bell, by mere fact that we are witnesses to the
event, regardless of whether bombings occur or not. And by helping
those "displaced by the madness", then we need to go beyond our own
borders, our boundaries and if necessary, our own comfort zones.
Kosovo is not just about political or ethnic ideologies, Mr Bell. It
is about nation being concerned about nation, and about concern for
our fellow human-beings. It is also about understanding what is
appropriate action to take when we do witness carnage and evidence of
ethnic cleansing.
Kosovo, like the Gulf War, is also about media propaganda. We see it
every day, and it shields us from understanding where the real
origins of these conflicts lie. The ethnic war is just a front and an
excuse used by those hidden ones who pull the strings and desire and
strategize for a certain outcome. Those 'hidden' ones would prefer
that our attention be dispersed and yet glued to the veneer of the
situation, so that hopefully as many of us remain so horrified,
confused or dazed that we just don't want to know any more about it,
let alone understand it by scratching below the surface. In that
light, Kosovo is about understanding and a prod for many of us
to 'wake up', and your prank doesn't assist that cause. Whatever
point you chose to make, dressing the plight of the these displaced
Kosovan groups as a prank has only added its quota to the mass
profusion of confusion already present. Why not be a voice that
fosters understanding and clarity, instead of sensationalism.
Yeah, great joke, Art!
---
From: Autmnkiten@aol.com
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1999 00:58:42 EST
Subject: Re: Art Bell April Fools "Prank"
To: webmaster@sightings.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
Reply-To: Autmnkiten@aol.com
Since you gave plenty of space to the people who sent letters
condemning Art Bell and his webmaster Keith Rowland for their April
Fools "Prank", perhaps you would be so kind as to post this in
defense of what they did. I expected more out of the people who join
me in listening to Art's show every night. He presents facts and
ideas (always with the caveat that it is up to us to believe them or
take them worth a grain of salt) in a format that allows his
listeners to act as free thinking adults. This is refreshing in a
time when main stream media spoon feeds us what they think we should
know. I suppose uptight people could construe some of the things Art
has done as being in "bad taste", but I do not believe his
disappearance in October was a "stunt". I have never doubted his
sincerety, even when I do not agree with his philosophy, and he
seemed very upset at that time about having to leave. Also, Art was
not taking advantage of the situation in Kosovo to make a joke. He
was taking advantage of April Fools Day to get a message out. And
look how many people's attention the message got! People have accused
Art of not supporting the troops because he doesn't support the Nato
air strikes. Well, Art was in Vietnam. He probably knows the
difference first-hand. Nothing Art has said on the air or that Keith
has posted on the site has given me the feeling Art is against the
troops. I applaud them for taking an original approach to dealing
with this conflict while most others just sit back and accept the
fact that we are at war again.
Sincerely,
Kelly M. Ener
Kellmarie@yahoo.com
-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), April 02, 1999.