The problem with dumb journalism is that it’s done by a lot of supposedly reputable sources, leading reader to believe that it’s not, well, dumb.

Such is the case with ABC.com’s “Abused Labor a Concern for NYU, Guggenheim Sites in UAE,” a ridiculously speculative piece of under-researched crap brought to you courtesy of Megan Chuchmach, a member of the Brian Ross “Investigative Team.” Although the title implies Middle Eastern slave children are toiling away in the desert right now, building our satellite campus for a dollar a day while simultaneously being molested by John Sexton himself, construction hasn’t even begun yet.
And yet the implications of the article, aside from being highly Googleable, also crept up at last night’s Town Hall meeting. Members of Take Back NYU, in between ruffling newspapers unnecessarily and rolling their eyes ever-so-attractively, echoed the ABC-reported concern that NYU hasn’t made a commitment to guaranteeing the fair treatment of NYUAD workers.

“That article on ABCnews.com had a serious flaw: it was fundamentally inaccurate,” says John Beckman, NYU’s VP of public affairs. Beckman says that Chuchmach didn’t bother waiting for a response from NYU before posting her original story, which has since been revised to include a public NYU commitment to “fairness, dignity and respect for every individual who engages in work on behalf of building the NYUAD Campus on Saadiyat Island.”

There was nothing particularly timely about Chuchmach’s piece that required it to be posted without NYU comment and Beckman has requested that the original story be reviewed by ABC News’ Ombudsman. Megan might be up for a spanking.

Photo: flickr courtesy of Selman Pinartli.