YouTube Screenshot
We see what you did there, Mr. Todd C. Frankel. The reporter for the Washington Post, whose motto is “Democracy Dies In The Darkness,” went absurdly opaque on Monday as to shedding light as to what type of “modern” cars have gone incendiary in “They were told to park outside. Then their cars burst into flames.” The subtitle does narrow it down to “modern” cars without any more specificity: “Modern vehicles don’t need to be moving — or even turned on — to catch fire. That’s fueling lots of safety recalls and tough choices.” The first couple of paragraphs come as close as Frankel dares to specifying what type of cars are spontaneously bursting into flames. Unfortunately, as you can read in the rest of his story, he conflated all “modern” cars with the ones that, as we shall see, his own readers know are the culprits:Late last year, when Sarah Lammersen learned her 2022 Jeep Wrangler plug-in hybrid was being recalled because the high-voltage battery could catch fire at any time — even when the vehicle was parked — she jokingly texted the dealership, “I hope the car doesn’t catch on fire while we wait to schedule an appointment.”Days later, the Jeep burst into flames. No one was injured in the blaze, which occurred while Lammersen’s daughter drove the vehicle, but the Jeep was destroyed, according to a lawsuit over the incident.Did you spot the word “hybrid” invoked? Well, that was as close as you’re going to get to the truth in this story because that word never again makes an appearance in this tale dying in the darkness.That recall, covering more than 320,000 Jeep Wranglers and Grand Cherokees, notified owners about a fire risk so severe that they were “advised to park outside and away from structures and not to charge their vehicles until the remedy is completed.”These “park outside” warnings have surged in recent years, growing from rare occurrences to include millions of vehicles.An estimated 3.2 million vehicles nationwide currently have an outstanding “park outside” recall, according to vehicle history provider Carfax, which described the surging numbers as “concerning.”The recalls also create new headaches for drivers, who suddenly wonder where it is safe to park their vehicles.So were any of those cars that you can no longer park in enclosed spaces internal combustion engines or were they of the type that Frankel can no longer say? And did poor Todd really think that his readers would not notice that which he so obviously omitted in his story? If he had such a delusion it was quickly shattered by a quick perusal of many of the feedback comments of the readers. In fact the AI summary above the comments conveniently provide a summary of what the general reaction was: “The comments express frustration with the article’s lack of detailed information about vehicle fire risks, particularly regarding specific models and the distinction between electric, hybrid, and gasoline vehicles.”And now a sampling of those comments from those who saw exactly what Frankel was doing:Is this an issue for EVs? hybrids? traditional gas cars? All? This article isn’t clear. It mentions batteries, but also complex electronics, which also are a feature of non-electric cars. Hyundai and Jeep are mentioned, but is this problem limited to a few manufacturers or many. Again, not clear. All in all, not a very useful article.I initially thought the lack of detail was due to a young journalist learning the job, but the author has 10+ years under his belt at WP. Is this the pablum we are expected to swallow now from the Post – have the editors dumbed things down for the average 2d grader to understand? What is the current risk? How many of what type cars are spontaneously bursting into flame? EV’s only? What manufacturer of batteries or type of batteries are good/bad? Age a factor? Gasoline powered cars having issues? The Post needs to do a better job of informing, not just adding to the swirl of misinformation on the web.LOL. I learned much more from the comments than the article. Shameful reporting!