NOTE: The headline on the story has been changed. It now reads:
DEADLY, BAT-KILLING EPIDEMIC CAME FROM EUROPE
A fungus that has caused the deaths of millions of bats may have traveled here on the bottom of a shoe or on animal stowaways.
When I saw this story this morning, I was naturally outraged. Like John Lovass, I tried to comment on the website, but the comment function was blocked. I called my computer consultant, and he confirmed it was not my computer, as he couldn't log on either.
So, I searched the web for the author, and tracked down an email address. I wrote a lengthy critical analysis of the comments, but also knew that the headline was probably not hers. I also told her the comment link was broken. She wrote back almost immediately, thanking me for the comments. She was also taken aback by the headline, and said she certainly had no intent to mislead. She spoke to her editor, who said he would change the headline, which has been done.
I note the animal stowaway option is added in - perhaps because I cited the CDC 2003 bat translocation study, and also last week's two articles on bats landing in Hawaii - one in a cooler from Korea, the second a Little Brown at the airport. Neither of these is native to Hawaii, whose only native bat is the Hawaiian Hoary bat (actually Hawaii's only native land mammal!).
She also re wrote some of the article to underscore where there was speculation. She did not change Brock Fenton's quote, as she was merely reporting what he said. Like others, I too do not see any connection between the research project and his statement. The study did not examine transport methods at all, so no conclusion in that area can be drawn. He's certainly entitled to his opinion (and he is a damn good bat researcher) but I agree what he said is speculation, not scientific conclusion.
Kudos to the author, Emily Sohn, for her responsiveness, and appreciation to the editor for listening and changing the headline. Unfortunately, many readers had already seen it, and "liked" it on Facebook. It would still be good if they fixed the comment function.