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Comment by trustfundbaby | Hacker News Reader

> Toyota's Recall Crisis: What Have We Learned?

How completely unreliable our media can be when it comes to anything not having to do with Jersey Shore or American Idol?

Forgive the snark, but the idea that a company lost all that money, sustained such damage to their brand and image built over so many years simply because of a media that failed to do their jobs makes my blood boil.

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And to think we scoffed at the Japanese conspiracy of an American media hit job against Toyota.

I would hesitate to call it a conspiracy, which ascribes some true malice to the media. I think it's probably more of institutional bias towards the sensational and a catering to people's beliefs out of desire for more viewers.

Don't forget the government role--even if the media simply reported what Secretary LaHood said the coverage would have been over the top.

I wonder how much pull Toyota has with the Japanese media? (ie how much ad time they buy).

ANA is the launch customer for the 787, a few stories about safety concerns could end up with an 18month delay while the Japanese space agency does a study.

This would also hit Toyota's rivals (Mitsubish and Fuji) who are building parts for the 787.

It's not their style. Toyota got to where they are today by patiently building up an organization that beats their competition. They play fair and square, even when their enemies don't.

I was recently at the Toyota museum in Nagoya. Toyota was originally founded to bring pride back to post-war Japan, and I think that principle is still at work in the company today.

Except when they went rally racing in WRC, where they got banned for cheating in a really egregious manner.

Do you think this incident is unique and isolated? Perhaps everyone should re-investigate any of their beliefs that they've arrived at solely through media coverage.

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