Real Footage, Fake News, and Augusta National

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We have all been warned about falling for the fictional digital tidbits that Artificial Intelligence (AI) cooks up, but AI will have a long way to go to catch up to the unethical and straight out greedy laziness of human beings.

We had a recent example, a completely fabricated news item, which originated with a genuine video shot right here in Augusta. The errant report went viral immediately, getting well over a million hits in its first 24 hours. God only knows how many more have seen the story. Some 12 days later it was still online with all its misinformation and the mischaracterized video intact.

It wasn't AI that did the dirty work. It was a golf news website (golfmonthly.com),  and the piece was purportedly written by a real reporter named Mike Hall.

I am referring to a, with the accompanying footage, that Hall said documented flood damage at Augusta National during Hurricane Helene.

Flood waters, he wrote, that laid waste to Amen Corner.

Here is what Mike Hall reported:

"Now, an even clearer picture of the devastation the storm caused to the property has emerged with new footage posted to social media site TikTok,” he wrote.

“It shows a torrent of water flooding through Augusta National's Amen Corner close to the Hogan Bridge, which spans Rae's Creek and takes players to the 12th green. The footage shows the floodwater cascading down several channels into the creek, which highlights just how remarkable the clean-up operation was to have Augusta National ready for The Masters." 

Well, there is your clickbait headline. You may have seen some of the original clip, I doubt you saw all of it. Here it is.

A moment of silence please for the cameraman. We are told he will never work at Augusta National again.

(We were not told that by ANGC officials, of course. More on that in a moment.)

The undeniably dramatic video does not depict any natural flooding or damage caused by heavy rain. In fact, that gushing wall of water, affectionately known, albeit briefly, as Amen River, was created when a piece of heavy machinery busted a raw water main, and a substantial one at that.

The raw water line in question is independent of Augusta's municipal water system. That is why there weren't issues with water pressure or water quality for nearby residents and businesses when the rupture occurred.

It is obvious by the condition of the course that the video could not have been shot in the middle of that September night when the harshest winds and rain of Helene blew through Augusta. The footage was clearly captured in daylight.

You may wonder why Golf Monthly was not immediately called out publicly by Augusta National officials for its error-filled report and misrepresented video. My best guess - because it didn't happen adjacent to Wednesday of tournament week. That is literally the only day of year the club answers questions about the physical layout and condition of the course.

Those who are not golf fans and who couldn't care less about the Augusta National's business likely rolled their eyes, or yawned, in the face of this report and accompanying video. But for the millions who regard that Washington Road property as the most celebrated in all of sports, it was a very big deal. Aficionados of the game grab anxiously at any whisper of behind-the-scenes news and developments at the course. Throw in the possibility of calamitous destruction at golf's most holy trinity – Amen Corner - and you easily end up with one of the most popular web posts of the day. Maybe even the month.

And those clicks all count the same, regardless of whether they lead to Pulitzer Prize-winning material or, as in this case, a warm bucket of pig poop.

To reiterate, the garbage report stands online and intact as this column is written, almost two weeks after it was originally posted.

We could blame Golf Monthly. In fact, I do blame Golf Monthly. I also, however, must call out the ridiculous and long-standing no-questions-asked-or-answered (outside of tournament week) policy of Augusta National officials.

It is a quaint philosophy, and it served the club well for many years, but it is time for the silence to be retired.

Augusta National has a wonderful media relations team, and they each have phone numbers, desks, and email capability. 

When something odd or unexpected - like this water line break - occurs, or God forbid we discover another multimillion dollar inside job theft of tournament artifacts, it is folly for the club to sit quietly and let others tell the story third, fourth, or fifth hand.

Nature abhors a vacuum, and you better believe that vacuum will be filled with lots of hot air and manufactured detail if the only folks genuinely in the know have their ability to speak limited to one week in April. 

Lots of innovation has been credited to Augusta National and the Masters over their 93-year history

The concept of a full time media engagement policy should not be a Hogan's Bridge too far.