The OJR criticizes the media coverage of Dale Earnhardt’s accident. “Misinformation expands to fill the void created by lack of information.” Incorrect reports of the cause of death spread and gave the Head and Neck Restraining System manufacturer a chance to promote his product, even though it probably would not have helped in Earnhardt’s case. And the author reveals that Earnhardt had an eight-inch long steel sliver removed from the left side of his head in January (UPDATE: actually, if you read the source links, it’s an “eighth-inch-long”, which is a BIG difference). It’s best to let the dead rest in peace, but the spread of misinformation and lack of real information can only provoke unrest in the living who are trying to make life safer based on facts, not hearsay. (UPDATE: Of course you have to know what sources to trust, and this guy had one fact wrong. UPDATE 2: after an email exchange with OJR, they’ve corrected the story and blamed copy-editing, so the author is off the hook) (first update courtesy Metafilter posting by iceberg273)