with the wrong sun `n' sand snap.

While tourists might be deceived, there's no fooling Bermudians.

A local couple travelling home on a Delta Air Lines flight last weekend were given a Delta/GTE Airfone vacation sweepstakes offer to fill out.

"Make a call,'' travellers were urged, "and win a free vacation anywhere Delta flies!'' Glancing at three photographs of the holiday destinations they could win a trip to, they spotted the caption, "the warm Bermuda sun ...'' There was one problem though, the beach pictured looked like no part of Bermuda they knew.

The absence of a pink tinge to the pretty sandy beach, and, the large conch shell sitting on the shoreline were obvious clues.

But the real giveaway was the mountain range.

* * * Anyone who's been a television reporter knows it's not all glamour and glory.

With the fame comes the complaints, insults, and lack of privacy.

And perhaps no one has learned this lesson faster than ZBM's reporter Tory Creighton.

Creighton was assigned to cover accused murderer Rudolph West's first court appearance on January 10 at Magistrates' Court.

But fooled by a Police decoy, the cameraman couldn't get footage of West without a hood covering his face.

So on its evening broadcast, ZBM used a voice over of Creighton reporting from Magistrates' Court and a still photo of him.

But there was no identification with the photo, leaving viewers to assume Creighton was West.

The next day, while waiting for a bus in Hamilton, Creighton was approached by an irate woman who demanded to know why he was out of prison and threatened to call Police.

Stunned, Creighton quickly boarded his bus and headed for home.

* * * Impressionable youngsters from Northlands Secondary school recently visited The Royal Gazette offices.

And for their troubles they got a healthy taste of bitter reality.

Wide-eyed and eager to learn how a daily newspaper comes together, the students stopped by the desk of a foreign news sub editor, who showed them the wire services.

A story, slugged "Malcolm X,'' caught the observant young eyes so the editor called it up for them.

It detailed Malcolm X's daughter being accused of trying to assassinate Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

Not impressed, the students looked further down the list of headers and settled on story slugged "Oprah.'' That story recounted the famous talk show host's confession that she used to smoke crack.

Again not impressed, but not discouraged, the students noticed the name Jackson.

"Michael Jackson?'' they wondered with growing excitement.

The obliging editor punched up the story. It concerned an alleged video of Jackson having sex with a 13-year-old boy.

"Dirty boy,'' said one student, definitely not impressed.