San Francisco News Blog

SFGate readers can be forgiven for feeling this photo is eerily familiar... ​

​In this space we sometimes criticize the Chronicle and sometimes praise the Chronicle. This article does neither of these things. This time, we're simply a bit rattled.

Here's the deal: In the interrim between  walking away from SFGate on our home computer, nearly burning down the kitchen with a breakfast mishap, and returning to the computer, the photo of an attractive young couple gracing a Chron light feature on hookah bars had suddenly jumped to a breaking homicide story in which the man in the photo was accused of killing the woman and then setting their home ablaze.

At first glance, one would think this was some manner of editing error; the wrong photo being placed next to a breaking news story. But, no: The photo SFGate was already running on its home page just happened to be of the two people in all the world featured in a breaking homicide story.

In a word, this is mind-boggling (yes, that's one word). The odds against this were staggering and the timing is phenomenal. To paraphrase the famed Casablanca line, "Of all the hookah joints in all the world..." 

In all earnestness, we can't wait to see what the Chron does next.