This Is Not Misdirection

I just read a post by Chris Weigant where he claims to define what misdirection is:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-weigant/friday-talking-points-99_b_332422.html

He says:

When a stage magician makes a flourish, causing a puff of smoke and a flash of light to appear, there's a reason for it. It is called "misdirection." It is meant to dazzle the audience with a shiny object, so that they don't notice what is going on elsewhere on the stage, or perhaps even in the magician's other hand. It is an effective technique, so effective that it is the basis for most stage magic tricks.

Thankfully, he is merely using this as an anology and goes on to talk about a news story. I say thankfully becuase this is just incorrect. It's wrong. It's misinformation.

Why is it wrong and what is misdirection?

I hope no budding magicians read that and attempt to inject the idea into their act as a method! If they did not only would the repetition of such lame distraction be noticed and boring, but would wear very thin and all the methods would be exposed, revealed.

I'll use this reporter error though to write about direction and misdirection next time.

John Gordon
Master Magician
Disappearing Nightly!