re: He should have gotten word to the families right away, not waiting for near on three hours
He waited until he had the facts. It is very difficult in the heat of a disaster such as this to get facts. He should have been the first place the media went to seek confirmation of a rescue.
I have no idea what happened to start the rumor in the church that 12 had been rescued. What I DO know is that from the very first mention of a rescue Fox news was reporting it as fact. No mention of the possibility that the report was based not on a statement from officials, state or local, just that 12 of them were alive.
Very poor journalism. Along with the ability, protected by the constitution no less, to report the news comes a responsibility and obligation to get it right.
The anchor at Fox probably just took it for granted that the reporter on the scene had exercised the normally expected care to confirm what was about to be reported. In the news of 30 years ago the story would have been filtered through any number of editors, none of whom would have passed information up the line that he or she had not confirmed for himself or herself. A large part of the problem is that they now have the ability to put on the air almost anyone from almost anywhere. The task of confirmation has fallen to the least experienced member of the team, the person at the scene.
Remember how long it took for the networks to report that JFK was dead? He was DOA, but it was at least two hours before the networks could confirm the facts sufficiently to air them. That level of professionalism is a thing of the past.
The simple fact is that a lot of news people ran with a story that had not been confirmed. The story was that families at the church had been told of a rescue of 12 men. What hit the air was that 12 had been rescued alive.
I know it seems like nit picking, but all of those rules and standards are there for a reason, and this is what happens when they are ignored or skipped.
The simple fact is that a lot of news people ran with a story that had not been confirmed. The story was that families at the church had been told of a rescue of 12 men. What hit the air was that 12 had been rescued alive. ...... I know it seems like nit picking, but all of those rules and standards are there for a reason, and this is what happens when they are ignored or skipped. --- Right.