Quote:
Originally posted by AGDee
Sometimes, I'm not sure that 24 hour news channels are a good thing.
|
Sometimes?
My opinion is that their lust for "facts" and the competitive edge foster misinformation given to the public.
That is not to say that they are responsible for the tragic mistake in announcing that the twelve remaining miners were alive. I suspect that it will be discovered that someone -- probably a low level someone -- who works for the company made a serious error. I don't think there was anything purposful. The problem is, I think, that reporters hear that kind of thing and report it. Even if they disclaim it as unsubstantiated, it becomes fact to some people and rumors spread.
Again, that may not be true in this case, but it is a danger in highly competitive news situations where all of the reporting is live. There's no safety net in case of bad information or a reporter to mis-speaks.