The news moves faster than ever these days. That was never more so than last Friday.
Early that morning, I received a text from the Associated Press saying that a shooting had been reported at a school in Connecticut. No other details were available.
I checked the AP wire (as we news folks call it) several times, but there was no new information.
Finally, around 11 a.m., I put the first story the AP sent on the shooting in the paper. The story said that a teacher had been taken to the hospital after being shot at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. Again, no other details were available.
That was the last story I put in the Dec. 14 edition of the Commonwealth. At that time, I — and most of you, I suspect — had never heard of Newtown, Conn., and Sandy Hook Elementary School.
For the past week, those names and what took place there have been seared into our national consciousness.
The news on the massacre of 26 people at the school, including 20 children, started coming in just about the time the Commonwealth press started printing that last Friday’s paper. I briefly thought about stopping it. But anything we printed at that point would have been out of date by the time our readers got their copy.
I did post updates on the shooting on the Commonwealth’s website (www.gwcommonwealth.com) throughout the day Friday and on Saturday morning. I don’t normally do that with a national story, but this one merited it.
In some ways, the school massacre reminded me of what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. There were some differences, however:
1. I saw the events of 9/11 in New York City happen live on television.
2. Unlike my then-employer, the Commonwealth didn’t print an extra edition last Friday (thank goodness).
3. I didn’t come to work last Friday and find myself in a room full of people who were freaking out.
4. This time, I didn’t rationalize having an after-work drink by saying, “If I don’t drink this beer, the terrorists win.”
One of the most discouraging things about the coverage of last Friday’s shooting was the enormous amount of incorrect information that was reported. For example, initial reports said the gunman’s name was Ryan Lanza. Actually, the killer was Adam Lanza, Ryan’s younger brother.
Also, most of the early information about the weapons Adam Lanza used in the massacre was incorrect. I kept reading and hearing that he only used pistols. Wrong. He used the rifle to kill the people inside the school. Lanza only used a pistol when he committed suicide.
It’s not unusual for misinformation to be reported during a breaking story, especially one like the Newtown massacre. I remember when ABC erroneously reported that President Ronald Reagan had died after being shot in 1981.
There are competitive pressures, especially among the TV networks. Now newspapers are anxious to get the latest news online. This can cause reporters to become careless. Add to that the fact that most of the early details in the Newtown story came from unnamed sources and there’s a potential for mistakes.
I was most dismayed to see that the Associated Press made more than its usual share of mistakes. The AP has a reputation for being more conservative and careful than the TV networks. I never believe a candidate has been elected until I hear it from the AP.
This time, maybe the AP got caught up in trying to beat the competition, although I don’t know why. The AP doesn’t have any major competition these days.
The Commonwealth’s most important job during a national story like this is telling its readers how the story affects them.
Last Sunday, reporter Jeanie Riess wrote a story on local schools’ security plans. Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said in that story that schools need to do more to keep their students safe. On Monday, Bob Darden reported more information on local school security, including at Pillow Academy.
There’s much more to come on this story in the weeks ahead. For example, President Obama has said he plans to push for revamping the nation’s gun laws.
You can be certain that many people on both sides of the gun ownership issue — including right here — will have plenty to say about that.
You will find what they say in the Commonwealth.
• Contact Charles Corder at 581-7241 or ccorder@gwcommonwealth.com.
