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In Media's Haste False Reports
Arise By David Bednarz "This just in," Carol Lin of CNN reported. "You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. [We] have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center." As news of the attacks started to unfold, major news networks, such as ABC, immediately began a careful launch to the story. "We are dealing purely in the realm of speaking speculation as to what may have happened at the World Trade Center. Obviously a major incident occurred here on the upper floors of one of the World Trace Center towers. You can see multiple openings and flames coming out of at least two sides of the tower at the World Trade Center." No matter how careful, even the best news agency is, breaking news can be reported incorrectly in a time of crisis. Just minutes after the second plane had hit, Peter Jennings reported, "There has been a claim of responsibility [according to a news agency in the Persian Gulf] from something called the Palestinian DFLP." After describing details of the group, he went on to reiterate, "It is the first organization to claim responsibility for this." The alleged news report from the Middle Eastern news agency turned out to be false. Shortly after the first tower collapsed, Peter Jennings may have helped fuel the speculation when he suggested that there must have been explosions at the base of the building. Quickly, reporter Don Dahler corrected him, "The top part was totally involved...the weight at the top collapsed the building...there was no explosion at the bottom." The AP reported that "a car bomb exploded outside the State Department." Other media outlets such as Forbes also repeated the same news. "There are reports of an explosion on the west side of the Capitol building. A car bomb exploded outside the State Department, according to State Department sources." World media outlets soon followed suit, as did the Sydney Morning Herald, which ran an article that also picked up the story of a bomb at the State Department. The AP soon released another report , which said, "Within the hour, an aircraft crashed on a helicopter landing pad near the Pentagon." Shortly after the third airplane hit the Pentagon, CNN incorrectly reported, "We have a report that there's a fire at the State Department as well and that is being evacuated." They also reported, "We have a report now of an explosion on Capitol Hill" and there is a "fire on the Mall in Washington." Both reports were untrue. |
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