False news reports add to confusion

For about three hours late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, news media reported that all but one of the 13 trapped W.Va. miners had somehow survived. But then officials revealed that all but one had, in fact, been killed.

From just before midnight until about 3 a.m., countless news organizations ran with the false story. The timing of the reports—just as many newsrooms were facing their evening deadline—likely added to the confusion.

In a story this morning examining the fiasco, Editor and Publisher editor Greg Mitchell called the mix-up "one of the most disturbing media performances of its kind in recent years." Mitchell writes:

For hours, starting just before midnight, newspaper reporters and anchors such as MSNBC's Rita Cosby interviewed euphoric loved ones and helped spread the news about the miracle rescue. Newspaper Web sites announced the happy news and many put it into print for Wednesday at deadline. "They're Alive!" screamed the banner headline in the Indianapolis Star. Even the Los Angeles Times, three hours behind on the West Coast, carried the front page headline: "Suddenly There is Joy: 12 Miners Found Alive." The Boston Globe at least added a qualifier to its banner hed: "12 Miners Reportedly Found Alive."

In many cases, the same papers stopped the presses later, after tens of thousands of copies were printed and distributed, to carry the correct report. USA Today, for example, printed an update under the headline: "Official: 1 Miner Survived."

In another E&P story, Joe Strupp spoke about the snafu with several editors, including Martin Baron of the Boston Globe. Strupp writes:

Baron said the coverage was as good as could be expected, given the timing of events and the fact that the original reports were coming from rescue workers, government officials, and families of the miners. "It seemed we handled it just fine all along the way," said Baron. "It's not like people were working with no information. There were officials commenting on this. As it turned out, wrong information was given out."

Baron added that if the paper had held off on the story and it turned out to be true, it would have drawn criticism for waiting too long. "At some point, you've got to print a paper," he said. "I don't know what else you can do."