Shots fired! Shots fired! (not really)
This morning, CNN reported via Twitter that a suspicious boat was in a river near President Obama with shots fired:
Minutes later, CNN reported that a the United States Coast Guard attempted to prevent a boat from entering a security zone on the Potomac River near the Pentagon, where President Obama was at an event commemorating the 9/11 attacks, and again mentions the police scanner reports of shots fired:
Coast Guard confronts boat as Obama visits Pentagon
Just ten minutes after CNN posted that update, NPR reported that the FBI confirmed that no shots were fired, and the Coast Guard was conducting a training exercise:
FBI: No Shots Fired On Potomac ; Coast Guard Was Conducting Training Exercise
One minute before NPR reported that there were no shots fired, CNN posted another update about the situation stating that police scanner reports indicated the Coast Guard had fired 10 rounds of ammunition, and they were not sure if they were warning shots or not:
Reports of shots fired on Potomac near Pentagon
While CNN stated that they could not immediately confirm the report of shots fired, NPR was reporting that the FBI confirmed no shots had been fired at all. In what seems like an attempt to win the race for “first to report” bragging rights, CNN neglected their journalistic responsibility to provide accurate and factual data. It would have taken just minutes to discover that no shots were fired. While CNN may have beat NPR to the punch, NPR was reporting facts before CNN was done reporting conjecture.
Was this an example of sensationalism or incompetence? Either way, shame on you CNN. Shame on you.
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