Monday, April 15, 2013

Rushing to report on the Boston Marathon bombings? Remember Frank Reynolds

As various news outlets scramble to report anything and everything they hear (or guess) about today's tragic events in Boston, it might be a good idea to remember that, sometimes, getting it first doesn't always mean you've gotten it right. Check out the above 1981 video, and note how confident Frank Reynolds sounds when he announces that Ronald Reagan "wasn't hit" by his would-be assassin. (And while you're at it: Check out the sideburns Sam Donaldson is sporting. Wow.) Reynolds also reported that White House press secretary James Brady had been shot -- and had died. Later, when forced to retract that statement, Reynolds famously melted down on the air and snapped at his staffers: "Let's get it nailed down... somebody... let's find out! Let's get it straight so we can report this thing accurately!" Then as now, that's good advice.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

So true!