Monday, January 10, 2011

Real-Time News & Accuracy in Reporting: Tragedy in Tucson

by Jessica Northey
Real Time News within the media is a method where events are portrayed at the same rate that the audience experiences them.
These past few days seem surreal to me. I live in Tucson, Arizona where my peer, acquaintance and District Congressman Gabrielle Giffords was shot, along with 19 others at a peaceful gathering, "Congress on your Corner", held specifically to give constituents access to her.
Within an hour I was reading tweets and posts from National News outlets saying that she had died. I was shocked and in disbelief. Turns out it wasn't true. From where I sat it looked odd, National News Outlets reporting that she had passed away at Northwest Hospital, but I was watching local news reporters standing in front of University Medical Center in Tucson. In addition, friends of the family were saying she was in surgery. Throughout the day we were hearing rumors, speculations and many unverified reports from different National news outlets, some even went as far as to blame Sarah Palin. It was all very disturbing, not just for our community but for the victims families. MORE

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