We’ve all been there.
News breaks, panic ensues, the media scrambles to be the first to inform the public and SHIT JUST GETS MESSY. We’re all guilty of it and in the end, we’re probably wrong about half of the details. And we’ll probably end up retracting the statement about the mountain lion drinking pumpkin spice lattes with aliens that flew in on the Mars Rover when the police cruiser crashed through the Starbucks near the Capitol Building because of an earthquake.
See what I mean? Messy.
Truth is, we’re probably better off not saying anything until all details are made available. But living in a world where spreading information around the nation…the world…is an easy 140 strokes of the keyboard and the demand to know it and know it now is king, it’s hard not to share information in hopes of gaining a better understanding.
But us media peeps have to do better. Because the stages of breaking news today are enough to give us all a heart attack…or incite a riot.
Or, just make us look like this:
Stage 1: The Shock
Stage 2: This Feeling
Stage 3: The Rush For Information
Stage 4: The Misinformation
Stage 5: The Realization You’ve Misinformed (and it hits you like a ton of bricks…or a soccer ball)
Stage 6: The Newsroom Reaction
Stage 7: Your Reaction…After You Realize You Tweeted It
Stage 8: The Attempted Redemption
Stage 9: The Final Realization That Your Credibility Just Went Down 3 Points
It’s OK. There’s always tomorrow’s news cycle to help us make a fool of ourselves.
PHOTO CREDIT: CNN, Giphy
