I am always bothered by the media’s desire to be the first to report something, especially before facts are checked.
(Case in point: CNN reporting a Coast Guard training exercise on the Potomac River as a “suspicious vessel in DC.”)
That’s why I was happy to hear Good Morning America’s Amy Robach mention in a Q&A session after her keynote speech at the 2014 PRSA International Conference that ABC News is happy to be the last network to report a news story to ensure accuracy.
However, without any true consequences for their mistakes, most media will unfortunately be content with issuing apologies in exchange for getting it correct (and first) every now and then.