How not to report.
Assume the facts.
In a front page story, of course, I reported a man had died from a fall at Elks Lake during Friday night’s July 4 festivities.
The rumor mill via verbal and social media over the weekend blew the situation out of proportion.
In calls Monday morning to the police and fire departments I thought I had the facts straight, starting with the assumption we were dealing with a fatality.
In conversations with Police Chief Jared Warner and Fire Chief Tim Thyer, I went from there.
And they never volunteered his current condition, because they didn’t know. Once a victim is taken to a hospital, the situation is out of their hands.
It’s circumstances like this that make us humble.
We each in our own professions make mistakes of what we hope is a lifetime.
It’s shaken me to the core. Especially being in a profession that banks on facts.
THE REGISTER newsroom is once again on high alert that mistakes happen, but our job is to check, and double-check, our facts.
And we ask for your forgiveness and understanding, as we are forced to relearn the lesson.
— Susan Lynn
