On the road

On the road...

We loaded up and hit the road to the airport. The tasks of preparing for the trip to the Mayo Clinic masked the quiet anxiety facing us. How else can you feel when traveling 400+ miles to find out what the doctors say can be done for the cancer peppering your body? The cancer that returned and spoke with a vengeance when it came back from it's temporary defeat.

It's going to be a long day of travel. Two plane rides over 4 hours and an hour long car ride. Time to reflect on the past year.

Cinnamon Rolls and Busted Chops

“Are you sure we’ll eat those two cinnamon rolls?” I asked the boys.

“Yeah, they’re big, but we’ll eat them,” they seemed to reply together.

Our eyes grew big as the woman behind the counter brought us our cinnamon rolls.  I started to wonder if we would indeed clear our plates.  Good thing there were us three boys and only two of those humongous rolls.

            The trip was dual purpose:  I wanted to explore the downtown shops of our new hometown, and I wanted to spend some time having fun with my sons.  I’ve not been very good about getting one-on-one(or one-on-two) time with Benjamin, 12, and Jeremy, 8 so I took the opportunity to use a gift card for the Electric Brew just blocks from our new home.  We moved to our new house in Goshen Indiana just 3 weeks earlier.

            We took our two hot chocolates, two cinnamon rolls (one cream cheese frosting and one with caramel frosting), and one cup of the Bald Brothers Blend coffee to the outdoor seating.

            “What are we going to do?” Ben asked as we sat down.  He’s not one to sit still and enjoy the moment.  I had some work to do. “Can we take these and go?” he asked, pointing to the mis-matched ceramic plates holding our morning snack.

            Knowing this would lay the groundwork for future relaxation opportunities,  I had to act quick to make sure my boys understood the art of chilling.  “No, we’re just going to sit here and eat our rolls.” Looks of incredulity… -‘Think harder Brian’, my brain was telling me. When the going gets tough go for the potty humor: “We’re just going to sit here and relax eating our rolls and talk – ‘Shoot the bull’.”  That got the snickers and quick exchange of glances from the boys I was looking for.  We sat there and made our small talk.  So small that even now just a day later I don’t remember specifically what we talked about.  I do remember just enjoying the time spent with my two sons enjoying each other’s company and probably learning a little of how to bust each other’s chops.

            Mission accomplished – a little relaxation and building the foundation of greatly spent guy time.  All I know is I better have my “A” game, because those boys are quick studies and I could have my chops easily busted next time. 

Cooking by email

How we started this mess.

     We may have missed the October Snowmageddon of 2011, but we were looking for some comfort food to warm us up on the cold weekend.

    I have this great recipe for chicken and dumplings from the wonderful Chef Mike Stephens. However, I was looking for speed, simplicity, and low cost.  I found a recipe on Cooks.com for Aunt Faye's Chicken an' Dumplings.

That's not steam, that's visible aroma!

     I love to cook, but I'm not yet to the stage where I can create a dish from scratch.  I can make a mean breakfast sandwich or even prepare steak and chicken, but I just don't have the experience to create a dish like this.  

    I do love the challenge though of taking a dish like this and adding some of my own touches to liven it up.  I added some ingredients from the in depth recipe.  A little onions, and other vegetables to give it some flavor.  Comfort food is big on filling you up and being warm.  While I wanted the warm filling carbo-load, so I didn't want it to be a bland carbo-load.

Wanna bite?  The finished product.



Stirring it up - the simmering is almost complete.



Um... and to my friend Matt B. No I don't have any left. I'll work you in on the next batch of somethin' good from the Sapp kitchen. Maybe some BBQ!

School Snacks

You know how you run your tongue over your teeth after you eat popcorn?  Trying to find those last little pieces of shells stuck along your gums?  That’s how my day ended at school. 

Although it wasn’t popcorn I was trying to find…nope I was trying to get down the last of a larva.  Yep, larva.  Luckily it was prepared for consumption, which meant some sort of baking and seasoning.  There were Cheese Flavor, BBQ, and Mexican Spice flavors to choose from(if you wanna buy some -- they're made by Hotlix or on sold Amazon.  I went with the last.  The kids “dared” me to do it.

Courtney Franke(pronounced frahn-KEY), InterpretiveNaturalist with Elkhart County Parks is giving another one of his stellar educational “performances”.  Over the next few weeks he will teach 6 sessions about how scientists classify animals.  We will learn how they are put into the different classes.

Rumor had circulated that Mr. Franke  would have a little snack with him.  The kids cornered me, “Mr. Sapp, are you going to eat one?”

I smiled, trying to be coy, but I couldn’t hide the fact that this would be one challenge I would love to take!  When the time came for our snack half of the students took one of the larvae and popped them into their mouth.  I took a Mexican Spice baked worm and chewed it.  It wasn’t oozy or anything.  It was crunchy and really just disintegrated … leaving little pieces of shell that 20 minutes later I was finding and waiting for a drink to wash it down.

A TV Guy's Sig Out

     I was asked to write an article for our station newsletter about my time at WSBT. This fits for my time at all my stations. I've been told all articles have to be passed by the corner office so I'm going to post it here as well. I didn't say anything derogatory, but you never know.

      Standing in a packed auditorium in the University of Notre Dame's Guglielmino Athletic Complex is where it hit me. I realized I was shooting my last press conference. I was waiting for the announcement of the new Notre Dame head football coach. This wasn’t my first time rubbing elbows with local and national media. There have been presidential visits (Mr Clinton and Mr Bush) There have been press conferences after NFL football games, rowdy fans at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego for Super Bowl XXXVII, and even a visit to the “Big House” for a Notre Dame/Michigan game. I’ve also done the mundane, knocked on the doors of grieving relatives, covered funerals of those just trying to make our communities safer. Those all have a place on the newsreel in my head. However, they’re a little harder to pull up compared to the stories of some of the characters I’ve met; the man who chased down two punks several miles through the streets of St Petersburg FL, the alligator that stopped traffic and just wanted to get past a fence into a retention pond, the boy in rural St Joseph County who found a piranha type fish, David Snyder and all of those shenanigans, and even the woman who sits on the side of the road waving to people looking to support our troops. I never won any awards(well actually I did win an AP award for my part of a story, but it was a junky story so I didn't think it counted). I admit, I didn’t really apply for any. But the memories I have from all of these stories good and bad make up for any statues that I might have on my mantle.

     Three and a half years ago, I didn’t think I would shoot many more press conferences. I made the move from being a grunt in the field to giving the orders to those grunts and the people who held the microphones for them. (Truly, I love you reporters! ☺) I wanted to gain experience on the other side of the storymaking process. Well was it a trial by fire. My first week as assignment editor, there was a terrible crash on the Indiana Toll Road. I had to roll crews after they were already done with their daily work. No sliding into the hot seat and getting settled.

      It was an interesting three years where I ended up organizing crews to cover the stories we all see on the news every night. I learned the needs of two different White House staffs when it came to covering Presidential visits. I learned how to get crews to "swing by" a location and "spray" some video. I learned how to deal with dispatchers who didn't want to give you information when the deadline keeps approaching. I also learned that the newscasts producers work on every day only get filled by the content we gather and create. I learned how to ask the engineers to teach me to keep from asking them questions(or to not break stuff). I learned how to ask account executives to get their clients my number when they have a story idea.
 

     The most important thing I've learned is the same thing I learned from the field. It's the people. Plain and simple, I've spent the last six and a half years working with a great group of people. Sure there are times where we don't make each other happy, but that's the way friendships go. You have a bunch of GOOD days, some GREAT days, and some LOUSY days. But they have always been with people I care about. I won't say I haven't worked with some people who weren't really made out for this TV thing, but I don't work with any of them now. Given our recent economic challenges, the team this past year has been the best group by far. I have really learned something from each and every one of you.

     I can't believe it's time for me to be saying my good-byes. In just a few short weeks I will be learning a whole bunch of skills. Mostly from a group of 5th graders. I will begin my student teaching at Emmons Elementary School in Mishawaka. I will finish my student teaching and Transition to Teaching classes by May and will be looking for a teaching job. I am leaving because God has called me. I am listening to his call and think it's time for me to seek my challenge in a place where I can see some of those stories up close again. And believe me every kid has a story. Good, bad, and well you know the saying.

     So, it's with some sadness, but with plenty of eagerness that I will not be out there in the trenches knocking over tripods to get the best spot or spending my time gathering names, birth-dates, and SSN's for an impending visit. I will miss all of that fun(most of it actually is), but most of all I will miss my friends and creating more memories of making TV with you.

I know the news will go on without me. The deadline doesn't stop nor care for those who fill our seats, but comes relentlessly on it's daily passing.

15 seconds, stand-by, cue!

Moving On

The end's in sight.  Along with live shots, shootings, and stabbings, I'm learning about schemas and assessments.

I'm done with the TV gig. Well, I will be come Dec 31.  I'm gonna take my management stylings from the newsroom to the classroom.  Behavior plans, and lesson plans will replace the daily list of lead stories and puzzles of covering the same amount of news with less people.

I'll miss the thrill of the hunt.  I'm a news junkie at heart.  Maybe now I'll be able to read a newspaper or watch the news.  Well at least what they put online.

Wish me luck or should I say pray for the children of Northern Indiana.

Time to go home

FCC Kevin Martin is making his way through Indiana today. He is in the area to talk to people about the transition to DTV. I asked his people for an interview and he's coming soon. Thankfully I get to leave before that.

It's been one of those days.  I've been in a piss poor mood too.

I'm always saying stuff, but feel like no one's listening.

Then a week later someone says, "Hey, I heard this idea and I think we should do it."

Good for you.

Free Doughnuts

I need a doughnut in the morning like I need an email with a notice of a sick call. Although the worry and stress caused by the latter could cut out the calories of the former.

That being said...

There are some mornings I look in the fridge and see nothing but last week's yogurt, a gallon of milk, and last night's leftovers.

Bring on the breakfast treats!

On the trail

Here we are in the middle. The Democratic Presidential race is bearing down on the newly significant state of Indiana. Being one of the larger cities in the state, South Bend, needs to batten down for the next 5 weeks as the whirlwinds will whip up voters to a frothy partisan frenzy.

Right now South Bend's Washington High School is the center of Senator Obama's Campaign. Two weeks ago, Mishawaka High School hosted Senator Clinton's campaign. And the Clinton Campaign has sent surrogates, former President Bill Clinton and former first daughter Chelsea.

Now it appears we will get to host the Clinton campaign again. Oh boy...more OT, more crews, more coverage. Did I say there's five weeks left until the primary?

Was I really cut out for this?

Did I really think there would be some ease to being the sole assignment person in a midsized market?

HA! Who was I kidding?

Making the impossible happen. I guess that's job one of the AE...

I do feel the skin's a little thicker now...

There, enough bitching.

Anyone know of a reporter and/or photog who wants to work in South Bend? It would make my day easier!

Juxtaposed

I took this picture at a fatal fire in the middle of nowhere on a sat truck run. I've seen some unique juxtapositions, but none so pretty and ugly as this.

Inevitability

If you spend enough time in TV, one of the things you learn is there's always going to be someone new to work with. In my 10 years playing TV, I've seen my share of coworkers come and go. In fact I've been one who's come and gone two times now.

Some of them have been bad, like the one who consistently gave me 2 minute long stories less than an hour before air and looked blankly at me when I told her this was a problem.

Most have been good. But I've had the extremely huge privilege of working with several really wonderful people. When you work in the trenches day in and day out, riding across the market in a marked TV makin' tin-can, you have a unique opportunity to learn about every little detail of the person sitting next to you.

That's the case with Angela the lovely reporter above.

When I first met her I thought she was a loud and brash, girl from out East. After sharing countless miles across the market, I found out she is a loud, and only slightly brash(her term is loquacious) girl from Philly. That and she's a great journalist.

I watched her perfect her craft during the 3 years I worked with her. I watched as she learned the fine art of weaving her script with video and sound to tell a compelling story. I also watched as she taught me that as serious a business TV can be, you gotta have fun. If we were working on a story we were always laughing about something.

Keep on laughing Ang!

In The Groove

There's been a change here in Sapphoto land. I've crossed over to the other side.

I've become the "man", the same "man" I railed against for oh so many years. The same man who sent me to check out this fire call, that homicide investigation, asked me to edit an extra package, or made me shoot yet another questionable live shot.

I now sit behind a desk every day and send crews to check out the scanner traffic about flames showing...

An Officer's Last Call

Black Bunting, grieving officers and an unmanned squad car...All signs of the great sacrifice police officers make every day. It's happened again. Corporal Scott Severns of the South Bend P.D. lost his life in the early morning hours of April 23rd. Corporal Severns lost his life after being shot three times hours earlier, while off duty and according to reports trying to protect a friend.

This is the second time a police officer has been killed while I've been working here in Michiana. Two years ago Mishawaka P.D. lost two officers, at the hands of another gunman. In my 8 years of rolling tape I've only covered one other officer death. A bank robber shot and killed Lois Marrero of Tampa P.D. during a foot chase.

What can I say? My prayers and condolences go out to the family, friends and co-workers of Cpl. Severns.

Even though Scott Severns was off duty when he was shot, it does little to mitigate the pain felt in the community. In fact, Scott being shot while being a "normal" citizen strikes deep. I had the opportunity to ride along with 2 South Bend officers several months ago. Many times my only interaction with these officers is across the fluttering yellow tape that seperates the postage stamp of land that is a crime scene from the rest of the world. They must hold the denizens of mayhem reportage at bay while trying to maintain order in maniacal situations. During these ride alongs, I was reminded how these guys are just like me: they're doing the best they can at their job, with families waiting for them at home, and trying to not get sucked in by the mayhem that seems to come with the job.

Sheldon and Jim were nothing but professional and human that night. From all I've heard, I expect that Scott was just as exceptional, professionally and personally.

Rest In Peace and Godspeed.

Life through a viewfinder...

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***RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION***

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Liveshots, cut-ins, break-ins, and superfluous tap-dancing. Anytime the President comes to town it becomes an "All Hands On Deck" situation. It's not everyday you get to play host to one of most poweful people in the world. However, Michiana has played host to President Bush 7 times before.

I'm not a Presidential rookie. I've done pretty much every aspect of a presidential visit. I've been on the risers following the President's moves. I've been sitting in the truck watching my fellow teammate follow the President around the stage. (that's what I was doing on 9/11. Talk about a front seat to history!) And, I've even stood on the side of the road recording the attempts of protestors trying to make an impression in the 10 seconds it takes for the motorcade to zoom past.

This time Sapphoto got to sit on a wide open airport tarmac with 20º temps and 20mph winds to bring you and our loyal viewers the arrival and departure of Air Force One. Part of you becomes used to the pomp and hardened to the circumstances. All five of my "loyal" photog readers have most likely been through a Secret Service security sweep before so I'll save you the torture. Actually, this time wasn't too bad. It was the White House lead person who left us in a tight spot. Oh well, everything worked on the first try. Good thing too. There wasn't time for trouble shooting before the Presidential Bird loomed LARGE over the eastern horizion, and the IFB exploded with the hurried voice of the producer, "AF1 is coming at you and we're live on your shot."

This trip wasn't anything ground-breaking. The president was in town to help congressman Chris Chocola raise money for this year's campaign.

I kept my camera trained on the blue and white VC-25 as it touched down on the secured runway. Once the plane taxied and parked, I waited for the door to open and the President to emerge.

Being the professionally forged photographer that I am, I captured the "money shot"(our anchor's term) of the President waving to the four or five cameras located on the flatbed semi-trailer that was our stage.

Pretty routine, huh?

The one thing though...Did I really see him? I may have had my picture taken with the plane, but did I really see the President? I don't think I saw him with my naked eye until I made it a point to look when he departed our fair city.

You see I find myself asking this question after I've seen some of the coolest things ever. Did I really see that? When I look back with my mind's eye, I see a black and white picture of the person/event with the battery percentage, filter number, and VU meter. I did make sure I pointed the digital camera at the President when I ducked out from behind the camera...at least the picture my memory will be in color.

Satisfaction

I've been away from the keyboard for several weeks now. It almost seems as though the previous picture spoke to how busy I've been lately. (btw...is it me or has there been a bevy of single finger salutes on photog websites? #2 getting the #1, TVPhotog is loved by his sister, and Jorge is making friends all over hippieville.)

When I was finally able to return to the world of photogblogs, I noticed I was having a different sweeps outcome than some of my lens toting brethren.

I've been without a reporter for the last 3 months. I've been riding solo on the morning shift trying to find live talk-backs, covering house fires, and car crashes. Double that up with things being really slooooooow in Michiana, and you have a photographer scouring for ideas.

Thankfully, I came up with some. Even more thankfully they turned out great.

I'm sure it's been done before but I pitched a series of stories about things that happen overnight. Since I was without reporter I got to do these on my own taking some time to do them right.

This job is so cool at times. Here is what I did:

• I got to roam the presses at our sister daily newspaper.
• I got to ride shotgun with two of South Bend's police officers on the 3rd shift.(Thanks Jim and Sheldon)
• I got a box of the finest Belgian pastries this side of the St. Joseph river
• I got to wash it all down with some frest milk.

In and of themselves these stories may be mundane. However, they all gave me a chance get to know a person and tell their story in an intersting creative way.

Of course they don't post overnight stories at the double duece, so I won't be able to stimulate the cerebrum more than with a few dozen words.

Flipped off

Although they seem ubiquitious, it's not everyday youre friendly neighborhood lensman(woman) gets to capture scenes from a perpwalk.

Do this job long enough though and the number of scenes could fill up a nice little tape reel. The characters on this reel range from the famous to the infamous. From those you feel sorry for, to those who couldn't even garner a sliver of sympathy from most people.

I've taken part in many backpedaling contests as have others...(Lenslinger and here)

Most are innocuous and easily forgettable. For me that boring streak ended yesterday. I was waiting in the courthouse for the alleged getaway driver in murder to make an appearance in court.

After several false starts with other inmates getting off of the elevator my subject appears through the door. This is what I get. --------->

Well that and being told several colorful suggestions.  It was the most interesting and entertaining 15 seconds of video I've shot in this week.

Maybe the CIA is hiring

Or maybe not...

Either way, I'm not sure I could get a job after yesterday's fiasco.

Many times in this business we get our interviews by calling in and setting them up. Sometimes, though, people just aren't ready to talk, and we have to try face to face to get our interviews. Today was one of those times...

Our poor subject today: The Superintendent of a local school district who is leaving after a year on the job.

Our mission: Our ND has tasked us today with finding Mr. H. and getting sound to fill the insatiable news beast(5,5:30,6,&11).



[upbeat flashback music swells in and the scene dissolves into the inside of unit 12][music fades out]
"Let's park in the back lot. I think that's where the staff parks," I tell reporter Kirk as I pull the plain white news Jeep around the back of the school district administrative offices. I find an open space giving me a view of the door and the whole parking lot.

"His secretary says he's in a meeting until 10:30 then he's heading to Indianapolis," Kirk says as he flips through the background in the file folder sitting on his lap.

He shows me a picture in the article he's been reading.

"Yeah, I know what he looks like. I've interviewed him before, on the NightSide beat."

I zone out a little and turn up the radio because it's only 10:15.

"Brian, is that him?" Kirk asks me as a man gets out of his car and heads into the building.

"I don't know...I didn't get a good look at his face."

"I have to go ask him."

Kirk gets out and approaches the man asking him if he is Mr. H. -- No!

"I think we blew our 'cover'," Kirk laments as he climbs back into the unit.

Several minutes pass and the assistant Superintendent comes out of the building acting normal(that should have tipped me off. Unknown to us this is where the chase actually begins). She heads to a jeep, gets in, and drives off. As I watch, she pulls around to the front of the building.

"She's headed around front. I bet she's going to pick him up," I realize and I throw jeep into drive and pull around front.

The rest of the is like a keystone cops movie. As I'm moving, the assistant hops out of the car and Mr. H. gets into the driver's seat. I look for a parking spot in a limited area, trying to move around people getting into the car. By the time I get the car askew into some sort of parking space, and out of the car, our quarry is on his way to Indianapolis, having eluded this tape toting photog.

When Good Pop Goes Bad!

January 13, 2006
South Bend - Fame is a double edge sword. When firefighters got the call of a fire at the South Side Grocery they didn't know they would find yet another victim cut the cruel bite of success.

Arriving on scene, firefighters found flames licking up the front wall of the grocery behind several pop machines. Although the fire was doused quickly, a gaping hole in the roof marked the toll the conflagration took on the building.

Sounds like a normal fire for South Bend's Bravest, deserving nothing more than a few lines in the metro briefs? This is where the normalcy ends.

(From here on out is my fictional interpretation. This is the story I wish had happened.)

"I could not believe what the first responders were telling me what they saw when they got on scene," a fire chief says just minutes into his investigation of the fire. "It appears right now the fire started behind these pop machines here," he points behind the Pepsi, 7-up, and Coke machines which were pulled away from the building to fight the fire.

"There's no hope, the damage is too much," a fire fighter playing his flashlight across the charred shell of the 7-up machine.

"I told them this would happen," Joe Wolb says jabbing his stumpy thumb back to the scorch marks on the wall. "I knew he was bad news when he came in with that cocky attitude thinking he was the best pop on the block."

Investigators think the fire was started by the Pepsi machine. The outlet shorted causing the siding to flare up and race up the wall.

It seems Pepsi machine has been despondent as of late. "He's never been the same since his cousin got that TV deal," Pepsi machine's friend Dr. Pepper machine.

The commercial features Diet Pepsi Machine getting drafted by the NFL's New England Patriots. The ads started airing at the beginning of the football season in September.

According to Dr. Pepper machine, Pepsi Machine had been seeing a toaster for counselling. "Every time he saw that ad, he would turn the channel and grumble. He would say, 'That should have been me. I told him everything he knows about acting.'"

Wolb, who lives near the store, says Pepsi Machine had been flickering "more than normal" lately, "I walked in and told the owner he better keep an eye on that machine. He at least needed to unplug him at night."

When reached by phone before his playoff game in Denver, Diet Pepsi Machine didn't have much to say about his cousin.

"He's never been happy with my accomplishments. I think he's just trying to cover up for his shortcomings. He's just one of many regular pop machines. It takes something special to dispense diet pop."

This possible arson could just be another bad decision in a long descent into a life of crime and destitution.

"I've been worrying about him since he went off and had that fling with the Ciggarette Vending Machine," Diet Pepsi Machine offers as a possible explanation of Pepsi's recent run-in with police.

"Last I heard, he was hanging outside a 'Gentleman's Club' in some town out in the midwest. I knew he would betray his brand name. I just hope he can turn his life around."

After surveying the damage inside the store, investigators exited to find that Pepsi Machine had pushed past the gawkers and fled the scene. Police searched the area and only found an extension several blocks away. Police consider Pepsi Machine dangerous and mentally ill. They are asking that if you see Pepsi Machine, do not approach him, but call the police.

UPDATE: January 17, 2006
Police in LaCrosse, Indiana say they were tipped off about the missing Pepsi Machine when they received a tip that someone got a can of Pepsi that had a smoky bitter taste.

The Machine was found hiding next to a Faygo Machine in the local garage. Police moved in and Pepsi Machine was taken into custody. He was last seen being loaded by dolly onto a flatbed truck to be incarcerated in the police department breakroom.

Chilling video

It's chilling video knowing the ending.

Pictures of families rejoicing.

I stood watching in horror as the replay came down on the satellite feed this morning. After living a day and a half worrying about their loved ones trapped in a mine, families in a rural West Virginia community get word the word they are alive.

Knowing the awful truth to follow I think, "Oh my God, those poor people."

With the flicker of a slate and the beginning of a new tape the rejoicing turns to images of grief.

Here's just one story:

---

[T]heir joy turned instantly to fury.

...

The devastating information about the dead shocked and angered family members, who had rejoiced with Gov. Joe Manchin hours earlier when word spread that 12 miners were alive. Bystanders applauded as they saw McCloy brought from the mine early Wednesday, not realizing he would be the only one to make it out alive.

...

But late Tuesday night, families began streaming out of the church, yelling "They're alive!" The church bells began ringing and families embraced, as politicians proclaimed word of the apparent rescue a miracle. The governor was among those who announced there were 12 survivors.

Hatfield blamed the wrong information on a "miscommunication." The news spread after people overheard cell phone calls, he said. In reality, rescuers had only confirmed finding 12 miners and were checking their vital signs. At least two family members in the church said they received cell phone calls from a mine foreman.

"That information spread like wildfire, because it had come from the command center," he said.

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I've never been on any story exactly like this one. I have been on stories where family members have given us information that may not be readily available from "Officials". We either treat this information as background or give it the modifier "according to so and so".

The facts have not all been fleshed out, but if(as according to the story) you have the governor telling you the miners are alive, how much more confirmation do you need? Unless the governor said he only had gotten the information from the families, the governor counts in my book. That's not to say I wouldn't get suspicious if, after awhile, new information failed to trickle out.

I hope the critiques deserved for the press are aimed at the right spot. In the little I've seen, it appears the blame goes into the continued publication and broadcasting of the wrong information. The media did not give the wrong information to the families. The families unwittingly gave that out.

For example: I was watching a replay of Geraldo's live interview of some family members who had just come out of the church celebrating. He asked them why they were so happy. They replied they had been told the miners were found alive. Geraldo asked several times "Who" told you this. As he is trying to figure out what's going on you hear the bells ringing and more people come out of the church rejoicing and calling family members about the good news.

The downfall came when the wrong story was left to linger for several hours and no new information came out. Being a journalist, I would be aghast if this happened to me. I know there is a lesson to be learned and I hope that we learn it. I don’t think the solution is to not report the news, but to be more aware as events are coming in live. Reporters need to temper reports like this by reminding people this is unconfirmed information. I think the media outlets burnt the worst on this are the print outlets who have early deadlines and can't easily change their reportage.

Bottom line, the circumstances played against both the "live/gotta have it first" mentality and immovable deadlines faced by today's media. We just need to be aware of these limitations and make sure our reporting reflects these limits.