The ‘new media’ had photos and video uploaded within the first 8 minutes.
None of the big news outlets even had reporters dispatched by then. And they had to rely on the ‘weekend’ crews who tend to be fill-ins.
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Hardly a crisis has ever gone by that some newsies didn’t say something completely stupid or ridiculous. In such crises, they have to make up commentaries, sometimes for hours.
They can be painful to watch or listen to.
Possibly the dumbest question I EVER heard a reporter ask someone was when Elvis died. A local Memphis reporter asked the paramedic working on Elvis on the way to the hospital, and I quote, “Did you want him to live”? The paramedic had that did-you-ACTUALLY-ask-me-that-question look on his face. That has stayed with me ever since.