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Breaking news coverage is tricky and can be especially risky on social media, young editors in Ann Arbor learn.
The University of Michigan student paper acknowledges serious missteps in reaction to presumed campus gunfire last Saturday afternoon, which turned out to be the sound of popping balloons.
In a six-paragraph follow-up, Michigan Daily managing editor Finntan Storer and co-managing editors "take responsibility for tweeting unconfirmed information on The Daily’s Twitter account, including unsubstantiated reports of wounded students."
We deleted the tweets as soon as the harmful effects were brought to our attention, and we issued a correction immediately after. . . .
As the primary news outlet covering the University of Michigan, we at The Daily felt we had a responsibility to jump into action and inform the public of what was going on. . . . We were acting based on instinct and with little foresight beyond wanting to keep campus as safe as possible.
The Michigan Daily newsroom. (Photo: Facebook)
The student journalists recognize "we need to develop direct protocols for breaking news events that potentially threaten public safety."
Our promise to our readers is that we will be better-prepared if another incident of this gravity occurs. . . .
The Daily has consulted other media outlets for advice and tips and will continue to discuss different facets of our new protocols with professionals and members of our community. We hope to consult with University, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County security and police forces in order to better understand how we can inform the public.
We admire the next-gen professionals' humility and straight-up explanation, posted the next day. College is a time for learning, after all.
A salute, kind of, also comes from Detroit communicator Aaron Foley, a Michigan State journalism graduate ('07) who worked at The State News:
me, a professional: I admire the Michigan Daily’s courage to admit mistakes, and applaud the continued efforts of student journalists.
— Aaron Foley (@aaronkfoley) March 18, 2019
also me, a State News alum: lmaooooo not so tough now, are ya???
Earlier coverage:
U-M Active Shooter Alert Is a False Alarm Prompted by Popping Balloons
