In Haste to Confirm Kobe Bryant News, News Media Stumbles

NBC News also showed restraint, posting on Twitter at 2:42 p.m.: “We are working to determine and confirm who was on board the helicopter.”

Others made big mistakes in the rush for the story

During ABC’s broadcast of the Pro Bowl, the annual N.F.L. all-star game, Matt Gutman, the chief national correspondent at ABC News, falsely reported that all of Mr. Bryant’s children — four daughters, including an infant — “were believed to be” killed in the crash.

Later in the day, Los Angeles officials confirmed the death of one of Mr. Bryant’s daughters, Gianna.

On Sunday night, Mr. Gutman acknowledged the error on Twitter, saying, “I apologize to Kobe’s family, friends and our viewers.” He also apologized on air.

Social media lit up on Sunday afternoon with the false report that Rick Fox, a onetime teammate of Mr. Bryant’s, was also aboard the helicopter. That rumor seems not to have been based on any news report, but rose on its own out of conversation on social media. Jared Greenberg, a host and reporter on NBA TV, debunked the information with a tweet at 3:37 p.m., saying he had communicated with Mr. Fox.

“PLEASE STOP spreading ‘news’ unless you personally can confirm it!” he wrote.

The loose reporting and social-media discussion may have been a factor in President Trump’s inaccurate tweet a little before 4 p.m. While most outlets were reporting that Mr. Bryant had been one of five people killed in the crash, Mr. Trump said reports indicated that Mr. Bryant “and three others” were dead.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/business/tmz-kobe.html?emc=rss&partner=rss