Mediagazer: Errors in Newtown Shootings Coverage Reflect Growing Pressures (Margaret Sullivan/The Public Editor's …)

9:20 AM ET, December 18, 2012

Top News:

Mike Brunker / NBC News:

Richard Engel and NBC News team freed from captors in Syria — Richard Engel at the end of a reporting trip in Syria in July of this year. — NBC News' Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and members of his network production team were freed from captors in Syria after a firefight …

Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:

How NBC News Kept Richard Engel's Disappearance Secret — “It is important not to spread this rumor/report.” Engel escaped his captors in Syria Monday night. — Shortly before 7:30 AM yesterday morning, reports came in the from Turkish media that NBC News Middle East correspondent Richard Engel …

Discussion: JIMROMENESKO.COM, Chickaboomer, Minnesota Public Radio and PolicyMic

Guardian:

Syria conflict: NBC crew freed after gunfight - live updates — Sort by: — Ahrar al-Sham — The group who helped release Engel and his crew are among the most extreme salafi groups in the rebel movement, according to report into Syrian Jihadism [pdf] released by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs in September.

Jack Shafer:

Newtown teaches us, once again, to discount early reports — “It's inevitable that some first reports will be wrong,” Dan Rather warned viewers on Sept. 11, 2001, as he and his colleagues at CBS covered terrorist attacks on New York and Washington in real time.

Discussion: BuzzFeed

Margaret Sullivan / The Public Editor's Journal:
Errors in Newtown Shootings Coverage Reflect Growing Pressures

Discussion: NPR, ZDNet, Forbes and Softpedia News

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
Connecticut shootings: Not a media story

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Media Decoder and College of Journalism feed

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:
Sandy Hook coverage: Is ‘good enough’ good enough?

Discussion: mediabistro.com, Erik Wemple, Tea Party Nation, The Daily Beast, CJR, Mediaite, Hit & Run, Yahoo! News, TVNewser and AdAge

Eric Deggans / Tampa Bay Times:
Understanding Newtown shooting coverage: Accepting errors in breaking news seems the biggest mistake

Discussion: New York Times

Michael Wolff / Guardian:

Did NPR's Andy Carvin overreach his Twitter calling on Newtown shooting? — Carvin became a one-man social media hub on the Arab spring, but the school shooting exposed flaws in his retweet method — If it bleeds, it leads - that most reliable axiom of journalism - may be nowhere as true as on Twitter.

Discussion: Poynter, @mattseaton, @bradleydaviswsj, @ckanal, @fieldproducer, @tamerelg, @antderosa, @jayrosen_nyu and @jayrosen_nyu

Craig Silverman / Poynter:

In real-time journalism, declaring what you won't report can be just as important as what you will — It started with confusion at the scene of the crime. A source told CNN the killer was named Ryan Lanza. — Soon several news organizations published images from a Facebook profile belonging to a man with that name.

Discussion: Guardian and Yahoo! News

Eileen Brown / ZDNet:

So Instagram can now sell your photos: Get over it — Summary: The Instagram community is complaining about the change to its terms and conditions which allows Instagram to generate revenue from your photos — without compensating you. — Eileen Brown — Instagram made a change …

Discussion: Guardian, The Atlantic Online, SlashGear, Softpedia News, CNET, BBC and Wired

VOA:

Sharp Increase in Number of Journalists Killed in Line of Duty — A U.S.-based group that promotes press freedom says combat-related deaths in Syria and “targeted” murders in three other countries have made 2012 one of the deadliest years on record for journalists.

Discussion: Committee to Protect …

Adam Poltrack / Digital Trends:

The Aereo Internet TV legal battle: What's happening, and why it matters — Not yet tuned in to the legal battle between Aereo and the big TV networks? We're here to catch you up and explain why the outcome may be so important. — “No cable required.” That's the battlecry that Internet startup, Aereo, foregrounds on its website.

Jeff John Roberts / paidContent:

Washington Post signs up with NewsCred in push for dollars, exposure — NewsCred, which offers publishers and brands a growing library of elite news content, announced this week that the Washington Post is the latest to join its syndication service. — According to NewsCred CEO Shafqat Islam …

Discussion: NetNewsCheck Latest, eMedia Vitals, Business Insider and AllThingsD

John Reynolds / Media Week:

Guardian launches audio service — Guardian Audio Edition will provide an hour-long weekly overview of its chosen top stories running in the Guardian, both online and in the paper over the week, including news, culture and opinion pieces. Guardian Audio Edition will run for six months.

Discussion: paidContent

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

BBC and ITV apologise to Lord McAlpine for sex abuse allegations — Lawyers for broadcasters express remorse and withdraw allegations after already agreeing to pay damages — The BBC and ITV have apologised to Lord McAlpine at the high court for “disastrously” and falsely linking him to allegations of child sex abuse.

Discussion: PressGazette

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Baron: It's ‘probable’ Washington Post newsroom will shrink — Incoming Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron tells Paul Starobin “It's probable” the paper's headcount will go down, but that he hopes the Post can do more on local reporting. “I don't think for a minute that local journalism …