What happened?
A Twitter account with breaking news updates from reporters in New York City had inaccurate tweets about the Halloween attack in downtown Manhattan, saying that the attack was “NOT terror-related” and that a fight had broken out between two truck drivers.
Did they correct the record?
As we now know, the attack was indeed an act of terrorism. @NYCityAlerts went on to update its followers with the mayor’s announcement that the truck driver killed eight people in a terror attack as well as the breaking news that the suspect left a note in his truck saying the attack was carried out in the name of ISIS.
Glenn’s take:
We should be cautious of the “first responders” who share initial reports from the scene. False stories spread when people jump the gun, and it’s better to wait on the facts.
“Somebody out there always has a reason to spread false information that helps their agenda,” Glenn said. “But sometimes it’s just people trying to be the first to report something. … Either way, not helpful.”