Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Fast Break: I don't know if this NY Post column is true, but it says that ABC first broke the news of Reagan's death, and that other broadcasters went crazy to try to catch up. Here's the whole thing:

When ABC News broke the sad news of Ronald Reagan's death Saturday afternoon, it sent its competitors into a frenzy. The press corps traveling with President Bush in Normandy first heard the news when ABC's White House reporter Terry Moran began doing a live report in their midst. The reaction, according to one eyewitness, was "total chaos -- people running everywhere, knocking into things." CNN's John King yelled into his cellphone that CNN had been beaten and was so upset he threatened to quit. King ended his tantrum by throwing his cellphone to the ground. Bad move: his meltdown was captured on tape. So just how did ABC get such a big jump? The network refused comment, but insiders credit ABC News chief David Westin. Apparently, working the phones produces better results than throwing them.

We journalists are obsessed with getting the news first. But the audience and readership don't care, and hardly ever really knows who got the scoop. I found out about Reagan's death about an hour after it happened on Saturday. I just happen to be flipping through the channels when I saw the marathon eulogies underway.

Competition among news organizations is healthy, and tends to get more information to the public at a faster rate. But, other than Howard Kurtz, nobody ever keeps score. We have to remember, while competition is great, good sportsmanship is even better.