Boston Aftermath

I have been at this active blogging environment for about the last two months.  During that time I have written about many topics, and a couple of them were providing updates of scenes that were going on around the country.  The two that I covered almost live were the hostage taking of 5 firefighters in Georgia, and the Boston Marathon explosions this week.  While I have never served as a true PIO, I know a little about the value of publishing accurate information.  I had the opportunity to watch (electronically) the hostage situation play out in Georgia a lot more closely than I was able to do with the marathon explosions, but I knew I had several readers out there that liked to get information together in a single location. 

Now, when I started publishing information I was quick to start looking for multiple links to confirm the information that I was publishing, and during the firefighter rescue it was easy because the on-scene sources were great with information (a lot more concentrated scene) and reporters were taking the time to report accurate information.  I would check the links to live materials to ensure the links remained operational, and if they didn't I would notify you. 

I must say that I found I wrote several inaccuracies during the attacks in Boston only because I was getting it from multiple sources and many of them are those that are typically referenced as reputable sources.  During the beginning it was coming across that there were two (2) detonations with two (2) more devices that had been found and disarmed, and then reports came in that the library was on fire after a third explosion.  Pictures were published that supported the stories and videos of bomb techs were streamed and then the words just fit right in. 

Now, as I mentioned in the second paragraph, the scene were two totally different in scope.  The Boston Marathon dealt with 27000 racers over a 26.2 mile period and thousands more fans around the region watching, while the Georgia hostage incident was a cul-de-sac community with a few dozen people surrounding the residence and the mass numbers were from responders. 

I have watched information from the day of, and days following the attack in Boston and come to one realization...it isn't as much about accurate dissemination of information as much as it is about ratings.  I wish I was wrong, but when you have to have the information first, the biggest information first, or the most information always...you have to publish information before accurate information comes available.  It you see a picture of a bomb tech looking into a bag that is because it is another device and we must report that authorities have found another explosive device meant to kill and injure when it was truly just a backpack dropped at the last minute from the arms of a panicked bystander racing for his safety.  Or if smoke happens to be coming from a building in a couple block radius it must be because another device detonated and blew out the side of the building. 

Is there a way to control this...really no.  Not on a scene as massive as that in Boston.  Trying to coordinate messages from all the responding agencies would take to long to keep the accurate information flow to the media outlets possible, but we should always work to ensure what is going on the news is the best.  Prepare ourselves as PIO's and know what and how to get information to reporters to help control the information flow. 

Sorry...just a soapbox kinda evening!  The biggest message of the night...continued prayers and healing for those affected by the tragedy. 

Take Care and Stay Safe!
The Combomedic. 

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