Logo

And the Winner of the Media ‘Error of the Year’ Award Is … a Tie!

Dec 12, 2012  •  Post A Comment

In a column assessing "The Best (and Worst) Media Errors and Corrections for 2012," two television outlets — CNN and Fox News — were both cited by the Poynter Institute’s "Regret That Error" column, reports TVNewser.

On the day the Supreme Court ruled on Obamacare, reporters for both Fox News and CNN rushed through the notes from the judges and incorrectly reported that the "individual mandate" in the Affordable Healthcare law had been ruled unconstitutional. That was not the case.

Poynter blasted CNN especially for not only reporting the incorrect news on camera, but spreading it all over the Internet via social media and email blasts. CNN was complimented for acknowledging the mistake and correcting it quickly.

Fox News earned criticism for not apologizing for the mistake and for failing to recognize that it was wrong from the start.

The report adds: “Other TV news programs that made the cut [were] CNN’s ‘Early Start,’ which woke up some poor sap at 6:30 a.m. when they thought they were calling a guest, and CNBC’s Darren Rovell, who reported on a teenager’s hoax as though it was a true story.”

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)