When I listened to the podcast from On The Media my initial thought was, "who cares who is first!" I didn't care who was first to report it; I just wanted the facts. Then I thought back to when I first heard of the Boston bombings and I am embarrassed to admit this, but I had fallen prey to wanting to report it first. As soon as I overheard a whisper of it I was online trying to find the story. Once I read a little more about the story I sent a text to my husband and then to two of my sister-in-laws. I was shocked and horrified at what was happening, but at the same time there was a little excitement letting them know what was going on first. I think I wanted to tell them first for a little recognition. Now I'm sure that they don't remember that I was the one who told them first, and it really doesn't matter anyway.
I think a lot of people want to report things first for attention, for a little recognition, and to be different. Most people seem to be naturally competitive and knowledge is something to compete in.
When rushing to report something first information can come out wrong or be misinterpreted. I think social media adds to this a lot. It is easy to just type what you hear on Facebook or Twitter and immediately hundreds or thousands are exposed to this information, whether it's correct or not. I don't have a Facebook or a Twitter, but when I hear news from a friend or family member I usually believe them and I don't bother to check the facts. With Twitter or Facebook people are exposed to thousands of "friends" and if all of the friends are telling a different story, it is easy to get confused and easy to digest the wrong information. It would be nice if everyone reported true facts, but that is probably not going to happen anytime soon. I think the only way I can get facts and find out the true story is if I do the research myself, even if I risk not being first.
