Speculation Is Underrated

As I wrote earlier, I've been sucked into the awful marathon shit all week. And as I'm sitting here, things just got even crazier. A shootout with grenades in Boston. Insanity. 

While this is going on, the twitterverse (do people still say 'twitterverse'? yeah, gay people) is having a field day mocking CNN and the other news organizations over their handling of the story.

True, the coverage has been bad. CNN obviously dropped the ball completely the other day and deserves all of the scorn Jon Stewart's writing staff can dream up. And the New York Post, man, I don't even understand how what they are doing is in any way legal. Plus, I'm mad that the falsely accused 17 year old's parents aren't going crazy about it. Seriously, where are they?!

But anyway, I feel like there is some over reach here in the criticism. And it's especially evident as this new horribleness is going on.

Basically, the big complaint seems to be that news anchors should not get involved in any speculation. For example, as this story is breaking tonight, the anchors are saying very clearly that it isn't known if the marathon bombing and this are connected, but that "many are questioning if they might be related".

For some reason, this is bad. But I disagree!

If you don't say that, you sound like you have your head up your ass. Of course we're suspicious! I'm suspicious! True, there are no facts to back this up, but you have to at least wonder. That's why they're even covering the story! That's why all of the networks are going live at 1am for a random shooting!

I understand that there needs to be journalistic integrity and you have to make sure all of the facts are in before you report things (ie, if the suspects have in fact been arrested). But if you don't say what we are all thinking, even though it's (gasp!) speculation, then you look like a fucking moron.

I don't want to watch the guy or girl who doesn't raise these questions. It would frustrate me. I want the TV person to raise the questions I'm thinking in my head, even if no one has the answer yet. 

So ease off on the anti-speculation rant, twitterverse. As long as they're not reporting it as fact, it's kind of a good thing. Let's not do the rigid, naive version of things.

On another note, holy shit has the internet been way better than TV on this story.

I'm on twitter right now while watching MSNBC and CNN, and twitter is way, way more informative and on top of it. People are retweeting witnesses, pictures, video, and stuff from the police scanner.

TV feels like an hour ago, twitter feels like as it's happening. The world is changing. And as it's changing, Anderson Cooper, Chris Matthews, John King, Megyn Kelly, and all the rest, are quite literally, asleep.