Miners Dead: Defending The Media

> “I really believe we did responsible reporting last night,” Nancy Lane, CNN’s vice president of domestic news tells the Denver Post. “In hindsight, could we have remained more skeptical? Sure, but I think we were on OK ground with our reporting, and even The Associated Press reported they had confirmed the 12 alive with the governor by cellphone.”

> Poynter’s Al Tompkins tells the Washington Times: “When the governor himself seems to confirm the information, there are not many among us who wouldn’t go with it.”

> MSNBC VP Mark Effron tells THR: “You weigh against the ongoing nature of the story and this kind of story. If we sat there and waited for the official press release from the governor, we would not have been serving our viewers.”

> CNN/U.S. prez Jon Klein doesn’t regret the network’s reporting: “Our coverage was outstanding on every level,” he told the AP. “Unlike print, which has to live with its mistakes etched in stone, TV is able to correct itself immediately. I think the audience accepts that.”

> Nightline EP James Goldston tells THR: “We didn’t take the family’s word for it. We had confirmation from two separate, very well-sourced people involved in the rescue, from a very high level. They both told us repeatedly the same information. We had five or six separate sources. By our reckoning, it was enough to go with, and we went with it.”