There are still so many questions left unanswered after Friday’s horrific shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School. Seattle NBC affiliate KING has been on the scene, trying to find answers from the best sources possible– in some cases, the students.
In a recent post on their website, KING acknowledged that many viewers were unhappy with the way the station handled the situation:
“Your reporters need to STOP interviewing students on live tv mere moments after a traumatic event such as just happened in Marysville,” said Robert via email.
Advertisement“Interviewing Marysville students within two hours of the shooting is really inappropriate and unprofessional,” said Damian. “These students should be left alone to grieve and talk to professionals and family members.”
“King 5 please stop taking phone interviews with students. Let them process what they literally JUST went through,” Jana posted to KING 5’s Facebook page.
Mark Ginther, executive news director at KING, responded by saying: “We are being thoughtful about trying to confirm information at a time when lots of reports were in conflict.”
Mark Briggs, director of digital media at the station, added that the prevalence of social media makes it even more important to get the facts straight: “Our responsibility as a credible news organization is to help sort fact from rumor, especially at a time when lives are in danger. In the age of social media, it’s critical to get as close to the source of information as possible.”