At What Cost Speed?

The passing of Joe Paterno provided national news outlets the chance to re-learn the basics of Journalism 101.

It also provided the public a chance to see the sausage being made.

The highlights: CBS Sports picks up new media and student media reports that jumped the gun on what everyone knew was coming. The big question -- who really feels the need to be the first one to report Joe Pa's death?

Networks who want to be remembered. Well, guess what? We all certainly remember who screwed it up.

These days, the metric might be don't be first, in fear that you might have to walk it back.

Poynter went to town last week on all points of the compass. CBS compounds its error by not being forthcoming with its apologia -- laying it at the feet of a "source" which was a local media outlet, Onward State.

How short our memories as no less than NPR lead the way on being burned about Gabby Gifford's "death" during the Arizona shooting just over a year ago.

The beauty of analysis here comes from Craig Silverman of Regret the Error fame who now is at Poynter (to their great bonus, I might add). He hits the nail square on the head in his piece, bringing along Jay Rosen to point out that "there is no glory in being first" in these new media days.

Silverman eviscerates CBS in his analysis. Won't give it away, but it's worth the read.

He follows up with his take on how Associated Press was protected from both Paterno and Giffords by its policies.

ADDENDUM: Nice OT blast from the Indiana University based National Sports Journalism Center written by Michael Bradley. Manages to invoke the Pope.