The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) learned several practices about covering breaking news after receiving a phone call by a suspected hostage-taker during the 10-hour ordeal, Executive Editor Esther Enkin says.
An armed man, upset with his treatment by a workers’ compensation agency in Edmonton, Alberta, allegedly took nine hostages in the building, the Canadian Press reports. During the standoff, which ended with the man's arrest and the hostages' release, the suspect called the CBC to air his demands and have his story told. Hostages were also allowed to speak.
Enkin says the CBC learned these lessons:
* Verify information coming from Twitter and Facebook during a breaking news situation.
* Don't disclose via Twitter what you wouldn't publish or broadcast through traditional means.
* Develop a comprehensive protocol for responding to calls from hostage takers and/or hostages.
Excerpts of audio from the phone calls and further reflections by the CBC can be heard in this CBC podcast (MP3 file).
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