Like you, here at Project Veritas we’re still trying to make sense of the unthinkable tragedy that occurred in Newtown, CT last week.
But, as if the violence itself wasn't terrible enough, Americans were also forced to contend - once again - with unreliable and irresponsible reporting from mainstream media outlets.
…Which could easily have led to more violence.
In the chaos of those first hours - when no one knew exactly what was going on - CNN recklessly reported that a 24 year-old man named Ryan Lanza was the one who had carried out the attack.
The problem with their story was that Ryan Lanza was at work in Hoboken, NJ during the shooting - more than an hour and a half away.
Unfortunately, that fact didn’t stop online gossip site Mediaite (along with MSNBC, Fox News, AP, and others) from following CNN's lead by spreading erroneous information, along with pictures of Lanza and his Facebook page:
Ryan Lanza Facebook
CBS News also identified the wrong man, broadcasting Lanza's name and photograph to millions of people across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut:
Lanza CBS
Despite all the resources at the fingertips of these multi-million dollar media organizations, it was several hours before a “former Jersey Journal staff writer” finally picked up the phone, called Ryan Lanza, and asked if he was alive.
Fortunately, he was.
But the utter negligence shown by members of the media in their rush to sensationalize a horrific event, without bothering to confirm the facts, could have led to an innocent man being hurt - or worse - for a crime he didn't commit.
No matter what happens next, careless reporters have likely done irreparable harm to Ryan Lanza's reputation and possibly his livelihood.
But have any of these so-called journalists apologized publicly for their callous disregard for a man’s life?
Of course not.
Perhaps even worse than their reckless reporting is the stunning hypocrisy it reveals.
While the corporate media behemoths have endlessly criticized the growing ranks of citizen journalists as "unqualified" or "smear artists," it appears they themselves are incapable of vetting a source or even checking a simple fact.
With last week’s debacle, these media organizations have crossed the line from biased and lazy to borderline criminal enterprises.
The good news for you and me is that their total control over the news we see and hear is coming to an end.
Members of the so-called "mainstream media" have less credibility than ever, and soon they will be made irrelevant altogether by the work of real citizen journalists.
Which is why, now more than ever, it’s our job to keep reporting the facts and exposing the truth wherever we find it - no matter what the cost.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.
Thanks for everything.
Yours for Truth,
esignature
James O'Keefe
Founder, Project Veritas
P.S. Last week's tragedy in Newtown, CT was compounded by the reckless reporting of so-called "journalists" who released personal information implicating the WRONG man to an angry and confused public.
Their disregard for his safety is just the latest example of the systemic hypocrisy and criminal negligence within the corporate media that Project Veritas has fought for years to expose.
