Action News on Accuracy

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By KEPR Staff

Summary

This week's tragedy on the Columbia River was especially frustrating for people because a lot of incorrect information was being reported. We know you rely on KEPR Action News to get it right and that's why we take the extra steps to bring you the correct information every day.

Story Published: Jul 29, 2010 at 6:18 PM PST

PASCO, Wash. -- This week's tragedy on the Columbia River was especially frustrating for people because a lot of incorrect information was being reported. We know you rely on KEPR Action News to get it right and that's why we take the extra steps to bring you the correct information every day.

Sure, we sometimes make a mistake, and when we do, we think it's important to admit it because you put your trust in us and we don't take that lightly. Which is why it's important to say that, for this case, we got it right every step of the way.

Some people called our newsroom saying they heard we reported the boy had died when really he was still alive. But KEPR Action News never prematurely reported the boy's death. You trust us to be accurate, and accuracy about life or death is a serious thing, and never something you just assume. We'd rather report it right the first time than rush on the air and get it wrong.

On Tuesday, we called two hospitals and the police to confirm the boy was alive. On Wednesday, the hospital told us the boy had passed. But to make sure we got it right, we took the extra steps to call the Spokane County medical examiner, as well as our sister station in Spokane, to double-check that our facts were all lined up before we reported such terrible news.

It's what you expect from KEPR Action News and it's what we're committed to bringing you every day. You can rely on us to never report news directly off of the police scanner, to never jump to conclusions before confirming the facts, to take the extra steps to get it right, and if we ever get it wrong, admit our mistake just as openly as we reported it.

Because accuracy and balanced coverage is what we do every day on KEPR Action News.