WH: Journalists Should Figure Out Accuracy of Inaccurate Secret Service Info

WH: Journalists Should Figure Out Accuracy of Inaccurate Secret Service Info

Upon revelations on Tuesday at a congressional hearing that the Secret Service’s statement on the recent fence-jumping incident was inaccurate because Omar Gonzalez was not apprehended after entering the building as originally claimed, but had actually made it to the East Room of the White House on the second floor, ABC News chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl asked White House press secretary Josh Earnest to comment.

Earnest told Karl, “What your highlighting here I think is the inherent tension, particularly in these high state situations between the need for locking down facts and insuring accuracy, and acting as quickly as possible to disseminate information to the public about incidents that have a legitimate public interest.” 

“There is always an inherent tension in this and that is part the job of journalists like you,” he continued. “Is to assess this information thats coming in. Particular information that is related to a chaotic circumstances and figure out whats accurate and what isn’t, what should be reported, what isn’t. This is a difficult work.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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