Friday, July 20, 2012

KUSA | Witness: 'Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming'

That's an Associated Press story quote attributed to KUSA in Denver, where one of Gannett's biggest stations has been thrown into a major news development: 14 dead and dozens wounded in a movie theater shooting early this morning in nearby Aurora.

[Updated at 7:53 a.m. ET.] The New York Times is now the first national daily to publish a staff-written story. USA Today is still carrying the AP, with a link to KUSA's coverage. But it's providing updates on its breaking news blogThe Wall Street Journal also is using AP. It, too, is publishing updates on a stream.

A recent screenshot from the NBC affiliate's homepage:


This story will be a major test for USAT under Publisher Larry Kramer, who has called for even speedier news coverage and more collaboration with other GCI properties. His just-named editor, David Callaway, will be watching closely -- if not actively involved.

GCI's other Colorado media site is the Fort Collins Coloradoan, 70 miles north of Denver.

Related: Columbine, Colo., scene of the 1999 high school massacre of 12 students and one teacher, is 15 miles southwest of Denver.

18 comments:

  1. Kyle Dyer, the anchor known for the on-air dog-bite-to-the-face video that went viral a few months ago, has been broadcasting all night. She got punked once though, just before 4:30am local time, when someone alleging to be Denver Police Chief Oates called in and went into a rant about American Idol once they got on the air with her. He got cut off immediately.

    Saw the initial story many places, but the Denver Post's website did not break it. They were, maybe, an hour or two late to the web with it.

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  2. Tacky or what? This story is right below the breaking news of the theater massacre.

    http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20120720/APC03/307200012/Wisconsin-made-gear-gets-screen-time-Dark-Knight-Rises-story-video-?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s

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  3. It's sad for the people of Denver - a great metro market - to be so underserved. The Rocky Mountain News, which won a Pulitzer for Columbine, is gone. The Denver Post just got rid of its copy desk. The editor of that paper now heads to Pulitzer board. Go figure. And, residents ate also stuck with a Gannett-owned TV station.

    I've found the best coverage so far in the NYT. Hope they survive as other media companies hack themselves to death.

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    1. BS 10:37. KUSA has do e a wonderful job. Put you hate away for a day a d watch a group of professional rise to the ocassion

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  4. 10:37, I didn't know the Post just got rid of its copy desk. But now I know why every theater massacre story on their web site is littered with errors. I realize it's breaking news and they want to get it out there quickly, but my goodness, can't someone catch all the mistakes, or at least fix them on the stories already on the Web?

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  5. My friend, who won the Pulitzer for Columbine when he worked at The Rocky, lives 5 minutes from the theatre. We'd all be looking at his work right now if they were still in business.

    Oh well.

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  6. @10:19 a.m. that's not the only Wisconsin paper that ran that cheesy story, right under the blazing news that 12 had been killed in a Colorado theater.

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  7. actually, USA Today's online coverage is very strong. Good writing, a detailed map/graphic and several sharp angles. Looks like there's good cooperation with KUSA as well.

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  8. USA Today was late on the story because its lightly regarded 24/7 digital team didn't the shootings were important to notify the rest of the newspaper.

    When are we going to get some real journos running digital? How difficult is it to realize what's news and why we need to jump on it? If in doubt, pick up the phone and call Callaway or Kramer.

    Good God. How bad do things have to be before we get some leadership?

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  9. Charles Everett7/21/2012 10:27 AM

    A teen up late playing a videogame helped spread the news about the massacre. How did he pull it off?

    "I get updates from 9News on Facebook and I get a comment that says 'we're investigating shootings at a movie theater'."

    He knew from his Facebook that the massacre had to be at the midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises".

    Instead of dissing Gannett on this major story, give credit where credit is due.

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  10. Let's be clear: The Denver Post won the Pulitzer Prize for its breaking news reporting on Columbine. The Rocky won for photos...

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  11. Also, if any one saw today's print edition of The Denver Post, you might rethink your comments. Extensive, strong coverage. Purchased a digital copy through PressReader on my iPad.

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  12. Absurd lying here by someone who obviously was the one actually asleep.

    USA Today was NOT late on the story in any way. News alerts, story and KUSA video posted well before competition.

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  13. A link to KUSA's live streaming broadcast was the lead on my USCP's website for most of the initial day. Wonder how many others did this? Smart move, as much as I hate to admit it.

    Then again, it was a pretty obvious move...

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  14. QUOTE: Smart move, as much as I hate to admit it.

    I don't think any sentence sums up how messed up the Gannett Blog is than that comment, grudgingly acknowledging that it was a "smart move" for Gannett websites to post KUSA's Colorado video.

    There's plenty to be angry about in Gannett, and plenty to discuss, but when normal journalism by good, solid people on a horrendous story can't even be acknowledged without a "hate to admit it" caveat, well, that says it all for me.

    OK, folks hate the company. Got it. But that doesn't mean hate your co-workers. What it really sounds like is a lot of people here simply hate themselves.

    Good job to all Gannetteers who despite everything work hard and long hours to help out readers. And I don't "hate to admit it."

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  15. The bottom line is USA TODAY's reporting and editing staff could have gotten on this earlier if the overnight crew had thought to contact people when this happened during the wee hours on the east coast.
    Someone HAS to ask why this wasn't done? What were the people working overnight thinking? What DO they consider newsworthy enough to contact the damn editors?

    This has to stop. Callaway, please do something. Digital is in shambles. These aren't journalists. They are night clerks.

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  16. Not a perfect gauge, but look at hourly home page captures logged at pastpages.org. USAT rebuilt its home page by 5:30 am EDT, well before WP, NYT and many others.

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  17. Bravo KUSA team. Superb job. Bravo USAT team you folks were all over a horrible story

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