July 20, 2012

Drudge, Breitbart.com, and ABC on the Dark Knight Rises Theater Shooting: #Fail

At least 12 people were killed in a mass shooting at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. The name of the suspected gunman, now in custody, is James E. Holmes. What we know about him this morning: He’s a white male, mid-20s, with an apartment in Aurora.

Here’s Matt Drudge tweeting a thinly sourced Joel Pollak report at Breitbart.com: 

The James Holmes tracked down by Breitbart.com is 25 years old and registered at an address in La Plata County—roughly a six-hour drive from the alleged shooter’s apartment, according to Google Maps.

And now, here’s ABC News’ Brian Ross earlier today, irresponsibly speculating on the shooter’s possible Tea Party link (ABC later withdrew the claim and apologized):

There are a lot of people in Denver and Aurora with the legal name of James/Jim Holmes.

Dozens of people are injured. At least 12 people are dead. The body count could rise. Even the 2012 attack dogs are taking a siesta from the partisan mudslinging in the wake of the tragedy. If you’re going to publish a story about an alleged mass murderer’s politics, you had better get it right.

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A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again—any amount today.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

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