Man Hailed as 9/11 First Responder Hero Slaughters Neighbor Family

A decade ago, Craig Garber was interviewed by Fox News as being a hero first responder for pulling victims, alive, from the wreckage of the WTC.

http://www.greatamericans.com/video/Fox-News-Interview-Craig-Garber;search%3Atag%3A

On Saturday, he apparently snapped, and slaughtered a grandmother, her daughter, and the daughter's Boy Scout son in a rampage that Nashville cops say was the most gruesome they'd seen in years. And what's worse is that cops had checked on the man earlier in the morning, after being alerted by a clerk at a YMCA that the man was acting strangely.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120903/NEWS03/309030028/Child-escapes-slayings-3-Bellevue-family-members?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

 

That's a damn good piece of writing, IMHO, and a lot of details put together in one day.

 

I thought the same thing; sometimes, even Gannett gets it right. Lots of details and several packages (although the link from FoxNews isn't included anywhere that I found...I discovered it by Googling, thinking something didn't sound right).

 

ALLEGEDLY.

 

Indeed. Although since he was found in the house, covered in blood and with self-inflicted wounds, allegedly might not need all caps.

 

I just like to yell.

 

A word that should never appear in a crime story. Thanks for the loud reminder.

 

It's a word that can save your ass and the paper a lot of money.

 

One times in two hundred.

 

No, it can't. It offers zero protection from libel. Good and careful writing will save your ass. "Allegedly" will not.

 

Know what won't? Saying a man slaughtered a neighboring family.

When he's charged, say he's been charged with it. Before he's charged, say the cops say he did it. Never state it as fact.

 

And never use "allege" to attempt to cover your rear, because it doesn't mean what you probably think it means and has the potential to get you in more trouble than not using it.

The police say a man slaughtered his family. = Good

A man slaughtered his family. = Bad

A man allegedly slaughtered his family. =Far worse.

Just as the lack of attribution clearly rankled your fathers, the allegation that "allegedly" will solve the problem rankles mine, particularly on a message board full of journalists, some of whom clearly don't understand how to keep themselves out of dangerous water when writing about crime.