CNN's John King on Boston bombing news coverage: "We made a mistake"

"It's my city, too, so it's sort of a double kick in the head to me," King said

Published April 23, 2013 4:54PM (EDT)

Media reporters and comedy networks have been laughing at CNN's continuously sloppy news coverage of the Boston bombings, which began on Wednesday when the overeager network erroneously reported the arrest of a "dark-skinned male."

On Tuesday, CNN chief national correspondent John King -- a Boston native -- addressed the network's blunder, telling D.C. radio station WTOP, "The one thing you have to do is look straight in the camera and say, 'We were wrong.'"

"It's my city, too, so it's sort of a double kick in the head to me," King said. "But, the best way to deal with it is to say 'We made a mistake. Here's how we made a mistake.' And then move on."

He explained that he relied on two sources "who have been reputable in the past who simply had bad information."


By Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com.

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Boston Explosions Boston Marathon Bombing Cnn John King