Coronavirus confusion . . .
Publisher’s Perspective
As county residents hunker down in an attempt to diminish the spread of the coronavirus, local news outlets scramble to be the first to report updates as they happen. With that said, being first doesn’t mean the information is always correct.
I’ll explain.
On Wednesday, the City of Noblesville issued a press release announcing the city’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
The release quoted Mayor Chris Jensen saying, “The City of Noblesville has been informed that we have the first confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community. We do not want residents to panic as health officials are taking the proper steps to ensure the case stays as isolated as possible.”
Following Jensen’s statement, just a little over an hour later, Noblesville issued a second release that said, “There is not a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the City of Noblesville based on updated information.”
Emily Gaylor, Communications Director for the City of Noblesville, told the Reporter the initial information Noblesville received from the Hamilton County Health Department was incorrect.
Gaylor explained, “There are a lot of moving parts when someone tests positive for COVID-19. Hospitals report to the Indiana Department of Health. The state then reports the information to the Hamilton County Health Department. The Health Department reports the information to the cities. That will all be changing. The Hamilton County Health Department will no longer inform cities of confirmed cases.”
The initial announcement of a confirmed case of COVID-19 was immediately published on Facebook by another local newspaper. The same newspaper published the incorrect information the next day in their daily edition, hours after the city had issued a correction.
I’m not surprised the other local newspaper published incorrect information. The same news source published an article indicating their staff would not be out in the community.
People rely on local news. Nearly 10,000 people daily receive the Reporter. We feel it our responsibility to report news and updates correctly.
The Reporter will cover breaking news and local events, and if the situation requires, we’ll be out in the community. We will practice social distancing, we won’t be shaking hands and we won’t cover a cough with our sleeve and give you an elbow bump with the same arm.
I can assure we will maintain our reputation of being Hamilton County’s most trusted news source by taking every step possible to confirm the information we publish is correct. Even if that means not being first.