How the media broke the news of Gabby Petito’s body being discovered

Sometimes it feels better not to be first with a ‘scoop’, says Andrew Buncombe

A memorial to Gabby Petito in North Port, Florida (Reuters)

It is usually the case that journalists like to be first with the news.

Everybody loves a scoop. It’s good for you, it’s good for your news organisation and there is the quiet, sometimes smug satisfaction of having beaten your rivals.

Yet, we know, especially in the digital era, with the constant barrage of information being bombarded not just at the public but at journalists, there are real perils attached to this endeavour. Namely, that in the rush to be first, you end up getting things wrong.