ABC News already suggesting connection to Tea Party in Colorado shooting – UPDATE: ABC NEWS APOLOGIZES

***UPDATE: ABC NEWS APOLOGIZES:

Editor’s Note: An earlier ABC News broadcast report suggested that a Jim Holmes of a Colorado Tea Party organization might be the suspect, but that report was incorrect. ABC News and Brian Ross apologize for the mistake, and for disseminating that information before it was properly vetted.

***

Breitbart News caught George Stephanopoulos and Brian Ross suggesting a possible connection between the shooter and the Tea Party even though they aren’t sure it’s the same person as the suspect:

On Good Morning America, ABC News’ Brian Ross and George Stephanopoulos suggested that the Tea Party might be connected to the mass shootings early this morning in an Aurora, CO theater during a screening of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. The mainstream media attempted to blame the Tea Party for the Tuscon shootings in January 2011, shortly after Republicans swept the midterm elections. Now, in the critical 2012 elections, the mainstream media seems poised to do the same–and ABC News has led the way.
Here is the exchange between reporter Brian Ross and host George Stephanopoulos about apparent suspect James Holmes:

Stephanolpoulos: I’m going to go to Brian Ross. You’ve been investigating the background of Jim Holmes here. You found something that might be significant.

Ross: There’s a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year. Now, we don’t know if this is the same Jim Holmes. But it’s Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado.

Stephanolpoulos: Okay, we’ll keep looking at that. Brian Ross, thanks very much.

How interesting that Ross and ABC News should think to look to the Tea Party website first–and to broadcast politically volatile information without verifying if that “Jim Holmes” is the same as the suspect.

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How irresponsible to connect the Tea Party to the shooter when they are not even sure if that person listed on the Tea Party website is the shooter. That’s not journalism whatsoever.

UPDATE: Breitbart News has posted an update:

The James Holmes who was arrested at the Aurora theater was 24 years old and seems to be from Denver, CO. The James Homes on the Tea Party website from Aurora, CO seems to match a James Homes who is in his 50’s and does not match the profile of the suspect. More proof and Ross, Stephanolpoulos and ABC News rushed to blame the Tea Party without confirmation that the suspect is also the Tea Party member.

Developing…


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