Wrongfully identified

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/crime/article/Va-man-misidentified-as-DC-shooter-knew-1-victim-4837406.php

Level:National
 

Concerning: A problem that faces individuals and families

Category:Identity/News

Why is this important’/how does this affect individuals/families?  Being wrongfully identified, especially as someone who is known for committing a terrible crime could change someones life (for the bad) forever. It is important that some sort of legislation is passed to prevent this from happening again.

My View:

Before reading this article I was not aware of the incident involving Rollie Chance, a man who was initially identified as the "shooter" in the Washington D.C. Navy yard shooting that took place a little over a week ago. Although several new agencies reported Chance as the person responsible for the shooting it was soon confirmed that there was a miscommunication and he actually had nothing to do with the violent attack. I can't imagine the damage control that had to of been done to help clear up any misunderstandings regarding this incident.  I don't think that it is morally right for these news companies to publish information that is not correct and I think there should be a more thorough process in helping ensure that this doesn't happen again. I feel like too many news agencies just want to be the first to publish information for the public to read instead of allowing enough time for the facts to be determined and proper conclusions to be made. Chance is forever going be associated with the Navy yard shooting and it will probably have a significant impact on his life. From now on even things as simple as "Googling" his name and seeing all these articles about the shooting, could potentially be detrimental to future life and business endeavors. I think that Chance should definitely follow through with discussing a settlement or even suing these news agencies that changed his life. It is only fair that these companies take responsibility for reporting false news. Hopefully if there is not already some sort of legislation in place to help prevent these kinds of things from happening, one will be passed.