Bogus Jobs' heart attack report rattles citizen journalism

05.10.2008
An of Apple CEO Steve Jobs suffering a heart attack is emboldening question marks around the notion of . A user identified only as "Johntw" posted a story on CNN's Web site Friday morning stating Jobs had been rushed to the ER as a result of a "major heart attack." The user cited "an insider" who he said "opted to remain anonymous" but was "quite reliable."

That tersely stated reliability proved to be enough to . The company's shares fell by more than 10 percent shortly after the report's publication. It wasn't until Apple representatives came forward to adamantly deny the claims that shares rebounded, and the report was removed. The Securities and Exchange Commission is .

Content questions

CNN's iReport site, like other news organizations' user-submitted content portals, allows anybody to submit and immediately publish content. Fill out a form, click the link in the e-mailed verification, and you're a full-fledged iJournalist. That kind of can be a blessing, or -- as demonstrated in Friday's Jobs incident -- a curse.

"The Internet really is the Wild West when it comes to freedom of information -- there is no sheriff in town," says , a TV talent coach and news veteran.

"Let's say you have another Virginia Tech shooting, and somebody with a cell phone is in the right place at the right time to be able to put the breaking news on iReport. You don't want to censor that -- and in order to get that, you have to put up with somebody who decides to start trouble by starting a rumor," she says.