The scene in Rochester, New Hampshire, this afternoon. Photo: AP
The cable-news outlets have a funny way of turning a potentially scary situation into a media farce. About an hour after “confirming” that both hostages have been released from Hillary Clinton’s Rochester HQ in New Hampshire, CNN is now saying there’s a third hostage still inside — which would explain why there’s been little recent news from the scene. As with every real-time news event, the media are bound to change the story several times as facts get settled, except this time we can’t even agree on the story’s genre. Is this a scary situation with a real bomb and hostages? Or are we now looking at a guy with no hostages and a fake bomb strapped to his chest? If it’s the former, you’ve got perhaps massive repercussions throughout the election cycle. If it’s the latter, you’ve got a deranged remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Really, we just want to know how much we should be freaking out here.
Meanwhile, MSNBC says the suspect is a fellow named Leeland Eisenberg. Start counting how many times that bit of info changes. Also, his son-in-law says “he had been drinking” today. Oh, who hasn’t ended up as the focus of the 24-hour news cycle after a few too many vodka-tonics?
Earlier: Breaking: Man With Bomb Takes Hostages at Clinton’s N.H. HQ
Update: They got him! The last hostage was just released and the suspect is in police custody…
