For a full day, CNN has been playing an audio recording which, allegedly, picks up Darren Wilson\’s gunfire at Michael Brown. If the audio is real, it sounds as if Wilson shot about 10 times, in two different bursts.
Except…
It may be a hoax recording, and CNN may have been punked…with strong suspicion that the source of the hoax is either Howard Stern or one of his people.
Importantly, even if the audio is real it does not conclusively support either the Brown or Wilson side of things. So it means nothing.
But if it is not? What a major hit on CNN\’s credibility. Because, no matter how many times they told viewers it was unverified, they still played it over and over again and discussed what it would mean.
Personally, my initial reaction was that, if it were a hoax, whoever pulled it off is a sick jerk. And, after careful reflection, I still feel that way.
But there is value here. Because if this is a hoax, it provides valuable insight into why it is so necessary not to jump the gun and come to conclusions before the evidence is truly there. In that respect, the hoaxster, if there is one, did us all a favor.
I\’m waiting to find out which way this goes, and will let you know when it becomes clear one way or the other.
