CNN says it held back from breaking into programming with news of the shooting rampage that left 12 dead within CNN's home turf in Atlanta last week because of conflicting reports from affiliates.

Broadcasting & Cable, August, 1999

MSNBC was on the air first at 3:43 p.m. Thursday, followed by Fox News Channel seven minutes later and CNN seven minutes after that. Although this is the third news event from Atlanta for which CNN has pre-empted regular programming, the network was not first to report any of them, and said that while fast reporting is a priority, it does not override all priorities.

"We are not in a day-to-day horserace, even in our own backyard," said a CNN spokesman. "Sometimes we are first. But the decision, as always, is to be accurate rather than first." Not surprisingly, cable news and broadcast networks relied heavily on Atlanta affiliates, which were cited in local reports as restrained in terms of staying with long shots and not revealing much of police maneuvers.