CNN’s John King: Boston Bombings Mistake ‘Embarrassing’

"The one thing you have to do is look straight in the camera and say, 'We were wrong.'"

CNN chief national correspondent John King says the network's mistaken reporting in the Boston bombings was "embarrassing" but that "the one thing you have to do is look straight in the camera and say, 'We were wrong.'"

King spoke Tuesday on Washington, D.C., radio station WTOP. Last Wednesday, King was the first to report an arrest in the case. He was followed by The Associated Press, Fox News and the Boston Globe, which all said an arrest had occurred or was imminent. The FBI denied the reports, forcing all the news outlets to backtrack. Suspects were finally identified Thursday, and an arrest came Friday night.

King said he and another reporter had sources they believed to be reliable when they made the error Wednesday.

"We had two reputable sources, one of mine and one of a colleague of mine, who have been reputable in the past who simply had bad information," King said. "We went with it and we had to correct it. It's a shot to you personally, it's a shot to your credibility."

He said he was also disappointed personally, because he grew up in the same neighborhood as the 8-year-old killed in the bombings, Martin Richard.

"It's my city, too, so it's sort of a double kick in the head to me," King said. "But, the best way to deal with it is to say 'We made a mistake. Here's how we made a mistake.' And then move on."

The error was widely mocked, with Jon Stewart ripping CNN in two separate, lengthy segments. CNN chief Jeff Zucker praised his network after the error, saying it owned up to the error quickly and thrived throughout a very difficult week.

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