Devon Edwards, the managing editor of Onward State at Penn State University, has suddenly resigned. The resignation comes hours after the online student news outlet mistakenly reported that former PSU head football coach Joe Paterno had died from lung cancer.
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In a series of tweets and a report on its site Saturday evening, Onward State offered the first apparent confirmation of Paterno’s death. It was quickly picked up by CBS Sports and other media worldwide. Subsequent conflicting reports and statements from a family spokesman and one of Paterno’s sons led to a retraction and apology.
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The grievous error has also compelled Edwards to resign. In a letter posted on Facebook and the outlet’s site Saturday night, Edwards wrote:
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“I never, in a million years, would have thought that Onward State would be cited by the national media, and today, I sincerely wish it never had been. To all those who read and passed along our reports, I sincerely apologize for misleading you. To the Penn State community and to the Paterno family most of all, I could not be more sorry for the emotional anguish I am sure we caused. There are no excuses for what we did. We all make mistakes, but it’s impossible to brush off one of this magnitude. Right now, we deserve all of the criticism headed our way. . . . I will be stepping down from my post as Managing Editor, effective immediately. I take full responsibility for the events that transpired tonight, and for the black mark upon the organization that I have caused.”
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Related Post
My Take on the Onward State Paterno Death Error Fiasco
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