At CNN's New York bureau, Russell's message arrived on Sept. 13, faxed by someone using a machine at the U.S. Dept. of Energy. After that Sept. 16 press briefing, at which reporters from other news organizations also pressed investigators on the friendly fire charges, CNN broadcast a story citing Russell's message and the denials of government officials. Inside the investigation, she explained to us, there have been competing views all along as to the cause of the explosion. Apparently, Russell's Internet call to alarm was likewise based on information from a federal source. And like liquid rocket propellants, the two elements of speculation proved explosive when they met in the interface between new and traditional media.
Accidents happen, so do stupid technicians.
To be sure, disagreement among federal investigators hasn't helped quell such high-flying speculation. FBI officials were quick to voice a dissenting view. The complicating factor that few anticipated was the Internet, a potent new medium that would rush to fill that informational vacuum with an ether of instant conjecture, prompting the traditional media to respond, in turn triggering a whole new round of speculation on the popular bandwidth of the information superhighway.