<p>DENNIS RYERSON Did reporters quit asking too soon in mine story? Tim Mulherin of Indianapolis was one of the many readers I heard from Wednesday morning. He and others let me know how disappointed they were at The Star's having printed the wrong information regarding the fate of 13 coal miners in West Virginia. The Star wasn't alone in reporting that 12 of the 13 miners had been found alive. Newspapers, most in the East Coast time zone, that were caught in the middle of the breaking event ran the same story. Several chose the same headline as that written by night editors of The Star: "They're alive!" Mulherin spoke for many readers when he described the incident as "a sad state of affairs, both for the miners and their families and for the integrity of American journalism." "I believe the majority of the news-reading-consuming public prefers accuracy to rumor reliance as the basis for news reporting," he added. Most journalists I know agree fully with Mulherin's words about the need for accuracy over rumor. Every day we decide not to run things we hear because we cannot confirm the information. But a mistake like this one lingers long in the minds of many readers, and in the minds of editors and reporters. When I heard the facts about the miners Wednesday morning, I felt sickened by the regrettable turn of events -- first for the families, but also for our readers. The truth emerged shortly before 3 a.m., well after the 200,000 final-edition copies of The Star had been printed. I could have picked up the phone, called our production center and uttered the famous words, "Stop the presses!" It would have done no good; the presses already were done for the night. As soon as the new information became available, we corrected the story on our Web site, IndyStar.com. The next morning, I posted online an explanation of what happened. In the days since, I've read more about what happened. The Associated Press, which provided the erroneous story we ran, issued a statement saying that the wire service "was reporting accurately the information that we were provided by credible sources -- family members and the governor. Clearly, as time passed and there was no firsthand evidence the miners were alive, the best information would have come from the company, but they chose not to talk." When contacted by the AP, the governor said that 12 men had been rescued, alive. "It is a miracle; there's no other explanation," he said. "They're hunkered down. . . . We have some people that are going to need some medical attention." I would think the governor, who was on the scene and who should have been in a position to know, would have been a credible source. But I also know that good reporters don't stop asking questions, even during tragedies, those sensitive times when news sources, family members and others may regard those questions as rude. Did reporters stop asking questions too soon on this fateful morning? That's something a lot of people are asking now. I wasn't on the scene; I don't have an answer. I do agree with some readers who said that at the least, our headline and story should have qualified the information by saying who the information came from. We do strive for perfection. Like every human institution we do from time to time fall short. And when those situations occur, we must learn from them. Thanks for reading The Indianapolis Star.</p><p>Ryerson is editor of The Star. Contact him at [email protected] or at (317) 444- 6169.</p>