So what's your preferred scenario here? What's your hill?

It seems like you'd rather the news media not report on the series of assassination attempts throughout the week. Then, only once the suspect was caught (because that's "news" now, or wtfever), would they begin reporting on those efforts and the identity of the perpetrator? Go screw.

The right-wing would have a field day with that. Reports coming out of the blue after a weeklong, behind-the-scenes manhunt would look exactly like how they picture a false flag. (1) Media selectively not reporting until after (2) the identity of the perp was known to be right-wing by (3) an apparently covert FBI investigation on (4) behalf of Dem leaders, to then (5) plaster that negative coverage all over broadcasting stations for (6) prime time coverage 2 weeks before midterms to (7) energize the last push in the Blue Wave. They'd say it was a setup, and any of those talking points would be convincing to many. Some are already in use with the current story, but 1, 2, 3 & 4 would fuck your preferred series of events up badly.

Instead, the right-wing bit HARD on this, and pushed bogus claims for a week straight about this being a false flag op. Now they've got to eat their own fucking shit, because news media reported the facts all along, regardless of outcome, which was strategically and ethically the right thing to do.

So no. You're wrong. It's been news the entire time, and media has done the responsible thing by making the people aware of the facts as they occur, and protecting the story from manipulation by week-long, transparent reporting. Anything else would have been a failure of their civic and professional duty as the fourth estate,

It's now our duty as citizens to not allow an authoritarian reaction, ours to not allow shock or fear or jaded whinging online to create an even more dangerous atmosphere after these events.

But you've already kowtowed to the defeatist attitude the Right was fucking praying you'd adopt on this issue. Holy shit, you're their wet dream in some of the worst optics they've had for months!

So go ahead, blame the media for telling you what was happening as it was happening, which is their goddamn job. And blame them too for the reactions of the American people, which is fucking not. Because that's how the Right gets away with this again: blame the victim for getting hit and saying something.

Shit man, I don't know what type of authority you have on what's "news" and what's not, but thank fuck no one's asking you to come up with reporting policy about it.