Ignore First Reports

For John, BLUF:  First reports can lead you astray.  Be patient.

This is from The Bateman.  It is a little out there in terms of language, but not a lot.  "A LESSON FROM THE ARMY ON MAKING SENSE OF THE NEWS".  Historian, author, Army Lieutenant Colonel, NATO Staff Office, Robert L Bateman.  To those who know his EMails, The Bateman.  Here is the bottom line of his article, linked to above.

…one should never believe the initial reports of your scouts.

Same goes for reporters.  As LTC Bateman points out, those who are out gathering the data see the dots, but perhaps not the big picture.  From my point of view, it is up to us, the Citizens, to put those dots together, but not too soon.

Here is a different version of the same idea, by the same author.

Regards  —  Cliff