Standoff Ends

The hostage situation at Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign office ended peacefully yesterday. The Washington Post's Standoff Coverage included an article and Clinton's reaction video. Clinton spoke before the press once all of the hostages were released and the suspect was in custody.

Yesterday afternoon's events occurred when a man who claimed to have a bomb strapped to his chest seized four workers in Clinton's campaign office in Rochester, N.H. Officials say that the suspect demanded to speak with Clinton but eventually surrendered to police and released the hostages after five hours of retention.

The suspect, Leeland Eisenber, was know to local law enforcement for erratic behavior. The entire situation was really strange and unsettling.

I think that covering this event would have been difficult considering the unknowns. Trying to make sense of information that was given would have been tricky to say the least. I also think that in hostage situations the media can negatively impact police action. If the suspect enjoys getting media coverage he or she may be less cooperative with officials. Journalists and the media tread a fine line in situations like the these while trying to inform the public while not jeopardizing the safety of others.