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By Tim Molloy at TheWrap
Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:30pm EST
(Update: Joe Paterno's family denies a CBS Sports report of his death. TheWrap was among outlets that initially reported the death on the basis of the disputed CBS report. Your humble correspondent takes full responsibility.)
CBS Sports briefly reported Saturday that Joe Paterno, who was fired in the Penn State child molestation scandal last year after a triumphant career as the winningest coach in college football, had died at 85 of cancer -- but his family quickly denied the report.
"I appreciate the support & prayers. Joe is continuing to fight," son Jay Paterno tweeted.
"CBS report is wrong - Dad is alive but in serious condition. We continue to ask for your prayers and privacy during this time," tweeted his brother, Scott Paterno.
Penn State added in another tweet: "Paterno family spokesman told media outlets at 9 p.m. Joe has not passed, is in serious condition."
CBS quickly updated its story to say it had based its report on the Penn State student website Onward State -- and so began an ugly game of finger pointing in a media hall of mirrors, where primary sources were initially hard to come by.
A CNN report saying a family spokesman denied the death came moments after CBS reported the passing of the coach known as "JoePa." The situation created a rare situation in which two news outlets were in disagreement over whether someone was alive or dead.
The conflicting reports came after several outlets said Paterno, battling lung cancer, was in serious condition. Several outlets, including TheWrap, reported Paterno had died, citing CBS.
CNN's own Anderson Cooper was among those who tweeted that Paterno had died, before saying in another tweet, "His family denies this to cnn."
Howard Kurtz, the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources," also tweeted that Paterno was dead, even as the dispute raged over whether he had died.
"I say again, sad ending to a long career: Joe Paterno confirmed dead," he wrote, before tweeting again, several minutes later, "CORRECTION: No confirmation on Paterno death, though he's gravely ill. That's from a CBS Sports blog."
Celebrity death hoaxes are exceedingly common in the era of Twitter, and news agencies sometimes accidentally post pre-written obituaries prematurely. But major news outlets rarely report a death outright and are later found to be wrong.
CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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