That was the tweet sent by online news organization Onward State — run by students at Penn State University.

CBS Sports then published its own obituary of Paterno, but did not cite a single source initially. It later added Onward State as a source.

As of 11:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS Sports had this headline: “Reports of Joe Paterno’s death refuted by family.” Paterno wasn’t dead then.

So, what went wrong?

For starters, young journalists were quick to jump on a report without having clear sources.

Second, a supposed reputable, professional, global news organization (CBS) also jumped the gun without any credible sources.

In a world where a news report can be reposted hundreds and thousands of times in just a few seconds, accuracy seems to come second to immediacy.

Add to this the fact that every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to report news to their friends and followers. We’ve got a big problem on our hands, folks.

As a journalist and (in full disclosure) a lifelong fan of Joe Paterno, I was hesitant to post a tweet or message to Facebook about the legendary coach’s death.

What happened to waiting to confirm a report?

To its credit, the Associated Press had issued no reports. In a world of immediacy, the AP often is ridiculed for sometimes delaying to rush a report to the news.

An AP official tweeted this: “Rush by some to declare Joe Paterno dead, since denied by family spokesman, as reported by @AP, reminds me of Rep. Giffords shooting.”

People expect news to be reported quickly, so the constant tweeting and retweeting of what was found to be false reports added to frustrations.

I wish media folks would slow down a bit and actually source facts before reporting anything. But I also wish non-media folks would slow down a bit, too, and let reporters do their work.

Look back on those I did accomplish by clicking here.

Topic post: Christmas collections

Most Christmas lovers collect snowmen or Santas. Some might collect snowflakes or bears.

I’ll note two Christmas-specific things I collect: Pittsburgh-themed/inspired ornaments and Lemax village pieces.

First, the ornaments… From Linda Barnicott works to Steelers, Pens and Pirates items, to Kennywood Park and Heinz, we’ve got ourselves a wide array of Pittsburgh-style ornaments. We’ve got so many that I’m tempted to go buy a four-foot tree and place all of the 412 area ornaments on it! Hmm, some gold lights, black ribbons … I might be onto something.

By far, my favorite Pittsburgh ornaments are ones from Linda Barnicott. Please, please, please look up her work and buy something! You will NOT be disappointed.

Beyond her for-profit artistic work, Linda also partners annually with the American Cancer Society’s Pittsburgh office for a Christmas card. Always a beautiful card!

And… the Lemax villages. I’ve got this fantastic little village underneath my tree, complete with a parade! The New England-style town focuses on family at Christmas time, as the townspeople are busy running last-minute errands for festivities, singing by the town’s tree or watching the parade pass by the anchor store, Lands’ End (yes, I own a Lands’ End village piece!).

I am addicted to these buildings, but don’t just buy any of them. I put great thought into adding to my collection, and also include Kohl’s Department Store’s St. Nicholas Square pieces, which blend so well with Lemax. My collection has grown, but each year for the last couple years I’ve placed maybe five to eight pieces.

This year, I placed five lighted buildings — a pub, the newspaper office (of course!), Lands’ End, the church and a pharmacy. I also included three homes, but they’re placed behind the others and are not lit. I have them in the display for effect. The people have to live somewhere! Also, the three homes are the three original pieces that pre-date my interest in the lighted Christmas villages.

This post’s topic: Ugly Christmas sweaters

I’ll be frank — There is no such thing as a nice Christmas sweater.

Why do women, and some men, think sweaters with jingle bells, cats ice skating, blinking lights, sounds and all sorts of Christmas bling are acceptable?

My mother loves this time of year for many reasons, one of which includes wearing some of the ugliest sweaters.

She and her co-worker friends enjoy sharing tips on what stores have the better deals on these hideous things.

Nobody needs to see these things.

So please get rid of them!

This post’s topic: Best gifts received

Here are some of the top gifts I ever received:

• Money that later went to adopt my first dog, aptly named Mario. We got him at Animal Friends! I was in first grade.
• A Nintendo! That came in the 1980s. My parents stayed up that entire night playing Mario. That was my first connection with Mario — a relationship that will last a lifetime!
• A bike. I think there were two along the way. But a kid needs a bike, so I was happy to get one!
• A photo of Three Rivers Stadium taken by a friend.

I’ve always enjoyed gifts I receive. But I prefer giving gifts. Stay tuned for a few posts about that!

This post: Michael Bublé’s “Santa Baby” with my Christmas list

Santa baby, slip an iPad under the tree, for me.

I’ve been an awful good guy,
Santa buddy, and hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa buddy, a new BMW, too, steel blue.
I’ll wait up for you, dude,
Santa buddy, and hurry down the chimney tonight.

Think of all the fun I’ve missed,
I think of all the hotties that I never kissed,
Next year I could be just as good,
If you’d check off my Christmas list,

Santa pally, I wanna Mac and really that’s not a lot,
I’ve been a sweetie all year,
Santa buddy, and hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa buddy, one thing that I really do need, the deed,
To a new home,
Santa pally, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa buddy, fill my stocking with Pens tix, for kicks.
Throw me on the first line,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Come and trim my Christmas tree,
With some decorations bought at Ikea,
I really do believe in you,
Now let’s see if you believe in me

Santa poppy, forgot to mention one little thing, cha-ching,
No, I don’t mean as a loan.
Santa buddy, so hurry down the chimney tonight,
Hurry down the chimney tonight,
Oh, hurry down the chimney tonight.

This post’s topic: Favorite Christmas cookies

By far it’s the Reese’s Cup cookies. Hands down.

I also love decorating cookies!!

This post: Approach to holiday shopping

For me, I start with a budget sheet in Apple’s Numbers program. Each person I buy for has their own colorful block where I place items I plan to buy and offer an estimated price. There’s a separate column for the actual price. There also are blocks for other items such as postage stamps, paper for my Christmas cards, etc.

There are seven individual people blocks and then an additional one for the other items, which also can include gifts for others.

The estimated and actual total lines from each block then are listed at the bottom of the page and are added up, giving me a grand total of estimated and actual spending.

It’s pretty cool, and it also helps me to recall what I spent/purchased the previous year.

As for actual gifts … I try to either theme a gift, buy local stuff or get a gift card they’ll like. I used to be anti-gift cards, but it’s fun knowing you can give somebody the gift for them to get what they’d like.

Though, for some gifts, I do spend quite a bit of time thinking about. For instance, my mom and two best friends gifts have been quite difficult. Though I have nothing yet for anybody else, I sort of *know* what they’ll get. But I seem to put a lot of pressure on my mom and two pals’ gifts.

And as much as I love Christmas, I don’t finish shopping until Christmas Eve. Why? I don’t buy into the hype of planning your list and shopping like a nut in the fall or on one certain day. Gifting the *right* thing takes time. A lot of thought goes into gifts, and I hate just rushing through a store with a list. Where is the love in that?

Plus, I hate the material meaning that people put on Christmas. I buy things out of love, not just for somebody to open.

This post: 2011 in five words or less.

Friends. Fun. Love. Memories. Sadness.

Two stories come to mind for the Christmas season: “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “The Polar Express.”

Each of these stories exudes the spirit of what Christmas and the holiday season is supposed to be.

In “Grinch,” we follow the story of the Grinch who tries stealing Christmas from others only because he does not have Christmas. But as we come to learn, even the Grinch understands the true meaning of Christmas — family, friends, love and togetherness. Such a truly simplistic story that so many people should really take to heart.

“The Polar Express” has been a favorite of mine long before it became a movie. The story, as you might know, follows one central theme — believe.

It’s the idea of believing in Santa and that there is good in us all. I wish more people could hear that bell ring. But the true reality is that so many people get caught up in what they think life is meant to be and eventually lose out on hearing the bell.

The book ends with one of the most powerful thoughts:

At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.

I still hear the bell ring. Do you?