Though the media is rushing to find a link between the Internet and the shootings at Littleton, Colo.'s Columbine High School, none of the claims has been confirmed -- and some have already proven inaccurate.
The Washington Post used one website -- called ''The Written Works of the Trench Coat'' -- as an example of the type of goth culture that the killers reportedly admired. But the website has since posted a disclaimer, saying that ''media outlets reported incorrectly that my website was part of the Trench Coat Mafia. I state again that this could not be further from the truth.''
Meanwhile, the Drudge Report has posted ''exclusive'' information about AOL accounts supposedly belonging to the alleged shooters, one of whom purportedly posted the following statement: ''Preparin' for the big april 20!! You'll all be sorry that day!'' AOL has not confirmed the claim. However, AOL spokesperson Kim McCreery says that they have contacted investigators and cut off access to some information posted on AOL ''so that the integrity of the information before the event is preserved.'' As of this morning, there are four AOL accounts listed for Dylan Klebold, the name of an alleged shooter. Any of these accounts could have been changed or created after the shooting, which was fatal for Klebold.
On a related note, CBS has announced that it has pulled tomorrow's scheduled episode of ''Promised Land'' and replaced it with a different one in light of yesterday's tragedy. The family drama, starring Gerald McRaney and Wendy Phillips, also takes place in Colorado, and the preempted episode's plot involves a school shooting.
