BREAKING: AP finds Clinton reached number of delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nominatiion

[Maeve]

280. There we'll have to disagree

AP canvassed the SD's--they called them, to get the count.

Letting the primary go on without announcing the result of that work would have allowed the process to occur without inciting claims of "attempted voter suppression" that we've seen. The J-school ethics classes I remember would have argued that holding the story for 24 hours and folding the data into the primary vote numbers would have been more responsible in that it put the good of the people over the good of the news organization. There is nothing irresponsible about sitting on a story for a day, especially when releasing it sooner could affect the political process. Now, had it been a story concerning the ethics or behavior of one of the candidates, yes, it would need to get out before an election. But a primary vote count just before a major vote? No. Had she reached the magic number a week ago, that would have been fine, too, but the timing gives an appearance that I can't imagine a news organization wanting.
Do understand, I have no problem with the result--I just feel that AP inserted itself where it didn't have to go.