I was sitting in church this morning when I peaked at my Twitter feed on my iPhone. I was horrified. Four police officers executed at a Lakewood coffee shop.

I am grieving for the police officers’ families, for the brothers and sisters in the “Thin Blue Line,” and for the entire state really.

I hardly know what to do with my grief. But I also am struck by how the media performed today. I heard some amazingly stupid things come from weak anchors and uninformed reporters. One anchor on KOMO TV this morning said that since Det. Troyer would only say the gunman had a handgun, then obviously the police had found shell casings. Ugh … no. Look, Troyer was trying to protect the investigation. Don’t speculate.

The three networks dropped local programs for extended coverage. This was a all hands on deck story and the weekday regulars were on duty. Yet, the Sunday backups were first on the scene. Today I heard Troyer referred to as “Sergeant,” “Officer,” “Detective” and he apparently works for Lakewood, the “sheriff’s office” and the “police department.”

The News Tribune did its best to lead the coverage. It was the Tribune’s backyard. But despite the ability to post information online, its coverage was not more in depth and hardly led. This was where veteran beat reporters, the kind who spend years developing sources within police departments, come in handy. I didn’t see that kind of coverage from the Tribune today. Not one thing came from the Tribune that wasn’t also released simultaneously on KOMO, KIRO radio and TV and KING 5. Maybe the veteran reporters had retired? Maybe no one works a beat anymore?

There were more complaints I could list. But despite the spotty field work and shoddy anchoring, there were some great moments.

Danger Jim Forman, KING 5 TV’s wind-blown daredevil, looked wise and capable at KING 5 control, monitoring information from all the reporters KING 5 had in the field. Forman was a calming and trustworthy presence.

Later in the day, KING 5’s Dennis Bounds choked back tears as he listed the names and ages of the fallen officers. It was a Cronkite-esque moment I was honored to view.

In the end, this post is just nervous energy. I am just trying to process the feelings from the day. I am sick that three men and one woman were murdered, drinking coffee, filling out reports. No one can make sense of this. Not even with our local media’s best efforts.