The tragedy that occurred during the Boston Marathon dramatically points out how the reporting of “news” has changed in the Internet age.

It used to be that people could rely on newspapers for reliable information. That no longer is the case as pointed out dramatically Monday by the New York Post.

The Post is the nation’s 11th largest newspaper with a circulation larger than any paper in Boston, San Francisco, Kansas City, etc. Its circulation is just under 700,000.

On Monday afternoon the Post reported that 12 were dead in Boston. At the time other media outlets were reporting two dead (and later 3). The Post also said a Saudi Arabian national was a suspect. Boston officials say that is not true.

Virtually everything reported by the Post was either wrong or unproven. Here is an interesting take on how the newspaper has tried to justify its mistakes.

On Tuesday the paper noted, “The official death toll was three, but a law-enforcement source told The Post it could be as high as 12.”

The Post and newspapers in general have lost tremendous credibility over the years. Many people consider newspapers agenda-driven and staff cutbacks have severely hampered their reporting expertise.

When something occurs like the Boston bombings people now turn to TV (and some radio outlets) for instant news and social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Photos and videos from the scene circled the globe almost instantaneously.

In Kansas City, noted blogger and Boston Marathon runner Greg Hall posted real-time updates from Boston via Twitter about what was occurring (and photos, below). Other KC runners also posted messages on Twitter and Facebook.

On the other hand, it should be pointed out that some people used social media to spread untruths about what was occurring. CNN has outlined five viral stories that came out of the Boston tragedy (LINK) and were totally bogus.

Overall, most of the news via social media was immediate—and accurate-depending on the source. No guessing. These were people directly involved in the ongoing crisis and sharing what was occurring. They had no real agenda other than to let people know what was happening to them. It was personal.

Ironically, TV and radio outlets now rely on social media for much of the information they provide. Hall was interviewed on sports talk shows and quoted on KC TV stations throughout the evening as were other KC participants.

Social media outlets used to be considered a joke by the mainstream media.

That certainly is not the case anymore.