In the days that followed the first report on the disappearance of Yale graduate student Annie Le, there was no end of speculation, innuendo and pure rumors about what had happened to her, from the tabloid "runaway bride" to the horrific crime of murder.

We've asked many questions of the many people surrounding this case, and heard many of the 'facts' and 'this-person-did-it' whispers from all kinds of 'sources' on the street. By Tuesday afternoon the name of one person was beginning to be mentioned more than any other.

Some news organizations identified this person by name -- and in some cases labeling him a "suspect" -- hours before New Haven Police Chief James Lewis went on the record and said the name himself: Raymond Clark.

Clark was taken away in handcuffs and questioned. His apartment and person searched. He was released about four hours later, with his lawyer, though police say that he continues to be a "person of interest."

Some of you have asked why WTNH wasn't one of the news organizations to broadcast or publish Clark's name before police announced it. Some think we did so because we are cooperating with police, covering for Yale, or you just wondered aloud if we just don't know how to do our job.

So allow me to answer the question at hand.

We have been careful to report only those details that we have been able to confirm from multiple, reliable sources. We have not reported some details that we have been unable to confirm, or information that the authorities have completely denied when we asked them directly.

At one point Tuesday our newsroom was hearing at least three different names of people who police may have been focusing their investigation on. In no case did we ever hear that any of those names was being called a "suspect" in the case. There is a very specific legal definition of what a suspect is in a case. Using that term incorrectly could lead to significant consequences for our station, or worse yet, possibly impact the ongoing investigation.

History has presented examples of where the competitive nature of journalism has led to situations where a "suspect" in a case ends up being tried by the media before ever getting their day in court, or in some cases before ever being charged with a crime. Remember what Richard Jewell had to endure for years after being labeled as a "suspect" in the Atlanta Olympics bombing, back in 1996.

As News Director, it was my decision to hold off on reporting any names of either suspects or persons of interest, until verified by the authorities, because we want to get the story right the first time.

At certain times you may see different details about this story from the large number of news outlets now reporting from New Haven. We know you count on us to provide the most accurate coverage possible, and we will continue to make it our first priority to give you the accuracy you expect from us at News Channel 8.