"Until further verification is given to me" - well there's your problem. Reporters are supposed to seek out stories and determine facts. If you're just going to sit on your fat arse in an office and regurgitate press releases you're going to have an accuracy problem from time to time.

Whoever got that e-mail from the reporter should forward it to his boss. "given to me" - any editor worth his/her salt should go through the f*#king roof!