Times like these make me want to build my own hot air balloon, ascend to the ends of the atmosphere and broadcast the following message to the world (or at least to my university):"Everybody, just slow down!"

I confess my first reaction to seeing the footage of a weather balloon drifting away into the damning Colorado skies was devastation. I was terrified-for the little boy, for his family, for the authorities going to great pains to rescue him. Indeed, I was captivated by the possibility of this unconvetional tragedy. My thoughts were totally preoccupied with what the situation's outcome could possibly be-and, of course the ramifications for the future of balloon travel at large. I had jumped headfirst into the story because it was just a good story.

It's sad, isn't it? These human interest stories have a dangerous power to mesmerize audiences all too quickly. Even more dangerous is the power these stories have over reporters: As Brian Dickerson, a columnist for the Detroit Free Press, cleverly paraphrased the theoretical conversation, "No, wait-it's a weather balloon! With a terrified 6-year-old on board!" "Really? Do we know that?" "Who cares? We've got live video!"

This all came to an embarrassing finish with the shortest sequence of six words to ever become a YouTube sensation: "We did it for a show." And Falcon Heene's daddy's failed attempt at promoting his made-for-reality-TV family is about to cost them, big time.

This all seems to be a classic case of jumping to conclusions and a refusal to seek the truth beyond the surface. As a journalism student, I could pinpoint the media's error on an ideological level: Grabbing the story because of the immense number of viewers it would attract and the large commercial interest this increased viewership would generate is technically not the way a news network should handle its budget. In an ideal world, media outlets would report the news in all its truth, regardless of the potential for sensationalism.

But such is not the case, and media outlets, run like businesses, must make money. And although I accept the unfortunate reality that a news network cannot avoid the occasional sensational piece in order to maintain a steady consumer base, I remain unsatisfied. Why? Well, simply put, I'm disappointed. There are a lot of wacky characters in America, and yet I had to devote my time and energy on these for an entire weekend because the media said so. And the entire story ended up being a hoax. Had news networks simply slowed their excitement and investigated just a bit further into the Heenes' background (and maybe questioned the fact that Falcon's father oddly chose to call Channel 9 News before the police), this troubling scenario could have been averted, the media would look just a little less foolish and everyone would learn a valuable lesson in not bypassing thinking in favor of immediate action.

The lessons of the "balloon boy" fiasco extend beyond the media. The hasty manner in which the Falcon phenomenon soon turned into a massive scandal is all too similar to certain tendencies to act too fast at our own University. The closing of the Rose Art Museum followed an eerily similar pattern as balloon boy: a plot to shut down the museum generated radical reactions and ended up being overturned by an excess of negative press, causing the Board of Trustees to question their initial decision. But of course, that's in the past. You'd think Mr. Heene would have taken a hint from Brandeis.

Even the University's decision to expand the first-year class by 4 percent represents a rather hasty move. The scheme exploded as it became evident that the University failed to consider how to accommodate the extra students in the existing physical space. Overcrowded dining halls, an imminent housing shortage and rising student-to-professor ratios inconvenience Brandeis' most vital consumers: its students, who only want a liberal arts education at a small, tight-knit university.

Furthermore, consider balloon boy's implications for overachieverism. As the elder Heene must have gathered at this point as he prepares to accept the charges filed against him for conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempting to influence a public servant, it's just not worth it to superimpose your most fantastic desires on reality. Likewise, that sixth class, that eighth club and that second part-time job could be pushing it. Think before rewriting your résumé, or like the Heene family, you may not get too far.

Take a lesson from Falcon Heene and the massive media screwup. Slow down; assess your strategy and its costs and benefits. The means are equally as important as the ends. Otherwise, beware: Things may balloon out of control.