As with horse racing, sprinting and swimming, jumping the gun is never good.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Pennsylvania State U. student paper Onward State’s managing editor Devon Edwards did by prematurely reporting the death of legendary ex-football coach Joe Paterno Saturday night.

At about 8:45 p.m. ET, Edwards reported on Twitter that Paterno had passed, and media outlets around the nation immediately picked up on and sourced the story. Shortly after, Paterno’s son Scott responded that JoePa was not dead but in serious condition.

Paterno did pass away Sunday morning, and shortly after Edwards announced his resignation from the newspaper.

“In this day and age, getting it first often conflicts with getting it right, but our intention was never to fall into that chasm,” Edwards said in a resignation letter. “All I can do now is promise that in the future, we will exercise caution, restraint, and humility.”

Edwards also mentioned never dreaming that national media would be quoting the Onward State. However, by reporting a major breaking news story of this magnitude — true or not — Edwards should have assumed other outlets would shortly catch on.

For a student-run newspaper, the pressure to compete with larger corporations and scoop other papers is paramount. But these pressures pale in comparison with the duties and responsibilities associated with providing news accurately. Edwards learned this lesson, as a national debacle was the outcome of his haste.

In his defense, though, resignation may have been unnecessary. Onward State persevered through the Penn State child molestation scandal late last year, undoubtedly providing all members of the student staff with valuable experience for post-graduation endeavors.

In similar situations, the editor would write an apology letter for print and profusely display regret at his or her error. Especially at an organization where the theme is preparing for a career rather than trying to maintain one, these learning experiences and mistakes should be met with forgiveness and understanding, not a call to arms for resignation and humiliation.