State dismissive of truthers' Newtown hoax claims … Danville, Va., woman claimed to the newspaper that she recently contacted Jepsen's staff, State Police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to ask them to separate fact from fiction … Lt. J. Paul Vance, a State Police spokesman, reported fielding similar requests from the public since the tragedy. "There's a few people out there that say this didn't happen," Vance said Wednesday. "Quite frankly, I find them offensive. I take the time to say, 'I was there and saw it.' " – CT Post

Dominant Social Theme: Connecticut authorities don't need to take conspiracy theories seriously when it comes to Sandy Hook.

Free-Market Analysis: There is a good deal of confusion and debate over the Sandy Hook shootings and much of it seems warranted to us.

There have been so many false reports generally regarding school shootings that people are probably right to be suspicious.

As we have reported previously, there are over 100 eyewitness accounts regarding the Columbine School massacre that claim a number of shooters were involved, not just two boys.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting seems to have generated its own reports that directly conflict with official reports that have focused on a single shooter.

For the most part, the mainstream media has declined to focus on this alternative reporting. But in looking at what's been said and written within the context of alternative media reporting, the pressure to further explain the shootings seems intense.

There are literally thousands of articles on the Internet questioning the official reports and demanding further – and better – answers. Some can be seen individually as disrespectful or even hysterical but the aggregate result is powerful.

And recently, authorities have responded. We read this from Theintelhub.com:

Sandy Hook: Law Enforcement Officials Now Admit Possibility Of Multiple Shooters … New information has now been brought forth by Connecticut State Attorney Stephen Sedensky, suggesting that records pertaining to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have been sealed to possibly hide the identity of witnesses from multiple shooter suspects and that they should not be unsealed anytime soon. Officials fear the safety of witnesses. Now we are getting somewhere, after nearly two months this new information is startling.

We would like to believe that US authorities want the truth to come out regarding Sandy Hook. On the other hand, it is quite evident that the Sandy Hook shootings, like other such tragedies, are being used for promotional purposes.

Whether by design or not, a furious "gun control" campaign has been launched on the heels of the massacre. This, plus hazy and inconsistent information, is fueling suspicions about what actually happened.

And arrogant responses from Connecticut officials probably don't help in defusing an already tense situation. Here's more from the Connecticut Post article above.

Vance is loath to get into a debate with conspiracy theorists, saying that he's had to block messages from some people who have repeatedly contacted him …

Vance raised eyebrows in December when he said that authorities would seek to punish anyone spreading "disinformation" on the shooting via the Internet or social media.

On Wednesday, Vance said he was referring to persons attempting to mislead investigators or making bomb threats, as was the case in Ridgefield in the days after the massacre.

Stephen Sedensky III, the state's attorney for the Danbury Judicial District, said he has received no criminal complaints along the lines of people trying to use the Internet or social media for illicit purposes.

The kinds of responses that Vance is making might have gone unnoticed pre-Internet. But technology can focus intensely these days when attention is warranted.

What is going on in Sandy Hook may be fairly murky. What seems clearer is that alternative 'Net media reports are having an impact not only on the coverage of the investigation but also on how it is being handled.