Tips for Tragedies

Sydney Albert
sa407611@ohio.edu

Natural disasters. Shootings. Accidents. Tragedies all of them, and unfortunately, there is no sign that such devastating events will be stopping anytime soon. If you're a niche journalist who mostly reviews new restaurants or food joints in town, it may be that you will never have to cover a story where death, destruction, and loss create such a highly emotional story. Yet for those with a crime beat or those who report on general local, national, or even international news, the time may come where you are sent out to cover a tragedy.

In such high stakes stories, it can be good to refresh yourself with the SPJ code of ethics, if for no other reason than to keep yourself grounded. Also, keep in mind that SPJ has a few tips specifically made to help you when reporting on grief, tragedies, and victims.

With that in mind, let's go over a few brief points.

1. We may have jobs to do, but we are not entitled to their stories.

The press plays an important role in spreading news, tipping the public off to danger, and humanizing the victims and evoking empathy from others worldwide. Talking things out can even help some victims work through their loss. However, the press also has the potential to make the experiences of victims even worse by harassing them and invading their privacy.

Victims deserve control of their stories. Private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than public officials do, and what you report about them and how you do it thrusts them into the public eye and can shape public opinion and reactions. Keep in mind that while some people may be willing to talk, others would rather grieve in private.

Give your sources control and behave in a sensitive, understanding manner - they may be more willing to talk if you do. But on the other hand, if they make it clear they don't want you there, don't intrude on their private moments. Remember: there is a fine line between being assertive and being aggressive.

2. Avoid exploiting the victims.

Tragic news stories spread fast, and will draw attention no matter the presentation. The problem can be making the coverage from your news organization stand out when so many other journalists from different groups will be flocking to cover the same story.

It will depend on the story - how developed it is, what the public already knows and what they are still looking to find out. Yet in the scramble to gain attention, mistakes can be made. Sensationalizing the story; derailing the discussion, or politicizing events when people are still trying to figure out the basic who, what, when, where, why; showing graphic or dramatic photos in order to stand out. None of these will win you points with the public, or the victims and community where the tragedy took place.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

It can seem like no matter what you do, somebody somewhere will criticize you for exploiting the victims. When reporter Simon Bouda used a news chopper to reunite Leila Pitt-Wood with her husband, who'd been trapped on the other side of a burning mountain after the devastating 2009 bushfire in Australia, he and many other journalists were there to capture the emotional moment. While the couple didn't seem to mind being filmed, the media received plenty of backlash stating that it was disrespectful to film, and thereby intrude, on such an intimate occasion.

We can never be 100 percent certain of how the public will react to us, or our coverage, and we will never be able to please everybody. Just remember that these are people you are covering, and try to be as respectful as possible.

3. Check your facts. Then check them again.

Learn from Sandy Hook. Learn from the Boston bombing. Learn to balance the pressure of "feeding the beast" with the need for clear, accurate information. Unlike many other professions, our work is deliberately put out for the public. Anyone and everyone can see it, and any mistakes made - especially coverage of in-progress situations or emotionally charged stories - can have terrible consequences. It can endanger people in the area of a crisis who are relying on the press to make sense of their situation or seeking safety. It can thrust innocent parties into the light and bring down the public's wrath upon them.

Mistakes can be made. Journalists are human, after all. Yet in high-stakes stories, try your best to double check, triple check even, for accuracy. Speed is important, but so is minimizing harm.

*Make-up blog for 10/13*