TIME TO TAKE A STEP BACK

Of course everyone who hears about the horrific shooting in Santa Fe is upset. It is beyond our
ability to imagine what the families and friends of those involved are going through. As I walked
the mile or more of cars parked along the highway, I was passed by upset students, worried
faces on their phones trying frantically to reach someone and I began to hear snippets; “ I don’t
think anyone is actually hurt” “We haven’t found him yet; they won’t let us in!” “No, she’s ok, but
she hears shots right after the fire alarm went off.” The reality of what had happened was beginning
to soak in. This was no regular assignment.
Just a few weeks ago, a colleague and I had sat at a table in the lunch room at Santa Fe
High School waiting to talk to students interested in a summer work program offered through
Workforce. I watched as these kids got their lunches, climbing over each other to get to the spot
they wanted to be in before settling down to eat. I watched as almost every on of them made
the rounds, flirting, giggling, stopping at this table or that to whisper a secret or tell a joke. It was
definitely controlled chaos.
Now I find myself wondering if those faces I saw are no longer. Is the police officer that was
riding herd on them the one fighting for his life? A co-worker arrived at the school before me
and as he attempted to determine what was happening, he was approached by a young girl
who asked him if he could help her find her brother. ‘The journalist in me disappeared and I realized
there are more important issues here than me getting
a story.” One of the mothers asked me to please ask the
other media to talk to the parents and leave the students
alone. “It is too raw right now. They are just now finding out
that their friends have been hurt.” I walked a little further
and found one of the teachers; got what information I could
and began the long walk back to my car. The people that
needed to be there were there already.
I come from a long line of newspaper people. That said, I
am concerned by the aggressive nature of the media these
days. I heard that Meghan Markel’s sister was injured in
an accident caused by an over aggressive reporter. As
I walked back to my car, I heard three different students
complaining about the media. “They were just trying to find
whoever was c rying and s tick a c amera i n our faces”…
one young girl said. There is something inherently wrong
when journalists are causing more trauma to the victims
of incidents like this. This is not something to be “dealt
with”. This is something that our industry needs to address.
When journalists become paparazzi, willing to do anything
to get the story, the integrity of the journalist is the first
victim. The second victim is the integrity of our industry
and the third victim is one of the most important tenets
of a free society – the press. Much maligned, especially
now, as Fake News, our conduct as reporters needs to be
respectful, not invasive and as accurate as possible rather
than first out with the story.
Certainly our prayers are heartfelt. Certainly we all want
to know that family and friends are safe and unharmed. We
want to know. We want to show our respect and our concern.
And as journalists we must walk a thin line between
reporting the story and inserting ourselves into it with our
behavior. My father always said the newsman should never
insert his opinion or himself into a story and he should
never, ever BE the story. Maybe we should get back to that
philosophy.