The Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin was the local newspaper at a major shooting incident today. And the paper did a damn fine job of covering it.
A few weeks ago I wrote about the failures of modern American newspapers to “do” journalism, and instead rely on repeating others’ statements. They repeat, I said; they don’t report. They’re afraid to make a statement, to go out on a limb — and, frankly to be relevant.
I offered the thought exercise of what an editor might do if a major shooting happened:
One of your reporters comes to you. “Let’s set up a blog about this,” he says. “Let’s report what we’re hearing if we think it sounds reliable, but be clear that it’s unconfirmed. That way we can keep people in the loop and maybe draw them away from the blogs so we get the traffic.”
If you were a good editor you’d do it, I think.
But you’re not. You’re a typical editor. You can’t publish information that hasn’t been verified by the most solid source possible. So you remain virtually silent on your site, posting only updates that have been confirmed by police.
The Press & Sun-Bulletin had that question put to it today. And it did it right.
While the shooting was still going on, the paper had an open blog where people could contribute tidbits they heard. The newspaper itself reported unconfirmed information. But it was clear about that — readers knew they were getting the raw data, and (and this is important), that’s what they wanted.
Confirmed or not, that content was damned compelling — it was fresh and raw and unfiltered, and it came from multiple sources. “CNN is reporting there are 44 hostages,” wrote one person (or something like that).
Another editor (one not as good) wouldn’t have let that go on the site because it’s [gasp!] not confirmed.
So what? That’s how stories develop. There’s rumor, confusion, misinformation, speculation — and get this: It’s OK to report that.
Sure, you can get on some kind of high horse and claim that having a minute-by-minute blog isn’t “journalism” because you haven’t confirmed things and haven’t talked to [sigh] experts. You’d be wrong. But guess what. It wouldn’t matter — you’d also be irrelevant.
You want your news organization to survive? Be smart. Do journalism. Go out on a limb. If you don’t, someone else will.
So big kudos to the Press & Sun-Bulletin. They did it right.
The Fray
Slappy says:
If I may borrow the words of others … Realization is a matter of becoming conscious of that which is already realized.
You made great points in the previous post & it’s really interesting to see that you noticed the way this incident was reported. I checked in on this story while it was happening too & thought of your exact statements & saw the same thing. Neat.
Leland says:
I see your point. However, I also see a potential for public panic through unfiltered information coming out.
This would be especially true in a breaking scenario like an on going event with active shooters moving through a city. If someone speculated that the shooters were moving toward a day care center, I can see a run on the center by panicked parents possibly resulting in accidents, injuries, traffic problems and even interference with the operation.
If the speculation is true, I can see even more people placed in danger from the shooters.
One of the things journalists, especially those following in the footsteps of Al Queda’s US Intelligence Arm (The New York Times) forgot is a duty to be responsible in what they report. Now it is all about making a big splash and being the first to do it. Consequences to the nation, innocents or anyone else are no longer considered.
gnomic says:
What is with this latest wave of kill everyone then kill myself violence lately? Some nutjob just killed his 4 kids, wife, and then himself. Why can’t these wackos just kill themselves and leave everyone else alone?