Several neighbors of the woman slain in her home late last week called this week to complain that Salt Lake Tribune reporters were bothering the victim’s and suspect’s families and other people living on the same street to get information.
This complaint is at the heart of an ongoing debate in the journalism world over how to treat victims’ family and friends during their time of personal grief.
The families of murder victims suffer in ways that most of us cannot imagine. But in many instances, families want to talk to the public about their lost loved ones and share how special these victims were.
This latest slaying was especially heartbreaking as police have arrested the son of the woman’s next door neighbors in connection with the murder.
Covering such an event is a delicate exercise in allowing those who want to comment to talk while avoiding becoming a nuisance.
Those complaining said Tribune reporters were hanging around and knocking on doors. We expect our reporters to knock on doors and patiently wait for family statements. If news happens in a neighborhood, then neighbors can expect to see reporters knocking on doors. They are expected to be polite in all circumstances. And apparently they were.
Over my years in this business, I have covered a number of incidents similar to this. When I was an intern at The Miami Herald, the city editor sent me out to more than a dozen homes of people who died in a plane crash in Japan. Surprisingly, even though I spent the day expressing sorrow to the families and then asking for photographs of the victims, I was more determined than ever to stay in journalism. At each home, I found family members who not only gave me photos, but also shared some stunningly intimate information about their loved ones.
Victims’ families — especially those who live lives out of the public eye — want readers to know the kind of person who was lost to a tragedy.
One of the most famous projects dealing with victims’ families grief was the one carried out over a period of three months by The New York Times after 9/11. The archive of these obituaries is still available at http://www.nytimes.com/pages/national/portraits/index.html.
Most of these stories were about people who under normal circumstances would not have made the Times obituaries.
“Yes, Mario Santoro was a dedicated emergency medical technician who loved his job,” one Times story began. “Yes, he doted on his daughter, Sofia, who is now 3. And yes, he was a passionate volunteer basketball coach at his local church who sometimes showed up to practice after catching only an hour or two of sleep, after a late shift on the job.
But those who knew him best also realized that Mr. Santoro, 28, loved, more than almost anything else, to have a great meal with close friends and family.”
Peg McEntee, Tribune assistant managing editor for news and a veteran of the Salt Lake City Associated Press bureau, has covered her share of tragedies. “There are no ordinary lives,” she says. “All lives are extraordinary.”
And that is the case with Kimberly Hain, whose widower Pat Hain gave a brief statement on Thursday saying:
“Kim, may your light shine down on us always. Protect us on our journeys. Smile on us often so we may see in the fog of our sorrow and direct us back to the light again.”
Reporters from the Tribune behave in ways that conform to the paper’s employee guidelines:
“5. MINIMIZING HARM
“a. Sources
” Reporters should treat sources, readers and colleagues with courtesy and respect and avoid abusing or exploiting sources.
“b. Dealing with grief
” Exercise care when intruding on grief and other private situations.”
